Pandion Haliaetus":3hflhl2s said:
Call was risky, but I understand it and it complete hindsight I actually loved it.
1. Obvious reason being you score those 2 points, game is pretty much over. If anything you also give your offense the opportunity to take a kill shot in a big moment. An experience and mentality that has been lacking this year. If you make it thats a big rallying effort in terms of confidence and morale. If you miss it, no big deal, imo.. the team is still up a TD.
2. Hindsight being what it is, I wonder if the Pats being down 8 points compared to 7, if wouldn't have changed the process a little bit in their final sequence. Pata made some big plays to get into scoring position on that final drive. But they also made some questionable decisions and allowed the clock to run a bit at times.
Point one, spot on. Game's over if you make it; you're up by a touchdown if you miss.
Point two, moot. The Pats would have been playing for a touchdown no matter what; wouldn't have changed the process in which they tried to accomplish this. The only difference is that they would have known in the back of their minds that they were playing not only for a touchdown, but a two-point conversion as well. That's a big psychological thing for sure. But it's not as big as being down two scores, and very little different than knowing you have to get a touchdown to begin with anyway.
The Pats were focused on getting a touchdown before anything else. You focus on what you have to accomplish first; you can't allow yourself to dwell on the fact you'll have to kick an extra point to tie it or convert a two-point conversion to tie it. The touchdown is paramount. All the rest is afterthought.
And that's why, psychologically, it's great to have gone for two there, make it or not.