Why the hell wouldn’t the Chargers go for it on 4th down in OT?

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by PunkinDrublic

The thing is it’s early in the season, you know the Chiefs defense was probably gassed due to not having a long enough training camp. If you miss it and lose, you lose a game you were supposed to lose anyway and it doesn’t tank your season. If you get the first down you have an opportunity to wear down the Chiefs defense and steal a win. I like the risk/reward of going for it.

I get it.

But I knew they were going to punt before they sent the punter out. I thought for a second they might try a fake punt.

But what I knew was that they weren't going to put their rookie QB in that hot of a situation in his first game, a game he wasn't even supposed to be in, in that particular moment. That kid played a great game, and you don't sacrifice that by putting in the biggest moment of his life without the proper preparation, and coaches are all about preparation.

If he makes it great. But if something goes wrong, and he mangles the snap (which I've seen happen about a hundred times), or he gets strip sacked (which just happened to a rookie QB Thursday night), or he throws an INT/pick-6 (which I've seen about a thousand times), then that kid goes into the locker room a goat, and not the good kind. Lynn protected his QB in that moment, and I knew he would. Plus, Lynn is a defensive coach.

Now if that same scenario happens a few games down the road and Herbert is still doing well, I bet he goes for it.

But not in the kid's very first start, one which he was never supposed to play in the first place.