NFL Season

I mean, they were clearly hoping that the field goal would be missed, but it was still an unusual call. The Patriots were already in field goal range and with the penalty, they were 10 yards from safe field goal range, never mind 20 from a first down.

There was still a chance of, for example, a third down incomplete pass on third & fifteen, followed by a punt, and the chance of a touchback. Accept the penalty and best case scenario, backing your own defence, is receiving the ball on your own 20 with 1m15s left on the clock needing a touchdown to tie, or perhaps 30s on the clock if the clock doesn't stop once. Compared to the alternative, which was effectively relying on a missed field goal from straightforward enough range, it seems it was the wrong call.

Of course, these calls have to be made in difficult circumstances but that's the job they have earned. It simply wasn't playing the odds to hope (best case scenario remember) that Gostkowski would miss a field goal from very makeable range of less than 50, getting it back with 1m15s on the clock, compared to the alternative of pushing them out of field goal range, hoping your defence can stop them, and maybe even forcing an incomplete pass on third and long.

If you quickly compare the best & worst case of each, and the likely case, it makes perfect sense to accept the penalty:

Accept:

Best case, Pats run 1st and 2nd, throw incomplete on 3rd and long, punt touchback, 1m15s on the clock starting on the 20, 7 points down

Worst case, Pats get a 1st down and you lose the game

*Likely* case, Pats don't get a first down but you only get 30s, 7 points down, starting inside your own ten, after a punt.

Decline:

Best case, Pats run 2nd and 3rd, kick field goal on 4th and very short, miss the field goal, 1m15s on the clock starting at the 35, 7 points down (only marginally better than the best case above, but also a bit more likely)

Worst case, Pats get a 1st down and you lose the game (equally bad but also a lot more likely than above)

*Likely* case, Pats either get a first down (and you lose), or they score a field goal, and you are 10 points down, with 1m15s or so on the clock (a lot, lot worse than the above, and really the likeliest outcome by a distance).

It's a lot to game those scenarios on the sideline in a very short period of time, but the right call was to accept the penalty. Even if the Pats got back into field goal range, it would have been very long range.

I get it was a high risk, high(er) reward strategy, but I thought even at the time it was the wrong decision. The risk was much higher than the potential reward.

It was interesting how focussed the media of the game was around Wade Phillips, and his defensive co-ordination. That actually worked reasonably well, but I struggle to recall a QB to be less influential in a Super Bowl  as Goff was. He struggled to make any yardage at all, while Brady and co (particularly Gronk and Edelman) were more effective.

For the neutral or a prospective NFL fan, that would have put them off for life.

Jesus.

I know it happens and, like I have said, they would definitely do it in football if they could. I just will never understand the mentality.

Fair enough.I don't understand American sporting culture enough, nor am I interested enough, to criticise how they do things. It just seems so odd.