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

[displacedinMN]

Had a guy ask me that today. Why.

you gave it to PM and all the Chiefs needed was a FG to win. Yes, the d was playing well, but Bosa was done. Did he play the last 3 plays?

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by displacedinMN

Had a guy ask me that today. Why.

you gave it to PM and all the Chiefs needed was a FG to win. Yes, the d was playing well, but Bosa was done. Did he play the last 3 plays?

When you think about it, it should've worked. They kicked it to the 20 (or maybe that was a TB, I forget). It took 13 PLAYS for the Chiefs to move that ball 40 yards. 13.

And how many kickers can even kick a ball 53 yards and consistently split the uprights? How many under the pressure of having to win the game? Then how many from 58 yards? Twice?

Probably you can count them on half a hand.

Heck, if you just changed one thing, Butker probably misses at least one of those. Maybe the one that actually counted. Percentage-wise it was probably just as good a call as going for it.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Megatron96

When you think about it, it should've worked. They kicked it to the 20 (or maybe that was a TB, I forget). It took 13 PLAYS for the Chiefs to move that ball 40 yards. 13.

And how many kickers can even kick a ball 53 yards and consistently split the uprights? How many under the pressure of having to win the game? Then how many from 58 yards? Twice?

Probably you can count them on half a hand.

Heck, if you just changed one thing, Butker probably misses at least one of those. Maybe the one that actually counted. Percentage-wise it was probably just as good a call as going for it.

Exactly. Nothing about it was a gimme. We're just completely spoiled by Mahomes. Expectations are a bit out of whack.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Exactly. Nothing about it was a gimme. We're just completely spoiled by Mahomes. Expectations are a bit out of whack.

And I believe that the Chargers should have gone for it on 4th and 1, even if it's at the 30.

If it was any other QB, outside of Mahomes, Rodgers, Wilson, and maybe Brees/Brady, I would have punted.

Fact of the matter is, the Chiefs have Mahomes and they were gaining steam on getting points on the board, I would had just said "Hell with it, go for it. You're gonna lose if you're going to punt, might as well lose going aggressive."

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Coach

And I believe that the Chargers should have gone for it on 4th and 1, even if it's at the 30.

If it was any other QB, outside of Mahomes, Rodgers, Wilson, and maybe Brees/Brady, I would have punted.

Fact of the matter is, the Chiefs have Mahomes and they were gaining steam on getting points on the board, I would had just said "Hell with it, go for it. You're gonna lose if you're going to punt, might as well lose going aggressive."

If they didn't pick it up, the game is essentially over since the Chiefs would have been in FG range instantly.

Like Megatron said, it took the Chiefs 13 plays to get it done. Going for it, given how the game had gone to that point was not a terrible call. Ever.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

If they didn't pick it up, the game is essentially over since the Chiefs would have been in FG range instantly.

Like Megatron said, it took the Chiefs 13 plays to get it done. Going for it, given how the game had gone to that point was not a terrible call. Ever.

I understand that. I'm also saying that, if you're punting it back to Mahomes, chances are that the game is essentially over regardless.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Coach

I understand that. I'm also saying that, if you're punting it back to Mahomes, chances are that the game is essentially over regardless.

That's just not true. Mahomes isn't automatic. It was a 20-20 game for a reason.

You also have to figure in that had they picked it up, they still had to go the rest of the way to score. Mahomes was going to get the ball back regardless. Might as well try to flip the field.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Coach

Fact of the matter is, the Chiefs have Mahomes and they were gaining steam on getting points on the board, I would had just said "Hell with it, go for it. You're gonna lose if you're going to punt, might as well lose going aggressive."

Yeah, but you know as well as anyone that NFL coaches don't coach like that, even in divisional games, because the margins between winning and losing are razor thin, and guys normally err on the side of caution.

If the Chargers had gone for it and not made it, only to see the Chiefs score a TD a few plays later, every talking head would be saying "Why didn't he punt?".

Even Rex Ryan and Ryan Clark agreed with Lynn's choice because that's the way they've been taught to play and coach the game.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Yeah, but you know as well as anyone that NFL coaches don't coach like that, even in divisional games, because the margins between winning and losing are razor thin, and guys normally err on the side of caution.

If the Chargers had gone for it and not made it, only to see the Chiefs score a TD a few plays later, every talking head would be saying "Why didn't he punt?".

Even Rex Ryan and Ryan Clark agreed with Lynn's choice because that's the way they've been taught to play and coach the game.

And I understand where Rex Ryan and Ryan Clark is saying.

I'm just saying, there isn't an QB that is remotely close to what Mahomes does/do/talent. At some point, should that line of thinking need to be changed because it is Patrick Mahomes, who is probably a generational type of a QB talent?

Most NFL coaches hated doing the shotgun, and it was like a big taboo back in the 90's/early 2000's.

All of a sudden, almost all teams are now using the shotgun as part of their base packages.

That line of thinking changed, that's all.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Coach

That line of thinking changed, that's all.

I don't disagree at all.

But those decisions are long baked into their DNA, especially for the Old School guys like Lynn.

You can't really expect them to change after being in the league for 25 years.