The fury directed at Kevin Stefanski is warranted, after the Cleveland Browns head coach inexplicably took quarterback Shedeur Sanders off the field for his team's potential game-tying, two-point conversion attempt in the final minute of Sunday’s loss to the Tennessee Titans.
Browns fans are beside themselves over this one, and it’s impossible to blame them. Sanders’ 364 passing yards was the most by a Browns quarterback all season. He had just led the team on back-to-back scoring drives late in the fourth quarter to give Cleveland life. And Stefanski even admitted postgame that it was his decision — and not that of play caller Tommy Rees — to pull Sanders off the field in favor of a trick play out of the Wildcat formation.
The problem? Cleveland’s running game had been brutal all game — Quinshon Jundkins had just 26 yards on 14 carries —and that likely played a role in the Browns calling some sort of halfback pass that failed in humiliating fashion. All Sanders, and the rest of the Dawg Pound faithful, could do was look on in disbelief.
The Browns wound up losing the game, 31-29, in such spectacular fashion that no one’s talking about why Stefanski’s team was forced to attempt that two-point try in the first place.
Kevin Stefanski chose analytics over instincts, and it came back to bite the Browns
It’s easy to forget now, but nothing was going right for the Browns after Sanders’ crushing interception early in the third quarter. Cleveland was leading 17-14 at the time. The Titans went on to score the game’s next 17 points and took a 31-17 lead in the fourth quarter.
Sanders and the offense got the ball back with 6:17 remaining, and the rookie efficiently led the Browns down the field. He completed passes of 15, 17 and 14 yards on the drive before rushing it in himself for a 7-yard score that cut the Titans’ lead to 31-23 with 4:27 left.
In the old days, a coach wouldn’t even think about attempting a two-point conversion in that situation. The prudent play is to kick the extra point, make it a seven-point game, and hope to get the ball back with enough time to score again and force overtime.
But we live in the advanced age of analytics, and while fans were rightfully left scratching their heads in real time, the numbers say going for two in that situation gives teams the best odds to win.
"Kicking two extra points maximizes the chance to reach overtime. Attempting a 2-point conversion when down eight points late maximizes the chance to win the game, which is the ultimate goal." — Seth Walder, ESPN
By that logic, Stefanski made the right analytical decision by leaving his offense on the field. It backfired, of course, as Sanders fumbled the exchange from under center, ending whatever play was called before it even started.
Was it the right decision, though? There’s a human element to these games, and what the Browns needed in that moment was some hope after literally nothing had gone right over their first seven possessions of the second half. Sanders' touchdown run was the Browns' first points since the second quarter.
It's all just a prime example of why fans are so fed up with Stefanski. It’s because of moments like that, where he attempts to make the brilliant decision instead of just giving the game what it needs. Had the Browns simply kicked an extra point there, they would’ve had a real chance to force overtime and win the game later. Oh, and that second, even more comical two-point attempt never would’ve happened.