With Miami trailing the Cowboys 24-14 with less than seven minutes to play in the fourth quarter, the Dolphins were facing a 4th-and-6 just shy of mid-field…and they punted.
Going back 20 years, teams convert on 4th-and-6 about 37 percent of the time. But Miami had just completed an 11-yard pass and quarterback Ryan Tannehill was 2-for-2 for 34 yards on the drive. So you’d have to think that with that momentum they had close to a 50/50 shot at converting.
Instead, Campbell relinquished the opportunity, denying himself a 50/50 shot at moving into Dallas territory on what might have been a game-changing drive, all so that they could give the ball to a hot Cowboys offense (they had scored on their last two drives) 41 yards down the field.
Was gaining those 41 yards for the defense worth sacrificing those odds of converting? Of course not, especially that late in a two-score game. But NFL coaches rarely apply logic when making these types of decisions.
Utilizing all of the field that Miami had given them, the Cowboys responded with a 12-play drive that ate up almost all of the remaining time on the clock. When the Dolphins got it back with about a minute left, it was too late.
Stupid!
Remember the words of our fearless leader!! We don’t want any turds here!