Don't expect Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel to second-guess his decision to go for a win Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers in London.
The Titans scored a touchdown with 31 seconds remaining in regulation to make the score 20-19, and Vrabel elected to keep the offense on the field instead of kicking the extra point to force a potential overtime.
And the first-year head coach made the decision to go for two points long before the Titans scored.
"I told the team that we made a decision that we're going to be aggressive," Vrabel said after the game. "And early in the drive, when that drive started, I thought in my mind that if we scored -- when we scored -- if there was less than 40 seconds we were going to go for two, we're going to win the game. And if there was a minute and 30, we're going to kick the extra point and go play defense."
Starting at their own 11-yard line and with quarterback Marcus Mariota leading the charge, the Titans methodically marched down the field with a 13-play, 89-yard drive, which Mariota capped off with a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Luke Stocker.
The two-point conversion attempt produced drama, as the first crack at it failed after Mariota's pass in the end zone fell incomplete. A Chargers' defensive holding penalty, however, provided another at the 1-yard line.
But instead of running the ball, the Titans called for another pass play and Mariota's pass to wide receiver Taywan Taylor fell incomplete.
While the decision to go for the win didn't provide the desired results, Vrabel's confidence in his players didn't waver in the critical moment.
"I'm just trying to do what's best for the team," Vrabel said. "I'm trying to find a way to a football game and haven't done a very good job the last three weeks. Again, I have a lot of faith in our players. We prepare, we work together, and then I've got confidence in them to go out there and execute. And so faced with the same situation, I'd like to think that I would do it the same way."
Sunday's loss dropped the Titans to 3-4 on the season and the team enters the bye week on a three-game slide.
The two-point conversion plays didn't work, but Vrabel's players appreciated the aggression to go for the win.
"I loved it, I loved the call," Mariota said. "I love that he has the confidence in us to go make that. We just didn't execute."
Stocker echoed his quarterback.
"We love the aggression, we love the play call," Stocker said in the locker room. "We hope he does it every time."
