2-point conversion turns 30 years old

For all the reasons MARSHALL FAULK was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011 and this week is the featured enshrinee in the Gold Jacket Spotlight, his productivity on 2-point conversions is not high on most lists.

Nonetheless, Faulk holds the distinction of most career 2-point plays in National Football League history, sharing the top spot with Alvin Kamara. Both reached the end zone seven times by rushing or receiving.

“Going for 2” dates back to the late 1950s in the college game, and the American Football League adopted the rule —an opportunity to score two points by rush or pass play in lieu of an extra-point kick — with its formation in 1960 and used it during the league’s 10-year history.

When the AFL and NFL completed their merger in 1970, the play was not included in the new rulebook. The NFL later tested 2-point conversions in NFL Europe, then adopted the play in 1994.

In honor of the 2-point conversion’s 30th anniversary, the Pro Football Hall of Fame takes a look back at some memorable moments involving “going for 2.”

‘Two-Point Tupa’

NFL fans didn’t wait long for the first successful 2-point conversation. It came in Week 1 of the 1994 season.

As the Cleveland Browns lined up for a point-after attempt, everything seemed like a normal play — until it wasn’t. Tom Tupa, the Browns’ punter, backup quarterback and holder on placekicks, received the snap and took off on a designed run. He reached the end zone, instantly earning him the nickname “Two-Point Tupa.”

While the 2-point conversion is helpful when trying to widen or narrow the scoring margin, it’s a lot riskier than simply kicking a PAT. According to NFL statistics, only 47.5% of all 2-point conversions since 2015 have been successful, while the extra point succeeds about 95% of the time, even with the increased kicking distance in recent seasons.

Since its inception, the Minnesota Vikings have converted the most successful 2-point plays with 62 (including playoffs). The Atlanta Falcons have converted the fewest, with 33.

Last season, the Browns converted a league-high six tries, with Indianapolis right behind at five. Kamara moved into a tie with Faulk for most by a player with a league-high three successful conversions last season.

2-pointers fuel Super Bowl LI comeback

One of the greatest comebacks on the game’s biggest stage occurred when Tom Brady and the New England Patriots overcame a 28-3 Atlanta Falcons lead in Super Bowl LI. 

With less than 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Stephen Gostkowski hit a 33-yard field goal, cutting the deficit 28-12 — a margin two touchdowns and 2-point conversions could erase.

The Patriots’ final two drives consisted of 15 plays for 116 yards with James White and Danny Amendola swapping touchdowns and 2-point conversions. With 57 seconds remaining, White rushed for a 1-yard touchdown, and Amendola battled through defenders to complete the conversion that tied the game 28-28.

In the first Super Bowl overtime, the Patriots marched 75 yards in eight plays to win their fifth championship, 34-28.

Eric Berry’s last-second heroics

In Week 13 of the 2016 season, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Atlanta Falcons 29-28 on the road thanks to a rare defensive 2-point conversion.

Trailing 27-16 in the third quarter, Matt Ryan and the Falcons rallied to score 12 points in the fourth. With 4:32 left, Ryan threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Aldrick Robinson. The Falcons, leading 28-27, attempted a 2-point conversion to give a field goal’s length between the Chiefs and a tie. On the attempt, however, safety Eric Berry intercepted Ryan’s pass and returned it 99 yards for the two points Kansas City needed to take the lead. 

Berry, who had already had a 37-yard pick-six in the game, all but guaranteed the victory. The Chiefs ran out the clock after eight plays and capped off one of the rarest possible conclusions to a game — a defensive 2-point conversion for the game-winning points.

Kyler Murray’s 20-second scramble

In his fourth season in the NFL, Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals stunned Las Vegas Raiders fans with one of the most mind-boggling plays in response to their screams to “Tackle him!”

This Week 2 matchup in 2022 started with a 20-0 lead for the Raiders. Coming out of the locker room at halftime, Murray and the offense went 11 plays for 79 yards and a score with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Greg Dortch. Another Raiders field goal, late in the third quarter, put the pressure on Arizona to go for 2 the remainder of the contest.

A 1-yard touchdown run from Darrell Williams set up the first 2-point conversion attempt. Murray scrambled for 20 seconds before cutting back to his left and taking it in himself. 

On the last play of the game, Murray again rushed for a score, going 3 yards for the touchdown, and he completed the conversion with a pass to A.J. Green. In overtime, the Cardinals’ offense turned the ball over on downs, but the defense came up with a rousing finish by returning a fumble 59 yards for the game-winning score.

Manning vs. Brady in ‘The Sheriff’s’ last ride

With a trip to Super Bowl 50 on the line and all signs pointing to PEYTON MANNING'S retirement after the season’s conclusion, a decade-long rivalry was literally for all the marbles in January 2016.

“The Sheriff” and his Broncos defensive teammates held a 17-9 lead over Brady’s Patriots at halftime, but the man with five rings would not shy away from the challenge. 

Still trailing 20-12 late in the game, Brady led the Patriots on an eight-play drive that covered 50 yards, the final 4 coming on a touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski with 12 seconds remaining in the contest. Gronkowski had made an incredible one-handed grab on a fourth-down play earlier in the drive. 

With a 2-point conversion attempt to determine whether the game would go to overtime, Denver’s defense stood tall, intercepting Brady’s pass intended for Julian Edelman and sealing the trip to the Super Bowl. 

Denver went on to win Super Bowl 50, sending Manning into the sunset with his second Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Kirk Cousins’ first game-winner

On Dec. 9, 2012, Robert Griffin III was at the helm in Washington with Kirk Cousins as his backup. In a Week 14 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens, Griffin was leading his team down the field late in the game, trailing 28-20.

With 49 seconds left on the clock, Griffin sprained his right knee and was unable to re-enter the contest. With the game on the line, Cousins completed two passes, including an 11-yard touchdown to Pierre Garcon. Cousins then ran in the 2-point conversion to force overtime, and Washington went on to win 31-28.

What just happened?

This past season saw one of the more bizarre endings to a football game, and it involved three attempted 2-point conversions in one sequence. 

Trailing 13-10 in their Week 17 matchup with the Detroit Lions, the Dallas Cowboys scored 10 fourth-quarter points to move ahead 20-13 with 1:41 remaining. Facing the touchdown-or-bust scenario, Lions quarterback Jared Goff pushed the offense 75 yards on nine plays in less than 90 seconds, capping the drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Instead of kicking the point-after and heading to overtime, Lions head coach Dan Campbell elected to go for 2.

The initial attempt was deemed a successful trick play that saw offensive lineman Taylor Decker catch Goff’s pass. The officials huddled and declared Decker had failed to report as eligible, therefore, the attempt was negated and had to be retried. On the second attempt, Goff’s pass was incomplete, but a defensive penalty gave the Lions another try at the win. Goff’s pass to James Mitchell fell incomplete, and the Lions lost 20-19.