Ravens head coach John Harbaugh faced a decision on fourth down from the Bills’ 2-yard-line with just over four minutes left to play in Sunday’s game.
A field goal would have broken a 20-20 tie, but it would allow the Bills to win the game with a touchdown on their next possession. Harbaugh opted to go for a touchdown of his own, but quarterback Lamar Jackson’s pass into the end zone was picked off by Bills safety Jordan Poyer.
Harbaugh said he was “very confident” in his defense stopping Buffalo from their own 2-yard-line, but the pick set the Bills up on their 20 and they were able to drive for a game-winning field goal. Harbaugh said “hindsight” made it easy to think about taking the points, but explained why he went the other way.
“I felt like it gave us the best chance to win the game. [If we score] seven, the worst that happens is if they go down the field and score — and I think we’ll get them stopped — the worst thing that can happen is you’re in overtime,” Harbaugh said, via the team’s website. “But you kick a field goal there, now it’s not a three-down game anymore, it’s a four-down game. You’re putting your defense at a disadvantage because they’ve got four downs to convert all the way down the field and a chance to again score seven, and then you lose the game on a touchdown.”
The Ravens led 20-3 at one point in Sunday’s game, so there were plenty of other opportunities for them to put things away before the final minutes. Their inability to do so leaves them with a 2-2 record heading into a Week Five home date with the Bengals.