Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel made some conservative calls in Sunday’s playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens, and he faced a great deal of criticism for some of the decisions.
The Titans punted twice on 4th-and-2 from near midfield in the second half. They were trailing 17-10 the first time and 17-13 the second time, which was midway through the fourth quarter.
The second punt drew some animated reactions on social media. Fans and analysts could not fathom why Vrabel would punt the ball away on 4th-and-2 from the Baltimore 40-yard line with his team trailing 17-13. Here are some of the reactions:
Fourth and 2 punt from the opposing 40? Cmon Vrabel, you've got to go for that
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) January 10, 2021
Disastrous play calling there. Total disaster. Second and two after Henry almost housed it and you throw twice and then have a crappy punt. May be the game there. Cowardly.
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) January 10, 2021
I’m shocked Tennessee didn’t go for it and that there was no discussion of them going for it there.
— nick wright (@getnickwright) January 10, 2021
THEY PUNTED OMGGG WUT
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) January 10, 2021
Why the hell do you punt there?!?!?
— Dan Hanzus (@DanHanzus) January 10, 2021
They just punted it 20 net yards down 4 on 4th and 2 in the 4th quarter of the playoffs…cmon man
— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) January 10, 2021
Did I really just see an NFL team punt on 4th and 2 at their opponent’s 40 down 4 in the fourth quarter? pic.twitter.com/4WBJHDmL3v
— Sigmund Bloom (@SigmundBloom) January 10, 2021
For what it’s worth, the result wasn’t disastrous either time. On the first punt, the Titans pinned the Ravens deep in their own territory and forced a three-and-out. The second time was a bit more costly, as Baltimore put together a drive that lasted nearly six minutes and kicked a field goal to take a 20-13 lead.
Vrabel has a defensive background, and he obviously trusted his defense in both of those situations. But he has the best running back in the NFL in Derrick Henry, and the Ravens have arguably the most explosive player in Lamar Jackson. You have to like your team’s chances of getting two yards from Henry in that spot rather than giving it back to Jackson.
Photo: Chipermc/Wikimedia via cc by-sa 4.0
