The Houston Texans weren’t leading 36-29 over the Tennessee Titans with 1:50 left in the game because they had played it safe for most of the game.
On a fourth-and-goal from the Titans’ 1-yard line, leading 30-29, interim coach Romeo Crennel chose to go for it rather than kick the field goal and force Tennessee to drive the length of the field to score a touchdown and win the game.
Quarterback Deshuan Watson threw a 1-yard pass to receiver Brandin Cooks, and Crennel was forced with another choice: take the easy extra point and make it a one-score game, albeit Tennessee needing a touchdown plus a two-point conversion, or go for two, make it a two-score game, and put it out of reach for the Titans.
Sending kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn out for an extra point was never an option for Crennel.
“No, I wanted to go ahead and get the two points,” Crennel said. “I felt like that would kind of put if out of reach for them. And if we had gotten it, we would have been in much better shape.”
Watson was looking for receiver Randall Cobb to score the 2-pointer, but the pass fell incomplete.
“As it turned out, we didn’t get it, and then with the touchdown and the extra point they tied it up and then we’re in overtime,” said Crennel. “And then we didn’t perform in overtime, and they win the game.”
The Titans mounted a nine-play, 75-yard drive to tie the game on a 7-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ryan Tannehill to receiver A.J. Brown. In overtime, Tennessee won the toss and marched 82 yards to score the winning touchdown with running back Derrick Henry rushing for a 5-yard score. Tennessee pulled out the win, 42-36.
“That’s the nature of this game that we’re in,” Crennel said. “When you win, when you’re successful, everybody feels good about it. When you lose and you’re not successful on a play, then everybody feels usually bad about it.”