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Football

Colts Catastrophe: How did one of worst trick plays in NFL history happen? When was it?

Philip Marsh
Colts Catastrophe: How did one of worst trick plays in NFL history happen? When was it?DAZN
Looks away now Colts fans.

Every year the NFL comes up with more and more individual plays that live long in the memory.

Some are as a result of incredible game-winning moments which fans will look back on with a smile on their face for years to come.

However, others are remembered for a less fortunate reason. The history of the NFL is littered with plays which leave more questions than answers.

One of the most famous of which is now referred to as the 'Colts Catastrophe'. Before a look at what exactly went wrong, here it is for those who have never seen it before.

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It is a real head scratcher.

What happened?

With the Indianapolis Colts inside their own territory on 4th & 3, they ended up in a formation which had never been seen before.

The idea was to confuse the New England Patriots so much that they either left too many men on the field or jumped offside - which would have given the Colts a fresh set of downs.

As the Colts' special team approached the sidelines, instead of leaving the field to bring the offense back on they stayed on the field with nine men lined up to the right.

The Patriots special team were not phased, and remained on the field with four players in the area of Colts wide receiver Griff Whalen, who was in position to snap the ball to Colt Anderson.

If the Patriots were not fooled by the Colts' antics, the idea was to let the play clock expire and take the five-yard penalty. That was the crucial bit of information which Whalen had not understood.

Instead, with one second left on the play clock Whalen snapped the ball to Anderson who was immediately tackled for a loss by three Patriots.

Indianapolis were penalised for an illegal formation - which was declined by the Patriots - and as a result of the play New England took over possession in Colts territory.

The Patriots would go on to score a touchdown from that drive and go on to win the game 34-27.

When was the 'Colts Catastrophe'?

This infamous play happened eight years ago today, on October 18, 2015.

The loss would eventually lead to the Colts finishing the season 8-8, one win behind AFC South winners Houston Texans which ultimately saw them miss out on the playoffs.