NFL Week 16 -- Football overload

To give them time to get the TD they need. Likely a Hail Mary

 

Broncos will get a Chiefs team at home in Week 18 that will be playing for nothing. Understand your concern, but the Broncos banked enough wins early that they should get in, even with a loss to Cincy.

 

The full lyric little bandbox experience!

 

They also couldn't win without a field goal.
They were only at the 35 or 40 yard line, so it most likely would have taken another 4-5 plays to get the touchdown, which burns 25 or 30 seconds in a best case scenario.
Kick the FG there, and they keep more time on the clock to get the second score they needed. Plus, as almost happened, they might be able to get the ball back by using their two timeouts.
It's just modern NFL game theory.

 

I don't understand why more teams don't do it when down by 10 or 11. They waste all their time scoring the TD that if they do get the ball back then they have to score a TD again on a hail mary.

If the Broncos had recorded the onside kick they would have had 50 seconds and two timeouts to score the TD. It's smart.

 

I'm not fighting a Texas Death match over this. I've never worn a headset on a sideline.

But you had 57 seconds and 2 time outs. Why not at least try for a TD? The alternative Payton took was a 55 yarder on first down!

 

I thought that they maybe should have run one more play to try and get closer, instead of going for a 55-yard field goal that isn't a sure thing. That was the only quibble I had with it.
In that scenario, I think they were also trying to save the two timeouts as an insurance policy in case they didn't get the onside kick. If they'd have had another 5-10 seconds they'd have gotten the ball back with time for at least one lateral play.

 

55 is pretty long, guess he has faith in the kicker!

It's actually the second time Payton has done this this year, both against the Chargers. Didn't get the onside kick either time.

 

The success rate for onside kicks this year was 7 percent and now is down whatever fraction after last night.

 

Payton had the decision to make -- do one thing or the other. If he goes for the touchdown, people would have come here and said he should have kicked a FG. If he kicks the FG, people will come here and said he should have gone for the TD. This is Talk Radio fodder ... and the reason there are horse races.

 

I thought that distance was pretty big at that time.

 

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