The idea that each team supplies balls for when they are on offense is where this problem lies. The league should have supplied all balls and been in control of them throughout the game. For an outfit like the NFL to allow this to even have happened is ridiculous.
According to some (un-named) coaches - this is fairly common practice throughout football, that's why the NFL allows "team balls".
It's one of those nod-n-wink rules, nobody ever bitches about it - until the Colts were down by 28 points, that is.
A bush-league gripe if there ever was one - like Billy Martin's pine-tar complaint - normally a non-starter, but some losers (like teams and theri fans not going to the Super Bowl) are gonna' find something to whine about..