End of Broncos v Jets

[gamecockcat]

Thought this was a really dumb decision but it turned out OK for the Jets.

24-21 Jets late in the 4th, about 2:15 to go. 3rd and 5 from Denver's 27. Broncos have one timeout left. Jets OC, Nathaniel Hackett, the very same guy who got fired after one year coaching the Broncos for some head-scratching coaching decisions, calls a pass. Four things can happen, 3 are bad: 1) a sack which makes a FG much harder, 2) an incomplete pass which stops the clock and allows Denver to save their last TO, 3) a completion for a first down which seals the win, or 4) an interception, which is what happened.

In that situation, don't you run the ball, force the Broncos to burn their final TO or let the clock go down to the 2 minute warning and kick the FG, forcing the Broncos to score a TD? Instead, Hackett calls a pass, which is incredibly stupid, imo.

Of course, the Broncos being the Broncos, they pick up a couple of first downs, then Wilson scrambles, fumbles and the Jets scoop and score to seal the win with 40 seconds left.

But still, didn't Hackett make a completely bonehead decision in that situation?

 

[cmallory]

So in other words, you had money on the Broncos

 

[Glenn's take]

Some people just don't care if they get fired.

 

[gamecockcat]

So in other words, you had money on the Broncos

Nope. Never bet on football anymore. Last bet I think I placed was on the 85 Bears in the Super Bowl.

 

[Glenn's take]

Nope. Never bet on football anymore. Last bet I think I placed was on the 85 Bears in the Super Bowl.

 

[Boyd94]

Thought this was a really dumb decision but it turned out OK for the Jets.

24-21 Jets late in the 4th, about 2:15 to go. 3rd and 5 from Denver's 27. Broncos have one timeout left. Jets OC, Nathaniel Hackett, the very same guy who got fired after one year coaching the Broncos for some head-scratching coaching decisions, calls a pass. Four things can happen, 3 are bad: 1) a sack which makes a FG much harder, 2) an incomplete pass which stops the clock and allows Denver to save their last TO, 3) a completion for a first down which seals the win, or 4) an interception, which is what happened.

In that situation, don't you run the ball, force the Broncos to burn their final TO or let the clock go down to the 2 minute warning and kick the FG, forcing the Broncos to score a TD? Instead, Hackett calls a pass, which is incredibly stupid, imo.

Of course, the Broncos being the Broncos, they pick up a couple of first downs, then Wilson scrambles, fumbles and the Jets scoop and score to seal the win with 40 seconds left.

But still, didn't Hackett make a completely bonehead decision in that situation?

2 minutes is an eternity for an NFL team. They probably wanted that first down to seal the win.

 

[gamecockcat]

2 minutes is an eternity for an NFL team. They probably wanted that first down to seal the win.

Perhaps. But, early in his HC gig with the Broncos, Hackett did something similar and, instead of running more clock, called a pass (or several, IIRC) that was incomplete and the opponent (Raiders?) came back to beat the Broncos as they had enough time due to Hackett's piss-poor clock management.

In this case, the Jets were in FG range and running the ball would've forced the Broncos to burn their last TO or allow 15 seconds to run off until the 2:00 warning. The Jets, presumably, kick the FG (that burns a few seconds) and then the KO. So, the Broncos would have had the ball at their own 25 with possibly no TOs and needing a TD within around 1:45 to play. To me, that's the much higher percentage play. And, btw, the pass Hackett called wasn't a 5-yard out to get the first down. It was a go sideline pattern that was intercepted inside the 5.

If you take a sack, the clock runs down but the Broncos don't have to burn a TO, necessarily, as the FG is now about a 50-yarder (no gimme). If the Jets miss, you've given the Broncos much better field position and only need a FG to tie. If you throw an incomplete, you run less clock and the Broncos, in essence, probably get 2 TOs (their own and the 2:00 warning). If it's intercepted, you really look like a bonehead.