I know most people don't actually click on links and read, but these explain it pretty well.[/QUOTE]
Consider this: if you run the ball three times for no gain, and then punt, that should eat up 3 minutes of the clock. If Detroit needs 4 scores to catch you, that means you will have a minimum of 4 possessions. If you run 3 times on all 4 possessions and fail to complete even one first down, that is 12 minutes gone from the clock. That would leave Detroit with 14 minutes to score 4 times.
I think this was the important part of the article. Shorten this game with that type of lead!