You could take this story as an object lesson about life. You could take it as a story of good luck and bad luck. You could take it as a story of coincidences involving the number 31. It’s just an observation. Draw your own conclusions, if any.
You’ve probably heard of the Superbowl. (I said “probably” because I don’t know where in the world you live.) The American sport of professional football is in the middle of its post-season playoff games that will determine which two teams will meet in the Superbowl. This past weekend was the Divisional Playoff. I didn’t care who won but I watched anyway just to see some excellent football. There were four games over the weekend and I watched two of them.
On Saturday I watched the Atlanta Falcons play the Seattle Seahawks. It was a good game, and the closer the game clock got to zero, the more exciting the game became.
The Falcons took an early lead and were ahead 20 to 0 at halftime. The 4th quarter began with the Falcons leading 27 to 7. The Falcons seemed have the game well in control. Then the Seahawks started their comeback. The score went to Falcons 27, Seahawks 14. It went to Falcons 27, Seahawks 21. And with 31 seconds left in the game, the score went to Falcons 27, Seahawks 28.
The Falcons found themselves down by one point with just 31 seconds left in the game. What can a team do with 31 seconds and two timeouts? The Falcons’ coach, Mike “Smitty” Smith, knew his team needed only a field goal to win the game and he wanted that field goal. The Falcons came to life. They returned the kickoff to their 28. A pass moved the ball to midfield. Another pass moved the ball to the Seahawk’s 31 yard line, setting up a 49 yard field goal attempt. The ball sailed through the uprights and put the Falcons ahead, 30 to 28. There were still 8 seconds on the clock. The Falcons’ amazing, winning drive had taken just 23 seconds.
On Sunday I watched the Baltimore Ravens play the Denver Broncos. It was an exciting game – a crazy game. The score was tied 5 times. Late in the 4th quarter, the Ravens were down by 7 points, 28 to 35. The Ravens’ quarterback threw an incredible 70 yard touchdown pass to tie the score at 35. The Broncos got the ball back with 31 seconds remaining on the clock. What can a team do with 31 seconds and two timeouts – and the best quarterback in the league? The Broncos coach, John Fox, knew his team needed only a field goal to win the game. But the Broncos didn’t try to score. The coach told his quarterback to take a knee and let the clock run out. The coach may have feared his team, under pressure, would make a mistake that would lose the game in the final seconds. Better to let the game go into overtime. Better to play conservatively. So the Broncos let the clock run down to zero. The fans booed. The game’s announcers were incredulous. The game went into overtime. The Broncos lost.
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