Unwritten football rules the Baltimore Ravens, rest of NFL face
By Peter Panacy
Never go for two points unless you have to
Perhaps the most popular of unwritten rules in football is the idonym not to attempt a two-point conversion after a touchdown until your team has to.
Well, sometimes there are situations where it’s different. Let’s say, with a minute left in regulation, the Ravens scored a go-ahead touchdown and were now up by five points. Going for two certainly isn’t a requirement, but it sure would make the opponent’s chances of retaking a lead with a go-ahead touchdown in response much slimmer.
Ever since extra-point attempts were moved back from the 2-yard line, however, two-point attempts have seen a notable increase. In 2019, the Atlanta Falcons averaged 0.6 two-point attempts per game, which led the league, while Baltimore was a shade behind and tied for third most with 0.3 per contest.
Go back a decade, however, and the highest-ranking teams rarely averaged anything more than 0.3 two-pointers per game on a year-to-year basis.
Perhaps this SB Nation article centering on why teams should go for two more often has some merit.