SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- No, San Francisco 49ers coach Chip Kelly wasn't simply doing all the fans, media and everyone else at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum a favor by opting to go for the game-winning two-point conversion in the closing moments of their Christmas Eve meeting with the Rams.
It might have seemed Kelly had no reservations and a nothing-to-lose approach -- and with a 1-13 record coming in, who could have blamed him? But Kelly said after the game his decision was based on how much time was left on the clock.
“If we had scored with two minutes [left], we would have probably thought about maybe kicking it because our defense played really, really well all day long," Kelly said. "Their three scoring drives all occurred when we turned the ball over inside our 50-yard line and then that’s when they scored. I was confident in our defense if they had to go back out on the field, just like when they did after we went for two and they came up with a big play."
Kelly's confidence also was abundant when it came to his offense, especially for the play call the Niners went to for the deciding points. After struggling for much of the day, quarterback Colin Kaepernick got rolling in the fourth quarter, a far cry from his usual second-half struggles. Kaepernick had completed 15 of 20 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown, adding a TD run, in the final quarter. That 75 percent completion rate far exceeded the 48.4 percent he'd connected on in the fourth quarter for the season.
After Kaepernick hit receiver Rod Streater for a touchdown to draw the Niners within a point, there didn't seem to be much doubt Kelly would be willing to go for it. The chance to end a 13-game losing streak with one play was too much to pass up. Kelly said he could feel the excitement and enthusiasm for giving it a go.
"I had a feeling we were going to go for two, but I was excited when he said we’re going for it," Kaepernick said. "I think the whole offense was, the whole team was and the play he called I think was a play everybody on our offense was going to get called, we had great confidence in and it worked out great for us."
With Kaepernick on the mark to his receivers, Kelly saw the opportunity to go to a play the Niners had worked on for much of the week, one that would allow Kaepernick to take off running if the opportunity presented itself.
“It was a designed rollout," Kelly said. "That’s what we were trying to do with him -- try to get him on the edge. He had a run-pass option. If they cover everybody, he’s going to run it. If they came up, then he was going to throw it, so it was a designed play for him.”
The play design was a slide scheme that asked Kaepernick to roll to his right with his first option to Streater on a quick read after motion along with two over routes on the side of the formation with multiple receivers. The Rams jumped on the first read and sank off to cover the overs, leaving Kaepernick with plenty of room to run.
Kaepernick dashed toward the end zone and as a pair of defenders converged, he jumped toward the goal line with the ball extended.
"I saw an opportunity to get in there and in my head was just, ‘I have to get in there, I have to get in there for this team, we need this win,’" Kaepernick said. "It was very exciting to be able to do that."
Kaepernick's plunge gave the 49ers a 22-21 lead with 31 seconds to play. Cornerback Rashard Robinson's interception sealed it moments later. It was the eighth fourth-quarter comeback victory of Kaepernick's career. Asked after the game how it compared to the other seven, Kaepernick allowed himself to live in the moment.
"Right now, it feels like the best," Kaepernick said. "It’s definitely something I really enjoyed today. I really enjoyed being out there with my teammates and being able to get this win with them. I think everyone is really excited about it."