Going for two is always the right call

At some point early in the third quarter of Thursday night’s big game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens, I started to think it just wasn’t the Ravens’ night. The game was similar to many other Baltimore losses from the past few years: poor defensive play, a lethargic offense, a lot of unforced penalties. On top of that, star safety Kyle Hamilton went out with a sprained ankle and Lamar Jackson stretched his seemingly ailing throwing hand on the sidelines. It was 21-7 in favor of the Bengals at that point and it looked like things were only going to get worse.

But good teams make their own luck, and a fumble by the Bengals in Ravens territory sparked a touchdown drive with another “Lamar Jackson does something great against Cincinnati” play, and also sparked a Ravens scoring drive each run the rest of the game. If not for some blown coverages by their very bustable defense, the Ravens could have pulled away with the game the way the Bengals threatened to in the beginning. But this is the AFC North, where things get lopsided and close no matter what.

This brings us to the Bengals’ final drive. Down 35-28, Joe Burrow marches down the court, scores, and then head coach Zac Taylor calls after two. They’ve decided they’re going to win it or lose it in regulation right now. They don’t understand it. The play could certainly have been called a facemask or defensive hold, but the whistle was silent. The match ends 35-34. The Ravens win and continue the good vibes of a team with Super Bowl aspirations, while the Bengals lose and continue the bad vibes of a team that is capable but not quite good enough. Of course, the question at the end of the game is: Should Taylor have gone for two?

Football is very much a father sport. It always has been. And like your father, football loves its routines and enjoys not having to change. Football likes its green Salvation Army cardigan. Football likes the large armchair at the end of the living room. Football likes its beer after work. And it better be its brand, the brand football has been drinking since it was a boy. No matter how many sons of analysts or daughters of scientific progress come along to tell you otherwise, football likes the old ways.

The old ways would say that in the situation they were in after the last touchdown, the Bengals should have taken the PAT and played for overtime. But going for two in a game-winning situation like that is always right, and every big team knows that. Harbaugh, who frustrates me with his conservatism at times, understands this more than anyone. If Isaiah Likely’s toe had been an inch more inside that game against the Chiefswould he have gone for two and won. You have one of the great quarterbacks in the entire league – of course you go for two. People only ask you when you don’t understand, and that’s not a good enough reason not to do the right thing. The Bengals did the right thing by going for two on Thursday, but were unlucky because even for all of Burrow’s heroics, they’re a bad team with an underwhelming coach who, outside of that decision, left a lot to be desired in both games against the Ravens in this season.

Another thing I believe in is not calling save penalties in game winning situations. It’s football. Not everything can or should be called. The Bengals put their chips on the table and lost. That’s what sports are, whether you play it safe or not. And you might as well play it dangerous – dangerous and right.