Why leave time when you don't have to?

I have a hard time understanding why teams leave clock at the end of the half or the end of the game by calling timeouts when they're unnecessary. It's an absolute GIFT to have a chance to run the clock down to near nothing and have a chance to score without giving your opponent an opportunity, especially when you have a full complement of timeouts and could take the clock down to 20 seconds or so without risking anything. Yet, even though in general I think the Steelers' clock management has improved, I still see those situations where we take a timeout at first and goal with a minute left, and then go directly to the endzone. I don't understand it. We also take timeouts before 3rd down where if we fail to convert, we leave the other team unnecessary time.

Redskins squandered an opportunity tonight the same way. Though I didn't see the game, it looked to me like they called a timeout before 3rd down with a minute left. Why? If they had let the clock run down and failed, they could have kicked the tying FG with about 20 seconds left. Had they gotten a first down, they still had 2 timeouts and could have taken shots to the endzone.

Any ideas??? Bueller?????

 

Pretty sure Chiefs called the timeout. They pulled a Ben and went for it all and to be fair he should have caught it and won. Putting their trust in a 2nd year player, who's only played like 2-3 games. It's what they get.

 

I watched the game tonight. The Redskins didn't use a timeout. They did throw it on 3rd down, which resulted in an incomplete pass so the clock stopped.

As for why coaches do stupid things, who knows. It seems so obvious to us at home, yet these professionals just can't seem to figure out clock management. It's maddening

 

Thanks for the clarification. I was going from the NFL.com website, which stated:

1. 1-10-KC 30 (1:58) 8-K.Cousins scrambles left end to KC 22 for 8 yards (23-P.Gaines).
2. 2-2-KC 22 (1:15) (Shotgun) 25-C.Thompson up the middle to KC 22 for no gain (95-C.Jones).
3. Timeout #1 by WAS at 00:57.
4. 3-2-KC 22 57) (Shotgun) 8-K.Cousins pass incomplete deep left to 18-J.Doctson.

It would make more sense for KC to have called the timeout. That all being said, I still see that Pittsburgh has times (not always) when they seem to preserve clock unnecessarily when they could take the clock near zero. It doesn't take much time to go to the endzone from inside the 10.....

 

The good part is KC looked mortal and we play them soon.

 

I watched the game, and I'm pretty sure Washington called timeout. IMO they should have let the clock run and try for the first down which almost assuredly would have been there for the taking. It would have at least either: milked more time, forced KC to use a timeout, got them a new set of downs and a few shots at the endzone instead of just one, or all three.
Poor clock management by Gruden.

 

Taking the clock all the way down can bite you in the ass. Those times when they have an 10 second runoff after a penalty etc.

 

If the guy catches the ball, in the endzone it's a moot point for the Redskins.

 

Not necessarily. KC still uad time to go down and score a td

 

I'd like redskins chances, pretty hard to top 4 points with 50 seconds and 2 time outs and go 75 yards. But your right anything is possible.