INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The Indianapolis Colts are used to starting fast. They'd scored points on their opening drive in all but two games heading into last Sunday's matchup against the Atlanta Falcons in Berlin, Germany. They were well on their way to doing it once again before the first of a handful of questionable moments from the officiating crew cropped up.

On 2nd-and-6, in Atlanta territory at the 31-yard line, running back Jonathan Taylor took the handoff from quarterback Daniel Jones out of shotgun and ran forward through the left A-gap and was brought down around the 26-yard line, which should've made it 3rd-and-1 after a gain of five yards. However, the officials ruled Taylor down well short of that spot at the 27-yard line, making it 3rd-and-2.

The spot was immediately questioned by viewers on social media and was still being widely discussed on Monday.

Colts head coach and offensive playcaller Shane Steichen spoke to reporters on Monday afternoon after the game and offered what he thinks the officials saw.

“Yeah, I think – I didn't, but they might have saw Bort’s (Tanor Bortolini) knee in the pile go down," Steichen explained. "That's what it looked like watching the tape, and that's what they called. So, obviously, we're looking at challenging it, and just didn't get a quick enough copy on there to get that done. Otherwise, definitely would have challenged that to get us to that third-and-one, third-and-half-a-yard for sure.”

As much as the spot by the officials was questioned, Steichen's decision not to challenge the ruling was just as discussed. The simple reason the Colts didn't challenge: they didn't get to see the replay in time and needed to get their next play in before the play clock ended. Otherwise, if the Colts called a timeout to review the play and challenge it, if they would lose the challenge, that would be two timeouts off the board already by the opening drive.

With the down-and-distance being 3rd-and-2 rather than 3rd-and-1 or inches, the Colts drew up consecutive passes on third and fourth down: an incomplete high pass to tight end Mo Alie-Cox on the left side and an incomplete short inside route to receiver Josh Downs on the right.

Steichen and the Colts have to live with their own calls in the situation, but rather than being presented with 3rd-and-1 or less, which almost certainly would've brought about a run from Taylor or Jones, the Colts' drive stalled out at Atlanta's 27-yard line.

Instead of creating an early lead right off the bat on a series that featured 10, 11, and 14-yard pass completions to Alec Pierce, Tyler Warren, and Taylor, respectively, the Colts turned the ball over on downs following an eight-play, 48-yard drive.

While the drive was consequential in the moment in a game that went to overtime, the Colts were able to pull through and win on an eight-yard Taylor touchdown run, 31-25.

Jake Arthur has been covering the Indianapolis Colts for over a dozen years and is a member of the PFWA. He's one half of the Locked On Colts podcast and has worked for the Colts' official website, On SI, and more. You can follow him on X @JakeArthurNFL. 

LEGENDARY: Jonathan Taylor Puts On MVP Performance | Any Concern with Daniel Jones? Jonathan Taylor put the Indianapolis Colts' offense on his back to defeat the Atlanta Falcons in Berlin, Germany.Daniel Jones was on his way to another clunk...