By Michael Marot
The Associated Press

Indianapolis Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt, center, kicks the game-winning field gaol from the hold of Hunter Smith. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

INDIANAPOLIS - Ray Lewis didn't play a down Sunday. That didn't mean the Baltimore Ravens' All-Pro linebacker spent his day quietly.

Lewis and cornerback Chris McAlister complained about the officiating following Sunday's 22-20 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, and one call in particular: a 22-yard pass interference against Gary Baxter that kept the Colts' game-winning drive alive.

"We lost on a call that determined the ballgame," said Lewis, who missed his first game since 1998 because of partially dislocated left shoulder. "Somebody made a bullcrap call, and it hurts."

The call came on a fourth-and-10 play after the Ravens had flushed Peyton Manning from the pocket and forced him to throw down field. Colts receiver Qadry Ismail - who played the previous three years with Baltimore - jumped up, and Baxter plowed into him with his back turned away from the ball.

Lewis contended that Ismail "flopped" to get the call, and that the ball also was uncatchable.

Ravens coach Brian Billick protested on the sideline, but declined to discuss officiating in his postgame news conference. He said he would leave it to Colts coach Tony Dungy to comment on the officiating, and that he "could not afford the fine."

The NFL usually levies fines against players and coaches who criticize league officials.

Dungy said he understood the Ravens' reaction, although he believed the interference call was correct.

Dungy, however, took issue with some other calls from referee Dick Hantak's crew.

"I told Brian that's a tough way to lose a game on a fourth-down pass interference," Dungy said. "There were some strange calls out there today that went back and forth."

Colts fans became upset during a late third-quarter drive in which the Ravens tied the score at 13. The drive began when Ravens receiver Javin Hunter fumbled out of bounds. Replays indicated the Colts may have been recovered inbounds, but Dungy didn't challenge the call.

On the next play, the Ravens called time-out. However, Hantak announced that the Ravens would not be charged a time-out because of "the confusion on the field."

Five plays later, the Ravens drew an illegal procedure on the same down that the Colts were called for a personal foul. That gave Baltimore a first down at the Indianapolis 24.

On the next play, a pass to Hunter fell incomplete when it appeared Hunter ran into Colts cornerback David Macklin. Macklin was called for pass interference at the Colts 14. Eventually, Jamal Lewis scored on a 5-yard run.

But the Ravens thought the worst call came with 1:06 left and the game nearly in hand.

"I know Qadry can flop, but, hey, it was a great job on his part," McAlister said. "You can't fault him for flopping and trying to pick up a call. You have to look at the call itself and say, 'Is it really pass interference?' "

Lewis, a former Super Bowl MVP, said he didn't believe any call should have been made.

"This business spends too much money on making things right, not putting the call in one man's hands," Lewis said. "We're trying to go to the playoffs, and one game like that can damage a team. But he (the official) goes home and rests good. That's not fair."

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