BB.
What other coach would use all 3 2nd half timeouts on defense in the 3rd quarter?
I thought this was worth going into a little more.
It was so unusual to see that you have to wonder if it was part of a plan. I think the third one was based on indecision but the first two were so out of character that you wonder if maybe at halftime they saw something that they thought gave them an edge on defense but knew it was high risk and if LV sniffed it out or had certain personnel or formations that it would be too high risk.
The value of second half timeouts is quite high. If nothing else they equate to an extra 40 seconds of game time in most circumstances and the value of the third one is especially high because without it you cannot challenge or prevent a possible game changing or ending 10 second run off. Sometimes you see quarterbacks reflexively call a time out in the second half when the play clock is running down and it seems like the risk reward is way off. Like the QB will be on his own 10 yard line on a 3d and 11 or whatever and you really wonder whether a 3d and 16 in that situation is so much worse that you shouldn't just take the delay penalty.
Anyway, here are the three time outs and the situations and the results after each of them. On all three the Raiders failed to convert on the series.
1. 12:16 left in the third quarter. Patriots up 3. 2d down and 6 at the NEP 22. Result of the series was a stop and a FG attempt.
2. 6:35 left in the third quarter. Patriots up by 10. 1st and 10 at the LVR 23. Result of the series was a stop and a punt.
3. 12:30 left in the 4th quarter. Patriots up by 10. 1st and 10 at the NEP 12. Result of the series was a stop an a FG attempt.