Yes, but aren't your chances of only having to score 3 TD's and maybe a FG (as CAR did to us) much better than being forced to score, say 5 TD's and a couple of FG's?
Its all relative. If you try to score 4 times in 8 drives vs 6 times in 12 drives, it is really the same thing, and most importantly, the other team has the same numbers to work with. Limiting their possessions also limits your own.
CAR knew that they probably didn't want to get into a shootout with us due to being forced to execute perfectly on more drives which would result in TD's to try and keep up, which is exactly what you seem to be advocating. They chose to try and limit the possessions instead, thus having to only score a few TD's to win the game.
Carolina didnt set out to limit possessions. By the facts you could equally argue the Patriots didn't.
This is exactly what I am talking about. What is a 'shootout'? In any game you have to match and exceed the other teams scores to win. A bad offense doesn't help its chances to outscore a better offense by having fewer opportunities.
You don't have to execute perfectly because of the level of the score, but because of the gap. Being down 42-28 is really no different than being down 28-14.
Your argument that limiting possessions is good because you have to score less ignores that you have fewer chances to.
Having to score 3 TDs in 6 possessions is no different than needing to score 5 in 10.
If you suck and don't want to get blown out, then by all means try to eat clock, that way you may eliminate a couple possessions for each team and lose 35-0 instead of 49-0, but it does nothing to help you win.
The odds are going to drop a ton if your offense is going to need to score 5-6 TD's and 45 points. Isn't that a no-brainer?
No because you are working with a different amount of possessions.
I would think it'd be much more realistic to score on 4/6 possessions, than say 7/9 possessions;
Of course because you are asking for 3/3 on the additional possesions, which conflates the argument.
which is likely why it's such a common gamplan vs teams who have great offenses in the way that they attempt to limit their possessions and keep them on the sidelines.
But you limit your own. Its like saying lets only play 3 quarters. How does that help?
Your argument seems to be that either way you'll need to only have 2 possessions where you don't score,
My argument is nothing like that.
but you aren't taking into account the fact that you'd need to execute perfectly on a higher volume, which is going to lower your odds of actually happening.
No I am saying something quite different. I am saying that playing a game of 6 possessions each, or 9, or 13 doesn't make a difference, you must score on those possessions, whether it is quick or slow for them to be effective.
Again, lets say 'quick play' is 3 possessions per quarter each. And 'keeping the other offense off the field' as a strategy reduces that to 2.
You have turned the game from 12 possessions each to 8, or, in other words, called the 12 possession game after about 10 minutes of the 3rd quarter. That did nothing to tip the odds of winning to the 'lesser offense'.