When the game was on the line and the Washington Redskins had a chance to escape with a 14-point comeback victory in their final outing in front of the home crowd, head coach Bill Callahan had a decision to make.
Backup QB Case Keenum had just led a 99-yard drive, punching it in for a touchdown on fourth and goal with 29-seconds left. The Redskins trailed 35-34, with a chance to kick the PAT and likely send the game into overtime, or go for the two-point conversion, and try to end it right then and there.
Callahan chose to kick the PAT, sending the game into OT, where the Giants scored a touchdown on the first possession of the extra period, ending the game.
“I thought our defense had an opportunity to make a play in the overtime,” Callahan said, via The Washington Post. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get that type of stop. I felt confident we could stop it.”
Callahan chose to send it into overtime because he felt confident his defense could get a stop. The same defense that had given up over 300 yards and four touchdowns to rookie quarterback Daniel Jones in the first four quarters; the same defense that allowed RB Saquon Barkley to amass 279 total yards from scrimmage to go along with two touchdowns. It was that defense that gave Callahan confidence in his chances to win the game in overtime, rather than taking a risk at the moment.
It ended up working out just fine for the Redskins, as their loss put them in the lead to secure the No. 2 draft pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Had they gone for two and converted it, a win would have likely seen them fall to the No. 4 or No. 5 pick.
Still, regardless of the result, it is confounding to hear Callahan’s reasoning behind kicking the PAT. Maybe there’s something he isn’t telling us, or maybe Keenum was injured on the 4th down TD run, and his chances to convert a 2-pt conversion were slim to none. No matter what the reasoning is, there has to be a better excuse than saying you trusted your defense — who seemed highly incapable of getting a stop all day long.
