On the Seattle Seahawks’ first two offensive possessions, Pete Carroll punted on 4th and short in Los Angeles Rams territory, then he went for it on 4th and short in field goal range and Alex Collins got stuffed at the line of scrimmage. Two 4th down decisions with undesirable outcomes — the very idea of punting, and the failed actual 4th down play.
Carroll has long been criticized for not being aggressive on 4th downs with Russell Wilson as his quarterback. This has been a point of contention among fans and analytics followers who marvel at the way John Harbaugh, Andy Reid, Kevin Stefanski, and even rookie head coach Brandon Staley approach 4th downs.