Quote Originally Posted by pbmax View Post
Third down is just in case something goes wrong (bad snap, hold). You can fall on it and attempt another FG.
Back in the '60s and '70s, it was not uncommon to see 3rd down FG attempts for just that reason. Teams didn't have long snappers, it was generally a job for one of the starting OL, and it wasn't always pretty, especially with muddy fields. Since the starting QB was often the holder, fake FG attempts on 3rd down were something to be watched for.