It somehow happens every single season, sometimes multiple times. And in Week 4, we got our first instance of the infamous “drop the ball right before the end zone” play. This time, it was courtesy of Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Adonai Mitchell.
Perhaps, Fox NFL play-by-play announcer Kevin Kugler is to blame. Kugler was on the call one of the last times this happened in an NFL game last December, when Cincinnati Bengals safety Jordan Battle dropped the ball prior to the goal line on a potential scoop-and-score. And to his credit, Kugler caught Battle’s premature drop right away. He did the same thing on Sunday afternoon when Mitchell needlessly fumbled through the end zone.
“But did he lose the ball going out of the end zone before he crossed the goal line?” Kugler said almost immediately after calling Mitchell’s “touchdown.” “He sticks it out and it slips out of his hand!” an exasperated Kugler described watching the replay. “Unbelievable!”
We are begging NFL players to please stop dropping the ball before the goal line. The play likely cost the Colts a win and a flawless 4-0 record.
But maybe we learned something from Mitchell’s incident. If Kevin Kugler is calling a game, beware of players getting the dropsies inside the five-yard line.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.