Packers players explain why they started taking the ball instead of deferring after winning coin toss

Last Sunday, the Green Bay Packers pulled off the biggest upset of the 14-team playoff era, becoming the first No. 7 seed to go on the road and beat the No. 2 seed in the conference. They did so by winning in AT&T Stadium against the Dallas Cowboys, something none of Dallas’ last 16 opponents had been able to do. 

Part of why they were able to pull it off was that the Packers started fast. They got the ball on the opening kickoff, and they went right down the field and scored a touchdown. Seven minutes and 52 seconds into the game, Green Bay led 7-0 and Dallas had yet to possess the football. 

The interesting thing is that Green Bay got the ball first by choice, opting to receive the opening kickoff rather than deferring to the second half after winning the coin toss. According to the Packers’ official website, head coach Matt LaFleur had opted to defer each of the first 39 times the team won the toss during his tenure, but starting back on Thanksgiving, when Green Bay went into Detroit and surprisingly smoked the Lions, the team has instead elected to take the ball. 

“I think the guys just feed off it,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said of choosing to receive rather than defer. “The confidence the coaches have in the players — their confidence, their excitement to go get the ball and get going. Anytime you can start fast and get seven points on the board in that first drive, I think that sets the tone for the entire game.”

Many teams elect to defer to the second half so they can get the famed “double-up,” a strategy inspired by Bill Belichick’s desire to score on the final possession of the first half and the first possession of the second half, which — if you can pull it off — gives the opportunity to score twice in a row without your opponent having a chance to score once. The issue is that said strategy depends on possessing the ball last in the first half, which is not a…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/packers-players-explain-why-they-started-taking-the-ball-instead-of-deferring-after-winning-coin-toss/

Author : Jared Dubin

Publish date : 2024-01-19 17:52:00

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