Chart: Flag day for Vikings

September 18, 2012 at 2:28AM

The Vikings committed 11 penalties for 105 yards in Sunday's 23-20 loss to the Colts in Indianapolis. Here's a flag-by-flag look at the Vikings' breakdown Sunday: FIRST QUARTER

1 Vikings, second-and-2 from the Indianapolis 30

Penalty: Charlie Johnson (below) for holding, 10 yards. Johnson seemed to deliver a legal block on Colts lineman Fili Moala, but officials saw a hold on Johnson.

Impact: Major. It negated a 9-yard Adrian Peterson run that would have given the Vikings a first down at the Colts 21 on their opening series.

2 Vikings, second-and-12 from the Indianapolis 40

Penalty: Phil Loadholt for illegal formation, 5 yards.

Impact: Minor.

3 Colts, first-and-10 from their 33

Penalty: Christian Ballard for encroachment, 5 yards. Ballard went for a hard count by Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and jumped into the neutral zone.

Impact: Moderate. On the ensuing first-and-5, Luck had a 6-yard gain, the second of four Indy first downs on an opening TD drive.

SECOND QUARTER

4 Colts, first-and-10 from the Vikings 48

Penalty: Fred Evans for offsides,

5 yards.

Impact: Minor.

THIRD QUARTER

5 Colts, fourth-and-5 from their 45

Penalty: Andrew Sendejo (below) for roughing the punter, 15 yards. Sendejo came racing in on an attempt to block a Pat McAfee punt, but his helmet hit McAfee on the left leg.

Impact: Major. McAfee's 35-yard punt was returned 14 yards by Marcus Sherels. The Vikings should have had first-and-10 at their 34 in a 17-6 hole. Instead, the penalty on Sendejo gave Indianapolis a first down.

6 Colts, third-and-16 from the Vikings 46

Penalty: Jared Allen for a late hit, 15 yards. Luck scrambled left. Allen gave chase and dived to take down Luck as the QB ran out of bounds.

Impact: Major. Allen disputed the call, but you have to question the judgment he used in even trying to hit Luck. Luck ran out of bounds 15 yards shy of a first down and not yet into field goal range. Luck was clearly across the sideline when Allen took him down. Indianapolis eventually turned the Sendejo and Allen penalties into a 45-yard Adam Vinatieri field goal.

7 Colts, fourth-and-7 from their 5

Penalty: Ballard (below) for an illegal block in the back, 10 yards. In an attempt to create a lane for a Sherels punt return, Ballard put a pretty good lick on Dwayne Allen. In real time, it looked more like a block in the side.

Impact: Moderate. The Colts were pinned deep in their territory, and it seemed as if the Vikings would be getting good field position after a punt. But McAfee bombed a 64-yard punt, and Sherels' 11-yard return was negated by Ballard's foul.

8 Vikings, first-and-10 from their 32

Penalty: Matt Kalil (below) for unnecessary roughness, 15 yards. QB Christian Ponder ran toward the right sideline for a 3-yard gain. After the play, Kalil inexplicably lowered the boom on Indianapolis nose tackle Martin Tevaseu.

Impact: Moderate. On the play after Ballard's penalty, Kalil's brain lapse cost the Vikings another huge chunk of yardage, pushing them all the way back to their 20.

9 Vikings, second-and-6 from their 49

Penalty: Loadholt (below) for holding, 10 yards. Ponder picked up 15 yards, but officials ruled that Loadholt held outside linebacker Jerry Hughes. Along with Johnson's first-quarter hold, this might have been the most questionable flag thrown against the Vikings.

Impact: Major. Instead of having a first down at the Indianapolis 36, the Vikings were backed up to their 39. Two plays later, they punted.

FOURTH QUARTER

10 Vikings, first-and-10 from their 21

Penalty: Percy Harvin for offensive pass interference, 10 yards. Harvin got entangled with Colts safety Antoine Bethea and tried to shove his way around him.

Impact: Moderate. Ponder hit Harvin for a 17-yard gain on the next play, but incomplete passes to Stephen Burton and Devin Aromashodu forced another punt.

11 Colts, first-and-10 from the Vikings 40

Penalty: Everson Griffen for offsides, 5 yards. With only 18 seconds left and the Colts trying to drive for the winning field goal, Griffen tried to time the snap count and jumped offsides.

Impact: Moderate. Griffen's penalty came on a play in which Luck hit Donnie Avery for a 7-yard gain that pushed Indianapolis into field goal range. But imagine if that pass had fallen incomplete. It would have been Griffen's blunder that gave the Colts their final 5 yards that set up Adam Vinatieri's 53-yard winning field goal. Inexplicably, the Colts opted to accept the flag on Griffen instead of the Avery reception, making Vina- tieri's kick 2 yards longer than it had to be.

DAN WIEDERER

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