Colts Recover Lamar Jackson Fumble, 98-Yard Touchdown Overturned by Replay

Some smart thinking from Darius Leonard nearly led to a 98-yard Colts touchdown on Monday night.

The Colts stood tall in the red zone against the Ravens on Monday night, turning a 1st-and-goal opportunity into a 98-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson took a snap from the shotgun with the Colts trailing 16-3, needing just two yards to score. He faked a handoff and darted right, but the ball popped out and into the arms of linebacker Darius Leonard as he lunged for the goal line.

Leonard's recovery was far from the best part of the forced turnover. He tossed the ball to Colts defensive back Isaiah Rodgers near the 30-yard line, and Rodgers sprinted to the end zone with little resistance. The play appeared to gave Indianapolis a 22-3 lead as it looked to stage an upset in Baltimore, but it was overturned on replay review as Leonard's pitch was deemed a forward pass. 

Leonard scooped it.... and PITCHED IT?!

98-YARD FUMBLE RECOVERY TD. #ForTheShoe

📺: #INDvsBAL on ESPN
📱: https://t.co/cpgwIpWHHN pic.twitter.com/E4WkAblD8X

— NFL (@NFL) October 12, 2021

Look closely at Darius Leonard and the football here. This was ruled an illegal forward pass? pic.twitter.com/JZP3XD95Ab

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) October 12, 2021

Perhaps Indianapolis's defense is turning a corner after allowing 25-plus points in each of the first three weeks. The Colts held the Dolphins to 17 points in a Week 4 win, and they held the Ravens to just three first-half points on Monday.