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Laquon Treadwell's biggest play in years nearly became a Colts disaster
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- Laquon Treadwell's biggest play in years nearly became a Colts disaster
KANSAS CITY, MO — The best play Laquon Treadwell has made in at least half a decade nearly ended in disaster.
Treadwell, the 31-year-old former first-round pick who has spent most of his career bouncing from team to team, got free in overtime on NBC's "Sunday Night Football" against the Chiefs and hauled in a 48-yard bomb from Colts quarterback Daniel Jones .
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His momentum took him to the ground.
But Treadwell wasn't sure he'd been touched, and he rose, trying to make an even bigger play, only to get hit hard by Chiefs cornerback Nohl Williams , who ripped the ball out of Treadwell's grasp. Officials initially ruled the play a fumble.
"It was difficult," Treadwell said. "Obviously, you don't want to put your team in that situation and leave it in the ref's hands with the game on the line."
If the play was ruled a fumble, the game would have been over, right then and there.
Treadwell would have been the goat.
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The Colts were confident they'd get another shot at the win.
"Our guys up in the box had a good, clear view of it, they said, hey, he had possession of the ball while he was going down," Steichen said. "We felt very confident in it, with our guys in the box."
Treadwell watched the clip after the game.
When he looked at it, the veteran receiver was surprised to find that he'd tucked the ball away, using the "eagle claw" grip the Colts teach.
Williams just ripped it out of his grasp.
"I watched the clip, I eagle clawed it and everything, it was a great play by that guy," Treadwell said. "He played through the whistle. Thank God I was down."
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The guys in the booth were right.
Officials determined that Sneed had touched Treadwell while he was in possession of the ball and headed to the ground, ruling the wide receiver down by contact. Indianapolis had another chance, and the Colts finally had the big play they hadn't been able to hit with an injured Alec Pierce knocked out of the game in the first half.
Despite Pierce's absence, Kansas City did a good job of making Jones work for every yard, firing short and intermediate routes to move the chains.
"They were dropped pretty deep from what I could tell," slot receiver Josh Downs said.
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Treadwell, whose 10-yard catch in the first half was his first NFL catch since 2023, did the best job of testing Kansas City's secondary deep.
He'd had plenty of chances to learn Pierce's position. Treadwell got the majority of Pierce's snaps while the team's highest-paid receiver sat out most of training camp as he recovered from offseason ankle surgery, and despite his age, the Colts used him the same way they'd use Pierce, sending him down the field.
Treadwell's success rate is nowhere near the rate of Pierce, who averaged more than 21 yards per catch over the last two seasons.
"Any time you get enough reps with the starters and the QB, it builds confidence, it builds trust in the coaches to give you some opportunities out there," Treadwell said.
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But he was able to make a few plays on Sunday night.
Treadwell drew two penalties for pass interference that gave the Colts 49 yards and two first downs, contributing to Indianapolis forcing overtime.
"Definitely just a huge momentum-builder for myself," Treadwell said. "Chemistry with the quarterback, and this team trusting me more to get out there and make plays, help us win some games this year."
Indianapolis finally found an opportunity on the first play of overtime
"It was a play we had (in the game plan)," Steichen said. "They brought the corner blitz to Keenan (Allen)'s side, and Laquon beat the safety, he got over the top to get us down in the red zone, which was huge."
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After the game, all Treadwell could think about was his near-miss, the fact that he'd almost fumbled away the game on his own, before the defense allowed Kansas City to drive down the field for Harrison Butker 's game-winning field goal.
He knew he'd protected the ball, but in the heat of the moment, the veteran receiver also realized he needed to know the situation, recognize it wasn't time to take a chance on getting up and running into the end zone.
"I've just got to be situationally aware," Treadwell said.
This time, it didn't hurt the Colts.
Treadwell came up with the biggest play he's made in years, and the referees made sure it stood.
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Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter .
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Laquon Treadwell's biggest play in years nearly became a Colts disaster
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