Down 30-23 to the Pittsburgh Steelers with solely 2:01 to go and two timeouts remaining, the Seattle Seahawks had an fascinating choice to make when it comes to the kickoff. A touchback would protect the two-minute warning as a “free timeout,” whereas an onside kick would have the slimmest probability of a restoration. Throughout the NFL, just one onside kick has been efficiently recovered by the kicking crew this season.
Seattle onside kicked, didn’t come near recovering, and value themselves the two-minute warning because it was recovered inbounds—a kick out of bounds would’ve been higher. The Steelers handed the ball on 1st down for twenty-four yards, instantly establishing game-clinching discipline purpose vary. A third and seven conversion by Najee Harris meant Pittsburgh might run the clock out.
On his Seattle Sports activities 710 radio present, Pete Carroll defined his reasoning behind the onside kick, citing the shortage of touchbacks by Jason Myers within the 2nd half.
“If we (might have) kicked the ball out of the tip zone, we might have executed that, however we weren’t hitting the ball effectively sufficient to try this,” Carroll mentioned. “In order that was the primary thought (that) now we have to kick it and so they’re gonna return it in order that they’re gonna convey it out and we are able to’t cease the clock there. ”
“To me, the onside kick factor, it’s an opportunity to get the soccer, and never an excellent probability,” Carroll later mentioned. “However now we have to cease them it doesn’t matter what. We now have to cease them three performs whether or not it’s again right here or right here. We had a possibility to get the soccer, and that’s what we went for.”
Myers’ first three kickoffs all went for touchbacks, however his two 2nd half kickoffs previous to the onside kick have been returned by Godwin Igwebuike. The final kick failed to achieve the tip zone. This looks like a logical reply when assessing the state of affairs, and Carroll raises the purpose that both a deep kick or an onside kick recovered by Pittsburgh nonetheless requires the Seahawks to make a defensive cease. Clearly, the cease by no means occurred, and Seattle’s win likelihood was already very low at this stage of the sport.
By the best way, the Seahawks solely having two timeouts on the two-minute warning was the results of a failed problem. George Pickens picked up a primary down at Seattle’s 5, however Carroll believed Pickens was out of bounds wanting the marker, which might’ve arrange third and brief.
“I believed it was (earlier than the first-down marker). We noticed it upstairs first that he went out of bounds across the 7 or 8 or proper round there after which we appeared it once more and thought on the short flash that we get on the display that we would have one thing there, and I feel it might have been wanting the primary down, in order that was the explanation to take a shot at it,” Carroll mentioned. “At that time, I’m not saving timeouts or saving (the challenges).”
I feel saving the timeout would’ve very a lot been most popular, particularly since Pittsburgh kicked a discipline purpose anyway.
