Broncos' Aqib Talib gives black eye to self, team

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Sunday night, Denver Broncos defensive back Aqib Talib was defiant. Monday afternoon, he was apologetic.

But unless the NFL has a change of heart on appeal, Talib will serve a one-game suspension for his fourth-quarter, two-finger poke at the right eye of Colts tight end Dwayne Allen in the final moments of Sunday's 27-24 loss.

And it happened in a key moment in the Broncos' first loss of the year.

Talib claimed that the poke was unintentional, although instant replays showed him jamming his fingers into the eye of Allen, who was in a verbal dispute with outside linebacker Von Miller before Talib interceded.

"(Allen) acted like he got in an 18-passenger car wreck," Talib said Sunday night. "I guess that's what type of guy he is."

It wasn't long before Broncos coach Gary Kubiak was talking with Talib on the plane ride back to Denver, telling him that such over-the-line behavior could not be tolerated -- especially given that it cost the Broncos a chance to win the game.

"He just told me that I've got to be smarter than that," Talib said. "He was telling me everything that I already knew."

The defense would have had the Colts in third-and-7 if not for the penalty. Although it struggled to contain the Colts on third downs -- allowing conversions on 12 of 20 attempts -- a stop would have given the offense one final chance for a game-winning drive with over two minutes remaining.

"We have full confidence that if we stop them on that third down with the two minutes (remaining), Peyton (Manning) will come down, score a touchdown and get that (league-record) 187th win in dramatic fashion.

"I cost us the opportunity to go down and get those points. That's kind of what we talked about on that plane."

Added Kubiak: "He's wrong. He needs to stay out of the situation. It hurt the team."

Much was done to lose the game by the Broncos before Talib's poke: two interceptions off Manning's arm, a lousy first half in which the Colts streaked to a 17-0 lead, porous third-down defense and five dropped passes.

Indianapolis played its best game of the season, and Andrew Luck stood tall in the pocket despite being hit 12 times. He didn't lose his composure, he located open receivers and capitalized off the Broncos' blitzes.

But Denver did enough to lose this game on its own.