Jim Irsay says NFL informed him officials did not make 'correct calls' at end of Colts' loss to Browns

Two days after his team was flagged for two key penalties on what turned out to be the game-winning drive for the Cleveland Browns, Colts owner Jim Irsay said the league informed him officials “did not make the correct calls.”

The penalties occurred at the end of Indianapolis’ 39-38 loss to the Browns on Sunday. Irsay’s comments, posted Tuesday night on the social media site X (formerly known as Twitter), followed discussions he said he had with league officials.

Irsay also said he believes the NFL should implement replay review for all calls — including penalties — in the final two minutes of every game.

The first penalty (an illegal contact call on Colts cornerback Darrell Baker Jr.) wiped out a potential game-winning fumble recovery, and the second (defensive pass interference also against Baker) gave the Browns the ball at the Colts’ 1-yard line with 33 seconds left in the game.

NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero noted on Tuesday night that the league office communicates with teams on a weekly basis about various calls, but team officials are not supposed to discuss those conversations publicly.

When asked about Irsay’s comments during Wednesday’s news conference, Colts head coach Shane Steichen said his attention is on Indianapolis’ next opponent: the Saints.

“I’ll just say that you guys know the answer, probably, to that, and we’ve gotta move on,” Steichen said.

For the 2019 season, the NFL permitted offensive and defensive pass interference, including non-calls, to be subject to review on a one-year trial basis, but that rule was not continued for future seasons.

Most recently, NFL owners rejected a proposal to make roughing the passer penalties reviewable for the 2023 season.