Anyone wish we were down by 4 at the end?

[Jukester]

The psychology of being down by 3 vs 4 late in a game is so ingrained in football (coaches and players).  

 

Down by 3  - you feel like you can 'play it safe' and still kick the field goal to tie.  You're less aggressive.  Extend the game and take your chances - even thought the other team still can come back and win with a field goal.

 

Down by 4 - full desperation and you're gonna do everything you can to score a TD, including going for it on 4th down.  

 

When the Bills were on that last drive, i knew we had to score a TD there.  So I had no problem with Josh looking for Shakir in the end zone.  Split second sooner before he gets bumped on the throw, and that's a TD.  He was thinking TD but coaches were playing not to lose.  I had no faith in Bass and even if he made it, Mahomes against our depleted defense at the end or in OT, forget it.  It would've been just as heartbreaking.   

Edited January 22 by Jukester

[BillsFanSD]

No, but I agree with you that we should have been thinking TD at the end instead of FG.  I would have liked it if they had treated that last set of downs as four-down territory (unless something went wrong and set us up for 4th-and-too-long of course).

[stevestojan]

All I will say is if Bass had made that FG, I had zero confidence the D could have held them to zero points on their final drive. Hell, even our defensive coordinator (aka our head coach) said he decided on that Disney BS fake punt with Damar because he couldn’t trust the Defense. This one isn’t on Bass. Though I do think Bass needs to go just because he isn’t good at kicking a football through uprights; apparently a key to his position. 

[SCBills]

Yes.  

 

I can't blame McDermott for kicking on a 4th and 9 with a makeable FG, but we all knew it was over the second Bass trotted onto the field.  We just didn't realize it would be our kicker ending it. 

[BBFL]

If you’re willing to run Damar Hamlin on 4th down 30 yards from the opposing EZ then why are you not willing to go for it on 4th down instead of a missed FG? 
 

That’s the logic I’m guessing? I understand and can agree with it. But I don’t think they played for 3… They didn’t convert the set of downs, had 2 TOs, down 3 and may end up getting a quick 3 and out by KC if they play it well enough…

 

Thats exactly what KC would have tried to do. There was a reason Reid called a TO.

 

Factor in the way the defense had played after that touchback fumble, taking the 3 is the right call. Especially as a failed conversion ends up the same as the missed FG… A guaranteed win for KC. 
 

 

 

Edited January 22 by BBFL

[theRalph]

great question

 

[Mikie2times]

My colleagues have been saying wide right all day to me and I could care less. Everybody knows we have no shot at the win unless we score a TD. If Sean truly grew as a HC in the ways we need that entire drive would have been 4 down territory and while the football world might have called him crazy, every fan with a crap of knowledge would have known he made one of the most ballsy and smart decisions in playoff history. KC wins on a FG probably 90% of the time if Bass makes that.   

[Einstein]

12 minutes ago, SCBills said:

I can't blame McDermott for kicking on a 4th and 9 with a makeable FG, but we all knew it was over the second Bass trotted onto the field.  

This can't be stated enough.

Even if Bass hits that kick, what are the chances our defense stops KC from getting a field goal? 

Considering how the game had went, it has to be close to 0%.

 

Edited January 22 by Einstein

[Billsfanatic8989]

12 minutes ago, BillsFanSD said:

No, but I agree with you that we should have been thinking TD at the end instead of FG.  I would have liked it if they had treated that last set of downs as four-down territory (unless something went wrong and set us up for 4th-and-too-long of course).

I agree on the 4th down mentality.

 

Another possibility was-if he makes the fg, do you go for an onside kick? I wouldn't have held that against McD if he tried it. 

[stevestojan]

3 minutes ago, Einstein said:

This can't be stated enough.

Even if Bass hits that kick, what are the chances our offense stops KC from getting a field goal? 

Considering how the game had went, it has to be close to 0%.

Agreed. There were better odds of us needing to score AGAIN with like 20 seconds left than our D actually holding them to 0. 

[Toyo321]

Does anyone wish we had another dude with a better leg vs Bass as our kicker last night.

 

I never liked Bass last year and he finally cost us a game, he has always at least to me,  been performing below par compared with other NFL kickers.

[Nklaiste1]

1 minute ago, Toyo321 said:

Does anyone wish we had another dude with a better leg vs Bass as our kicker last night.

 

I never liked Bass last year and he finally cost us a game, he has always at least to me,  been performing below par compared with other NFL kickers.

He's by far one of the worst kickers in the league. 

 

 

[Low Positive]

22 minutes ago, Jukester said:

The psychology of being down by 3 vs 4 late in a game is so ingrained in football (coaches and players).  

 

Down by 3  - you feel like you can 'play it safe' and still kick the field goal to tie.  You're less aggressive.  Extend the game and take your chances - even thought the other team still can come back and win with a field goal.

 

Down by 4 - full desperation and you're gonna do everything you can to score a TD, including going for it on 4th down.  

 

When the Bills were on that last drive, i knew we had to score a TD there.  So I had no problem with Josh looking for Shakir in the end zone.  Split second sooner before he gets bumped on the throw, and that's a TD.  He was thinking TD but coaches were playing not to lose.  I had no faith in Bass and even if he made it, Mahomes against our depleted defense at the end or in OT, forget it.  It would've been just as heartbreaking.   

No. Because if we had scored a TD there we would have only been up 3 and we know how that story would have ended. Josh did throw it into the EZ twice. They were going for a TD. They just didn't connect. If you want to sum up the entire game by one play, it was Chris Jones driving Dawkins into Allen to stop that TD. It was a great play by a great player. 

[The Firebaugh Kid]

I knew we were toast even if Bass made that kick. 1:45 and two timeouts against a defense that was getting destroyed all night. 30-27 KC. 

I kept telling my girl we have to run off as much clock as possible and score a td. 

[Drew21PA]

In coaching there to win

 

2nd and 9 I just missed

 

3rd down I want half -at least !!!

 

go for it on 4th

 

my defense couldn’t stop anything

 

my kicker has minimal confidence right now

 

i know my team A my qb has been incredible all game and can will his way for 9 yards for a fresh set of downs if he wanted to.

 

 

thats my idea there

My biggest peeve with McDermott is he just doesn’t understand his players and pay attention to them I guess 

20 minutes ago, The Firebaugh Kid said:

I knew we were toast even if Bass made that kick. 1:45 and two timeouts against a defense that was getting destroyed all night. 30-27 KC. 

I kept telling my girl we have to run off as much clock as possible and score a td. 

Yep was telling the fan around me 2 minutes is too much time

 

if I’m Andy Reid I’m letting them score a td 

[Jukester]

Just now, Drew21PA said:

In coaching there to win

 

2nd and 9 I just missed

 

3rd down I want half -at least !!!

 

go for it on 4th

 

my defense couldn’t stop anything

 

my kicker has minimal confidence right now

 

i know my team A my qb has been incredible all game and can will his way for 9 yards for a fresh set of downs if he wanted to.

 

 

thats my idea there

Yes, that’s the mindset needed.  Mcd already knew the defense wouldn’t hold based on him faking the punt earlier.  But the question is would he have gone for it on 4th and 3 or 4 in this situation when you can kick for the tie. I still think he kicks. 

[Drew21PA]

Just now, Jukester said:

Yes, that’s the mindset needed.  Mcd already knew the defense wouldn’t hold based on him faking the punt earlier.  But the question is would he have gone for it on 4th and 3 or 4 in this situation when you can kick for the tie. I still think he kicks. 

Oh HE WOULD LOVE to kick it there.  Lol

 

ita the wrong call in the divisional round of the playoffs where it’s win or go home 

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

1 hour ago, stevestojan said:

All I will say is if Bass had made that FG, I had zero confidence the D could have held them to zero points on their final drive. Hell, even our defensive coordinator (aka our head coach) said he decided on that Disney BS fake punt with Damar because he couldn’t trust the Defense. This one isn’t on Bass. Though I do think Bass needs to go just because he isn’t good at kicking a football through uprights; apparently a key to his position. 

 

Well as fast as KC scored on other drives, they could have scored and still left us with a minute on clock   LOL

 

Can't figure out how Bass could lose it so fast?? It's not like he's been around 12 years or so and his leg is shot??

[chongli]

An interesting perspective is we should have been in a hurry-up, going for a 2-for-1 in the final minutes, so we would have the final drive:

 

 

[Warcodered]

Kind of a ridiculous question considering we missed the kick, like why wouldn't we have preferred the possibility of Allen making a play than the certainty of the losing reality.