The Houston Texans were aggressive after scoring a touchdown to increase their lead 36-29 with 1:50 to go in Sunday’s game at the Tennessee Titans. Instead of kicking the extra point, interim coach Romeo Crennel chose to make it a two-score game and go for the two-point conversion.
Were the odds better if Houston had kicked the extra point? Technically, yes.
According to ESPN’s win probability calculator, the Texans had a 98.2% chance to win compared to 98.1% if they went for the two-point conversion. Either way, the Texans had at least a 98.0% chance to win the game following the 1-yard Deshaun Watson touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks, and they weren’t able to hold on to the lead.
Tight end Darren Fells liked Crennel’s aggressiveness.
“It’s definitely a feeling of trust like he gives you that ability to run the offense and just go out there and win the game for us, and we just want to go out there and keep on building on that confidence that he has on us,” Fells said.
Part of keeping that confidence, even after starting 1-5, is to close out games where they have at least a 98.0% chance to win in the last two minutes of the game.
