Tennessee’s Josh Heupel and an NFL head coach faced the same ‘obvious’ decision, but took completely different approaches
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel and Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn both faced the same in-game situation and each handled it differently.
If you’re a Tennessee fan who watched the Sunday Night Football matchup between the Washington Commanders and the Philadelphia Eagles, you may have noticed the same situation pop up that Vols head coach Josh Heupel faced a couple of weeks ago against Alabama.
With 1:52 remaining in the fourth quarter, Commanders running back Rachaad White rushed for a one-yard touchdown to give Washington a 25-10 lead.
Tennessee was in essentially the same situation against Alabama when running back DeSean Bishop rushed for a five-yard touchdown to give the Vols a 25-10 lead with 3:17 remaining in the fourth quarter.
During the NBC broadcast of the Commanders/Eagles game, analyst Cris Collinsworth said it was obvious that Washington head coach Dan Quinn should go for two to make it a three-possession game.
And that’s exactly what Washington did. The Commanders ran a successful two-point play to go up 27-10.
Tennessee, on the other hand, kicked the extra point to go up 26-10, which made it a two-possession game that would’ve required Alabama to convert two two-point conversions to tie the game.
If the decision for the Commanders was “obvious,” does that mean Heupel played it wrong?
I don’t necessarily think so.
I remember thinking at the time that if Tennessee went for two and didn’t get it (which would’ve meant a 25-10 lead), then there would be a scenario where Alabama could drive down the field, score a touchdown, kick the extra point, then recover an onside kick, throw a Hail Mary, go for two and win the game.
By kicking the extra point, Heupel ensured that Tennessee couldn’t lose the game in regulation.
I think it was a situation where Heupel may have had more confidence that his defense could stop two drives and/or two-point attempts from Alabama than he did that his offense could convert the two-point try.
That’s the thing about analytics. They can tell you what math makes the most sense, but they can’t tell you about execution and the feel of the game in the moment.
Ultimately, all that matters is getting the win. The Commanders won 27-10 while the Vols won 26-10.
So, it didn’t really matter for either team whether they went for two or kicked the extra point.
