Did John Harbaugh Try To Beat The Spread?

Moments after Baltimore Ravens running back Willis McGahee scored on a 1 yard touchdown to put his team up two touchdowns, I received no less than half a dozen emails claiming Vegas played a role in the decision.  The spread — or points the Ravens had to win by if you put money on them — was 13 points.  Up until that touchdown and extra point, the Kansas City Chiefs were winners in the eyes of bookmakers in Las Vegas.

“After all,” the argument went, “a field goal would have ended the game and if the Ravens get stuffed on 4th down the Chiefs could go down the field to tie the game!”

Yes, that statement is true.  Three points there from the Ravens would end the game as well.

But as the Ravens coach John Harbaugh said after the game, it’s not quite that cut and dry:

“I’ve seen it beforr when you go for that field goal there, more things can happen on a kicking play than any other kind of play.  We’re fourth and 6 inches; I think we have a better chance of making the touchdown than we do of something bad happening on the field goal.”

If McGahee gets stuffed, the Chiefs anemic offense would be forced to go 99 yards in 30 seconds against one of the best defenses in the league.  The same offense that didn’t manage a first down until late in the second quarter.

Had Harbaugh decided to kick the field goal and the Chiefs special teams (already with one big special teams play in the game) blocked the kick and returned it to tie the game, he would have been Public Enemy No. 1 in Baltimore this morning.

And this is not to mention how ridiculous it is to even jokingly suggest any NFL coach would think about the point spread when making in-game decisions.  If this were 20 years ago, it might be a rationale thought, but not when coaches are making millions of dollars.

Tags: Baltimore Ravens, John Harbaugh, Kansas City Chiefs, Week 1, Willis McGahee