Jaguars' controversial two-point conversion attempt costs them the game
Move over, Riverboat Ron. There’s a new hyper aggressive coach in the NFL. That would be Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone, who decided to risk Sunday’s game on a controversial decision to go for a two-point conversion late in the game.
With just under four minutes to go, the Jaguars trailed the Houston Texans by seven points. The team had the ball at its own 32-yard line, and quarterback Gardner Minshew was tasked with leading them down the field.
He did just that. Minshew led a 14-play drive down the field with clutch completions and a key fourth-down scramble. With 30 seconds left, Minshew connected with D.J. Chark on a 4-yard touchdown pass.
An extra point would have tied things up, but Marrone had other plans. He had no interest in overtime, and decided to go for the win. Marrone made the gutsy call to go for a two-point conversion.
It didn’t work out. Marrone took the ball out of Minshew’s hands, calling a run for Leonard Fournette. The Texans were able to stop Fournette before he reached the goal line, clinching the game. The Texans won the game 13-12.
While many fans didn’t argue with Marrone’s decision to go for two, they questioned the play call on the game’s most important play.
You score a TD and then you go for 2 with Fournette on a poor play call up the middle. Going for 2 is hard. Kick the damn PAT. We have the best kicker in the league. Give your fans a breather and a chance in OT. Keep Minshew. Fire the coaching staff ASAP.
— Kevin Slayden (@KevinSlayden) September 15, 2019
@RyanGreen1010XL @md_1010xl @ShopTalkingWigg @DanHicken
Going for 2:
Fournette - 15 rush 47 yards
Minshew - 6 rush 56 yards
HALFBACK DIVE! pic.twitter.com/XODsl65c3q— Dominic Seibert (@DomJSII) September 15, 2019
With the loss, the Jaguars dropped to 0-2 on the season. While that’s not the start the team wanted, at least the fans can be encouraged about Minshew’s performance. He didn’t win the game, but he produced when the team needed him late.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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