Imagine you’re an NFL head coach. After a brilliant two-minute drill, your offense just scored to pull within one point with seconds left in regulation.
That leaves you with an important choice: do you kick a high percentage extra point and send the game to overtime, where your offense may not see the ball again? Or do you send that offense back onto the field, snap the ball from the two-and-a-half yard line, and attempt a riskier two-point conversion that will ensure the game is won or lost after 60 minutes of official time?
