The New England Patriots made the perplexing decision to kickoff after winning the overtime coin toss, and it arguably cost them the game Sunday as the New York Jets drove 80 yards in five plays to win 26-20.
After correctly picking heads, Patriots special teams captain Matthew Slater definitively stated to the officials "We want to kick off." Slater briefly looked confused when the Jets got to choose which side of the field to defend in addition to receiving the ball. However, as FOX NFL rules analyst Mike Pereira explains, the officials conducted the coin toss correctly, and Bill Belichick made it clear in the postgame press conference that the Patriots wanted to kick off. It doesn't look like Slater is to blame here.
The Patriots decision goes against the standard convention in the NFL where the team that wins the coin toss generally chooses to take the ball first. It is especially puzzling given that the game ends if a team scores a touchdown on the opening possession of overtime without the other team touches the ball, as it ultimately played out here.
Belichick was obviously counting on his defense to come through, but it just didn't happen. Maybe he figured he could take that chance given that the Patriots are in first place overall in the AFC. It would be interesting to see if Belichick would make a different decision if he had to do it all over again.
H/T LBS.
One of my favorite sequences in NFL history. "We wanna kick off...wait we won, we get to choose!" pic.twitter.com/2I5WvOtxHq
— KFC (@KFCBarstool) December 27, 2015After correctly picking heads, Patriots special teams captain Matthew Slater definitively stated to the officials "We want to kick off." Slater briefly looked confused when the Jets got to choose which side of the field to defend in addition to receiving the ball. However, as FOX NFL rules analyst Mike Pereira explains, the officials conducted the coin toss correctly, and Bill Belichick made it clear in the postgame press conference that the Patriots wanted to kick off. It doesn't look like Slater is to blame here.
The Patriots decision goes against the standard convention in the NFL where the team that wins the coin toss generally chooses to take the ball first. It is especially puzzling given that the game ends if a team scores a touchdown on the opening possession of overtime without the other team touches the ball, as it ultimately played out here.
Belichick was obviously counting on his defense to come through, but it just didn't happen. Maybe he figured he could take that chance given that the Patriots are in first place overall in the AFC. It would be interesting to see if Belichick would make a different decision if he had to do it all over again.
H/T LBS.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
