The Perils of Going for Two Too Early
Terry L. Mitchell
October 11, 2009
No football team should ever go for a two-point conversion before the last few minutes of a game, no matter what the score. Doing so could create unintended consequences down the line.
Here´s an illustration. Let´s say a team that is trailing 10-9 in the third quarter scores a touchdown to take the lead, 15-10. It would be tempting for that team to go for two in that situation, but they should resist. But suppose they did it anyway and the conversion attempt failed. That would create two possible consequences that I could think of without even trying very hard (not to mention the ones I could likely brainstorm with just a little effort).
First, it would allow the other team to take the lead with two field goals. The six-point lead they would have enjoyed by going ahead and kicking the extra point would have required their opponents to score a touchdown and make an extra point or kick three field goals in order to take the lead.
Second, a 16-10 lead would allow them to put the game away in the waning seconds by kicking a field goal to grab a nine-point lead. However, with a 15-10 lead, a field goal still does not snuff out the other team´s chances, as it could tie the game with a touchdown and a two-point conversion.
This is just one small example scenario and two possible pitfalls of attempting a two-point conversion too early. The lesson here for any football coach is that he should resist temptation and not consider going for two until it's late enough in the game so that there´s time left for just one or two more possessions at the most.
Here´s an illustration. Let´s say a team that is trailing 10-9 in the third quarter scores a touchdown to take the lead, 15-10. It would be tempting for that team to go for two in that situation, but they should resist. But suppose they did it anyway and the conversion attempt failed. That would create two possible consequences that I could think of without even trying very hard (not to mention the ones I could likely brainstorm with just a little effort).
First, it would allow the other team to take the lead with two field goals. The six-point lead they would have enjoyed by going ahead and kicking the extra point would have required their opponents to score a touchdown and make an extra point or kick three field goals in order to take the lead.
Second, a 16-10 lead would allow them to put the game away in the waning seconds by kicking a field goal to grab a nine-point lead. However, with a 15-10 lead, a field goal still does not snuff out the other team´s chances, as it could tie the game with a touchdown and a two-point conversion.
This is just one small example scenario and two possible pitfalls of attempting a two-point conversion too early. The lesson here for any football coach is that he should resist temptation and not consider going for two until it's late enough in the game so that there´s time left for just one or two more possessions at the most.
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