I wanna blame someone…

Taker597 said

To be exact.

Particularly that 2nd and 2 on the ATL 17th with exactly 2 minutes left. Decided to pass when we could of killed clock on a short run with 2 more downs left.

Next play was the Olave pass to the 1 yard line.

Can't complain about the latter, but I just knew that was the wrong sequence if you want to ice the game.

Click to expand...

Forgive me, but I'm not exactly a trusting person that Kubiak wouldn't decide to call some generic running play to the right instead of up the middle where he wouldn't be mobbed by a group of Falcons LB's/DE's. As some other posters have already pointed out in this thread and others, Kubiak is better OC than Carmichael but sometimes his play-calling is very questionable and he has a bit of the same ego-trip Payton displayed here for years (and I called him out on for his arrogance) where he doesn't like to admit or can't see what usually works maybe 60% is going to work TODAY and he refuses to adjust accordingly.

Again, if Taysom Hill isn't injured, your scenario makes more sense and is more palatable, but our red-zone offense and how our offensive philosophy works with and without him is like night and day and a lot of assurances get taken off the table when #7 isnt in the game.

It's easier for us to kill the clock when #7 is in the game or run it down as opposed to platooning it to Kamara or Jamaal Williams. If #7 had been in the game earlier in the 4th quarter, we likely score a TD instead of turning the ball over on downs deep in Atlanta's red-zone. He's a unique, peculiar variable that brings dimensions to games a lot of defenses struggle to adapt or defend against. They can't be as aggressive, physical, or as assertive as defenders usually are when they know he isn't in the game anymore.