Your call: Should Buffalo have punted on 4th down?

What’s more fun than having doubts from NFL coaches? Nothing, that’s what. So let’s do it here every week. We’ll start with that classic coaching conundrum: go for it on 4th, or not?

The scenario: Sunday night football. Buffaloes in Baltimore. The Bills get the opening kickoff and begin marching onto the field. On 4th and 1 at their own 39, the Bills opt to go for it… and Josh Allen converts on a three-yard rush. Then, three plays later, the Bills are again faced with a 4th-down question – this time 4th-and-2 at the 50-yard line.

Points or go for it? Your call.

The case for punting: How often do you want to throw your quarterback between the teeth of the defensive line, especially this early in the game? Furthermore, giving the ball to Baltimore at midfield, with Justin Tucker on the other sideline, is like handing three points to the Ravens. Fold this hand and wait for better cards.

The reason to go for it: If you’re trying to get into fourth place in your own area, why not do it in midfield, especially when you’re four minutes into the game? On

If you belong to the AFC class, you should be able to gain two yards anytime, anywhere on the field.

The result: McDermott, oddly enough, opted to punt, pinning the Ravens back at their own 13-yard line. The problem was, on the next play, Baltimore’s Derrick Henry bulldozed 87 yards for a touchdown, and Baltimore would never trail again.

Effect on the outcome of the game: The punt did not cause Henry’s escape; Buffalo could have pinned Henry in West Virginia and he still would have scored. But it was a shock that would last for the rest of the match. Just a few minutes later in the second quarter, Buffalo again faced a 4th-and-1 at its own 39… and this time, perhaps startled and down 14-3, McDermott punted. And once again, Baltimore turned that hesitation into a touchdown.

McDermott addressed the first quarter kick after the game. “It felt like a feeling of the match, at that moment it was too early to take a risk,” he said.

Was it that?

Your call: Should the Bills have scored in the first quarter against Baltimore?

Leave a comment below.