Two days out, everyone is still trying to figure out how a kicker who went to the Pro Bowl last year, could shank away a potential shot at the Super Bowl for the Ravens. And the conspiracy theories are flying.

And the best one is that the Patriots messed with the scoreboard, saying it was third down, when it was really fourth, in an attempt to jerk with kicker Billy Cundiff’s routine. Cundiff says that’s the reason he was so discombobulated and had to sprint onto the field for the kick. Put aside for a minute, the guy’s inability to count to four without the help of the scoreboard operator…I get that kickers work in mysterious ways and they’re in their own little world on the sideline. And that teammate Terrell Suggs says there was some confusion there after Anquan Boldin fumbled out of bounds on first down. Still, TMZ reports that an anonymous Raven says the coaches called for Cundiff at least a half a dozen times and were furious that he wasn’t ready after third down. In other words, we’re talking utter chaos. And if that’s the case, why didn’t Harbaugh or Cundiff call time out? Those timeouts are there so you can reset your team and make sure everyone is squared away on the game’s biggest plays: that’s why you have them. You can’t use them in the offseason. And they don’t carry over into the next season. What are you saving it for?

Look, no one likes a good conspiracy theory more than I do. That’s just not one of them. I don’t care what down it was, who was screaming at him, or how much time was left on the play clock: when the ball was snapped, he was in position, ready to kick: the hold was good. And he hooked it.

He said it best himself right after the game: “It’s a kick I’ve probably kicked a thousand times in my career. …there’s really no excuse for it.” Exactly. And especially that the scoreboard said it was third down.