Good post.
The sample size is too small.
They need many years of teams actually implementing that strategy to get sufficient data.
The sample size isn’t really small. It’s math.
For the sake of argument, let’s say you have a 100% chance of making an extra point and a 50% of winning in overtime.
These are reasonable assumptions. If two teams play to overtime, it’s fair to say it’s anyone’s game. Of course momentum matters, but there’s also chance with the coin flip.
So you have 3 strategies:
Strategy 1:
Kick XP, Kick XP, Go to overtime.
That’s 100% x 100% x 50% = 50%
Strategy 2:
Kick XP, Go for 2
That’s the likelihood of converting the 2
Strategy 3:
Go for 2, Kick XP or Go for 2
That’s the likelihood of converting the 2, but you get two chances
Strategy 3 is clearly better than Strategy 2 because you have an extra chance.
Let’s pretend that you have a 50% chance of converting the 2. That would make Strategy 1 and 2 the same.
So what are the odds of winning with Strategy 3?
It’s the same odds of flipping a coin twice and getting heads at least once.
You have 4 scenarios when flipping a coin:
1. Heads and heads
2. Heads and tails
3. Tails and heads
4. Tails and tails
3 of the 4 have at least one heads. So the probably of winning the game in Scenario 3 is 75%.
In fact, even if you only had a 29.3% chance of converting the 2, your chances still become 50% when you get a second attempt.
And, like the video said, most teams average between 38-48% on conversions.