Bill defers in OT - right call?

Photo from the Boston Globe

Crazy game, right? There were a lot of crazy moments and turnovers galore, but arguably one of the key moments of the game tonight that wasn't a turnover was when Bill Belichick choosing to defer after the Patriots won the overtime coin toss. The thinking, at least as far as I could tell, was to force Peyton Manning to drive the length of the field and give up at worst a field goal and get the wind on their side. And it appeared to be a success at first, as the Patriots defense was able to stop the Broncos offense twice and give the offense a chance to win it with the field goal.

Of course, the flipside of that is the offense did not win it in the first overtime drive. I assume was part of the reasoning behind deferring was to give the offense that chance to win it in the first drive. If the team with the ball first fails to score, than a field goal wins the game. Of course, if the Broncos had scored a touchdown, than the game would have been over, but anything less would have given the Patriots a chance to win. It's a gamble, but one that paid off in the end, as Stephen Gostowski sealed the come-from-behind win for the Patriots.

I have to admit, the call had me nervous at first, but the Patriots defense came through on back to back series and kept us in this game. And we won, which is what matters in the end.

Twitter - @ConorJF1016
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