At Fantasy Points this season, we’re going to be posting the Raw Film Notes from NFL Films legend Greg Cosell each and every week. These are quite literally Greg’s scribblings and observations he throws on his notepad as he watches all-22 tape.
As Greg is just one man, he can’t get to everything each week, but we’ll be bringing you everything he sees in raw — and unedited — form. This is something all-22 nerds will love, and certainly something fans who want to learn more about their teams should read.
BILLS OFFENSE VERSUS LIONS DEFENSE
Bills OL had a different look inside due to OC Morse being inactive, Bates moved to OC and Van Roten was the RG
Bills different personnel approach versus Lions than versus Browns, Against the Lions the Bills went back to 11 personnel as their foundation: 88% of offensive snaps came out of 11 personnel
Lions nickel had Hughes and Jacobs the outside corners with Harris the slot corner, Oruwariye also played significant snaps at outside corner – Lions played nickel on 70 of Bills 74 offensive snaps
First 3rd and long (3rd + 7) Lions out of nickel went with loaded front with Barnes walked up opposite the load and played cover 1 robber with safety Elliott the robber
Lions pass defense game plan was to show Allen a lot of different coverage looks through the first couple of possessions: They showed cover 1 robber, cover 3, cover 3 boundary lock, cover 2 behind 4 man zone exchange pressure, cover 2 behind 4 man DL rush, 2 man coverage, bracket on Diggs
Lions also showed multiple pressure concepts both with 5 man pressures and 4 man zone exchange schemes – It was a well-designed and well-schemed game plan mixing pressure and coverage
McKenzie 19 yard TD on 3rd + 6 to end second possession came out of 11 2x2 versus Lions 2 man concept with bracket on Diggs on his sit route to the boundary, McKenzie from the field slot ran away from Harris on the over route and Allen made an excellent throw
Lions were able to generate consistent pressure on Allen in the 1st half, Allen was forced to move on too many drop backs
Singletary 19 yards 2nd + 9 on second TD drive came out of 11 2x2 versus Lions nickel 2 man coverage, TE Morris easy release to the boundary got Anzalone out of the box and gave the Bills favorable blocking numbers inside on the zone run
Lions stayed aggressive with pressure through the first half with a good mix of 5 man pressures and 4 man zone exchange schemes, There was some pressure concept on about half of Allen’s 24 drop backs
Allen missed a second TD to McKenzie on the last play of the 1st half, Lions cover 1 robber with McKenzie from the field slot again running away from Harris on the over route; Allen had time to make the timing throw taking McKenzie across the field but he broke down too soon in the pocket and was sacked
Dawkins hurt on the last play of the 1st half and did not return, Quessenberry replaced him at LT in the 2nd half
Allen clearly started to perceive pressure as the game progressed, Bills OL was struggling in pass protection throughout the game and Allen began to anticipate that he would get pressure
Bills featured empty sets versus the Lions, Allen 15 empty drop backs: 8-11 for 140 yards with 2 sacks and 2 scrambles; 7 of the 8 completions resulted in 1st downs
McKenzie 30 yards on 2nd + 21 on first possession of the 3rd quarter came out of 11 empty versus Lions nickel cover 2 behind 4 man zone exchange scheme, Big-time throw by Allen from outside the far hash to the outside void on the opposite sideline
Lions went zero for the first time on 3rd + 7 outside the red zone on Bills first 3rd quarter possession: DPI on Jacobs versus Diggs
Anzalone interception came versus Bills staple red zone concept: Shotgun power run action with slant route behind it, Diggs beat Jacobs off the LOS and was open; Outstanding play by Rodriguez reacting to the throw after stepping up to play the run and getting his hands on the ball
Allen overall played a little fast in this game, While the Lions did generate consistent pressure Allen was too often too quick to break down in the pocket and he left some throws on the field
There were 3rd down snaps in which the Lions cheated a safety over the top of Diggs in both man and zone coverage concepts
Lions coverage foundation versus the Bills was man and cover 2, They played significant snaps of cover 1 and cover 1 robber with 2 man coverage also part of the game plan
Bills 14 play 90 yard TD drive in the 4th quarter to take the lead, It was methodical and efficient; Allen big-time firm touch throw to Knox 15 yards on 2nd + 8
Diggs 5 yard TD on 2nd and goal to end the go-ahead drive came out of 11 2x2 versus Lions man coverage with LB Anzalone and Barnes free underneath defenders, Diggs beat Hughes on slant route that he set up with patience and nuance
Diggs 36 yards to start winning FG drive came out of 11 empty versus Lions dime 2 man with Moore in the robber position 12 yards from the LOS, Big-time power throw by Allen to Diggs running the inside post from the slot to the field
Allen 10-14 for 90 yards in the 4th quarter; Diggs 5 yard TD and Diggs 36 yards; What stood out on the 14 play TD drive was Allen stayed patient
Allen did not play one of his better games but the Diggs 36 yard completion to set up the winning FG was as good a throw as you will see in a critical pressure situation
LIONS OFFENSE VERSUS BILLS DEFENSE
Bills started the game in 4-3 personnel versus Lions 21 personnel, Klein was the MIKE with Dodson the SAM and Milano the WILL
White started the game but played only 16 snaps, Jackson for the second consecutive game played every snap at outside corner predominantly playing the boundary
Klein was the LB with Milano in the Bills nickel, He played every snap; Dodson played in the base 4-3 versus the Lions 21 personnel and he played a snap on 1st and goal versus 6 OL/2 TE personnel
Lions went after Jackson on their second possession, They threw a variety of routes at him and he made some plays but he also got beat
Bills showed loaded fronts on 3rd down at times with Klein/Milano walked up opposite the load, They featured multiple stunt concepts; When they went cover 1 Milano was predominantly the TE matchup
White played the first 2 Lions series and did not play any more snaps after that, Benford and Elam played field corner from that point on in the game; Benford 33 snaps and Elam 21 snaps
Goff continued to play well in the context of the Lions offense, Goff is an executor and a ball distributor and he has been playing efficiently
Oliver continued to play excellent football, He has outstanding quickness off the ball and is explosive both vertically and laterally; What has shown up more this season has been short area strength and power
Milano continued to be used as a blitzer from different alignments, He was used in 5 man pressure concepts and 4 man zone exchange schemes
St. Brown 1 yard TD on 4th and goal late in the 2nd quarter came on a well-designed concept out of 11 personnel, Lions knew they would get man coverage so they motioned Raymond across the formation outside of St. Brown inside stem; Jackson switched to take Raymond and Johnson was in trail position versus St. Brown corner route, Easy throw for Goff
Miller hurt late in the 2nd quarter and did not return, Basham and Love played significant snaps at DE; Lawson flashed at DE playing 49 snaps
There were snaps in which DT Jones lined up outside in wide 9 alignment and rushed the QB
Bills safety on 3rd + 15 to end Lions first 3rd quarter possession resulted from Goff getting stuck in the pocket working to the trips side where the Bills played zone coverage, Oliver power rush versus LG Skipper driving him back into the pocket for the sack
Bills played more man coverage versus the Lions than had been their average through their first 10 games
Lions pass game showed some excellent concepts attacking Bills predominant man coverage, Lions OC Johnson had a good feel for the Bills defense
Chark 1 yard TD on 3rd and goal early in the 4th quarter was an outstanding play by Goff, Play design was Raymond on the pivot route versus Elam but Goff did not feel the throw was there; Goff then came back side to Chark in the in-breaker versus Jackson, Precise timing and ball placement beat great coverage
St. Brown 19 yards to start 4th quarter possession a good example of OC Johnson attacking Bills man coverage: St. Brown motion across the formation to confirm man with corner Jackson following and matching, Run action out of 21 straight I to the twins side to influence the LB; St. Brown out route underneath Chark vertical so St. Brown had a lot of space to operate
Goff outstanding on play action versus the Bills: 11-14 for 143 yards and 2 TD with 10 of the 11 completions resulting in 1st downs; 10 of those 14 drop backs came with Goff under center
Elam was the field corner opposite Jackson on the Lions final FG drive, Bills stayed aggressive with pressure and man coverage
3rd + 1 from the Bills 33 yard line Chark got on top of Jackson and Goff made back shoulder throw rather than laying the ball out in front, Bills went zero on the play
Bills highest 5 man pressure percentage versus Lions than in any previous game this season and that not does not include 4 man zone exchange pressures, Bills also high percentage man coverage; An aggressive defensive game plan
MAC JONES VERSUS VIKINGS DEFENSE
Patriots were in 11 personnel every snap but one versus the Vikings, Vikings played nickel on every snap with Sullivan the slot corner; Shelley was the right corner opposite Peterson at left corner
Vikings continued to be a predominant split safety coverage defense, That has been their coverage foundation all season; Vikings not a high percentage blitz defense
Vikings predominant nickel front on 3rd down and selected long yardage situations was Z. Smith, Hunter, Wonnum and Blaylock
Agholor 34 yard TD on 2nd + 6 to end first possession came out of 11 empty versus Vikings cover 8 with halves to the field and quarters to the boundary, Agholor was #2 to trips and he ran the middle seam but no one carried him and with deep half safety Bynum playing over the top of Thornton’s outside vertical the middle was open; Jones excellent job on his drop holding boundary safety Smith, Excellent play design versus the coverage and high-level quarterbacking by Jones
Vikings continued to align Z. Smith inside in their nickel fronts especially on 3rd down, At times they featured stunt concepts from their 4 man DL rush
Myers 13 yards on 3rd + 4 on first 3rd quarter possession was Jones at his best: He read the coverage disguise and late movement to cover 3 recognizing he did not have Myers in the first window then hitting him in the second window
Henry 37 yards TD to end first 3rd quarter possession came out of 11 2x2 off Agholor motion across the formation, Vikings cover 8 with halves to the field and quarters to the boundary; Power run action to the field with attached TE Henry running the seam on the field side, Another example of excellent overall play design versus a staple Vikings coverage
Jones was mentally sharp versus Vikings, He had a clear understanding of their foundational split safety coverage concepts and he consistently made the right reads and threw to the right receiver – Parker 40 yards on second 3rd quarter possession a good example
Jones on 3rd + 7 with just over 2 minutes remaining broke down in the pocket far too early when he had a defined throw to Parker on the in-breaker, It was the only drop back in the game in which he lost his poise in the pocket and it resulted in a sack
Vikings much more of an execution defense with 4 man DL pass rush and predominant zone coverage concepts than a highly schemed defense with high percentage pressure and disguise with late rotation
Jones looked much more comfortable versus the Vikings than he did last week versus the Jets, He was better protected by his OL and he had a better feel for the routes versus the coverage; Overall Jones was more decisive with the result that his ball placement was more precise
Jones in the 2nd half versus Vikings: 16-24 for 234 yards and TD, He was sacked twice both late in the 4th quarter
VIKINGS OFFENSE VERSUS PATRIOTS DEFENSE
What continued to stand out with the Vikings offense was their increased use of 12 personnel, It started in week 11 versus the Cowboys and then versus the Patriots the Vikings played 20 snaps out of 12 personnel (30% of their offensive snaps)
TE Mundt snap counts have significantly increased in the last 2 games, He played 47% of the snaps versus the Cowboys and 54% of the snaps versus the Patriots
Vikings also played 7 snaps of 21 personnel with Ham the fullback, They started their second possession in 21
Bryant was the Patriots slot corner-safety in their sub defenses, There were nickel snaps in which safety Dugger lined up over the slot with Bryant playing on the back end as a safety
Patriots also snaps of big nickel with Peppers the third safety with Dugger and McCourty – Patriots played 47 snaps of nickel with 11 snaps of dime and 2 snaps of dollar (7 defensive backs)
Patriots predominantly went big nickel versus Vikings 12 personnel and conventional nickel with Bryant versus 11 personnel in normal down and distance situations, In long yardage on 2nd and on 3rd down they predominantly went diem with some snaps of dollar
Patriots continued to be multiple with their use of personnel and their front alignments, Those have been Belichick staples for a long time – Bentley a good example lining up both off the ball and on the ball on the edge depending on personnel and alignments
Patriots continued to play a lot of people on defense with a lot of different combinations, It is hard to chart what players play in specific situations
Patriots predominantly aligned Jo. Jones over Jefferson even when Jefferson lined up in the slot, When Jones was out and rookie Ja. Jones was in the game Ja. Jones lined up over Jefferson
Jones interception on 3rd + 10 to end Vikings second possession came out of dollar personnel, Patriots went cover 1 robber with Jones matched on Jefferson in the slot to the field; Jones passed on Jefferson to robber McCourty and was in position to play the overthrow by Cousins on the crosser to Osborn
Hockenson 13 yards on 3rd + 7 on third possession came out of 11 empty versus Patriots dime cover 1 with Dugger matched on Hockenson #2 to trips, Hockenson out route with a precise ball placement throw by Cousins
Patriots are still a high percentage single high safety coverage defense but their percentage of cover 1 can vary significantly depending on the opponent, They do not play cover 1 as the foundation to the same degree they did in previous years
Cook 6 yard reception on 3rd + 3 on third possession was a game planned play: Vikings lined up Cook as the boundary x on the back side of trips with Osborn offset in the backfield to the field, They went quick count before the Patriots could identify and adjust
Patriots went zero for the first time on 2nd + 12 in the 2nd quarter, They did it out of dime bring 3 second level defenders an dropping out DT Wise as an underneath zone defender
Jefferson 37 yards on 3rd + 7 in the 2nd quarter came out of 11 empty with Jefferson the slot to the field (trips was into the boundary), Patriots out of dime went with a 2 man concept with field safety McCourty part of in-and-out bracket on Jefferson with corner Jones; Jefferson split the bracket with speed and Cousins hit him on the vertical route
Vikings at times featured misdirection in their passing game and it proved to be effective, That was especially the case on 2nd quarter TD drive that ended with Hockenson 1 yard TD which also came on a misdirection concept
Vikings struggled to generate any sustaining element with Cook and their running game, That has been a continuing issues all season
Reagor 25 yards on 3rd + 7 later in the 3rd quarter came out of 11 empty with bunch to the field, Patriots out of dollar wen 2 man coverage; Reagor #1 in the bunch ran the over route and Bryant tripped on Dugger leaving Reagor wide open
Vikings pass game by design was rhythmic, Cousins 3 step and 5 step drop timing throws almost eliminating the Patriots pass rush; Judon was not a factor as a pass rusher
Jefferson 36 yards on 2nd + 2 on 4th quarter TD drive came out of 12 2x2 versus Patriots big nickel cover 3 with Jo. Jones in off coverage versus Jefferson, Jefferson from reduced split ran an out-and-go staying inside and getting on top of Jones; Cousins throw beat post safety McCourty
Thielen 15 yards TD on 1st + 10 in the 4th quarter (the play after Jefferson 36 yards) came out of 11 2x2 off Jefferson motion across the formation versus Patriots conventional nickel, My sense was the Patriots were playing a single high zone concept with match principles; Jefferson and Thielen ran mirrored crossers/overs with post safety McCourty driving on Jefferson leaving Thielen running across the field with Mills trailing him (I thought Mills was clearly expecting help); Cousins looked to Jefferson all the way then came back to Thielen late but made a great throw
Vikings featured play action with Cousins highly efficient: 15-16 for only 109 yards but much of the time it allowed the Vikings to stay ahead of the sticks; Both TD came off play action and Cousins was not sacked
Cousins was efficient on 3rd down versus the Patriots: 9-13 for 110 yards with both TD and the one interception; 7 of the 9 completions went for 1st downs
COWBOYS OFFENSE VERSUS GIANTS DEFENSE
Giants game plan featured 5-1 nickel with Smith the stacked LB, The outside corners were McCloud and rookie Flott with Holmes the slot corner; In the 2nd half Williams played outside with McCloud in the 5-1 nickel
Giants also significant snaps of 4-2 nickel with Smith and rookie McFadden the LB: Versus 12 personnel McCloud moved inside to the slot with Williams and Flott outside, Versus 11 personnel McCloud stayed outside with Holmes in the slot
When the Giants went 5-2 base Smith and McFadden were the LB – Giants defense played a lot of rookies versus the Cowboys and they all got significant snaps
On the Cowboys first possession Elliott looked short area quick running through contact and the Cowboys OL did an excellent job with combo blocks working to the second level
Williams interception to end Cowboys first possession was an outstanding play, Williams read 2 to 1 in his zone coverage playing with eyes and body position and reacted to the sideline throw to Gallup; 0-technique Lawrence worked the outside half of OC Biadasz and hit Prescott just after he delivered
More than 50% of the Cowboys offensive snaps came out of 12 and 13 personnel: 22 snaps of 12 personnel and 13 snaps of 13 personnel – Is that a philosophical approach, or a function of the lack of quality 11 personnel at this point?
Lamb 25 yards 1st + 10 on third possession came out of 11 2x2 off Lamb motion across the formation, Giants out of 4-2 nickel played split safety quarters concepts; Boundary attached TE Schultz released vertically safety Pinnock leaving Lamb one-on-one with off coverage corner McCloud, Lamb good route to create room on his in-breaker with a well-timed and well-placed throw by Prescott
Giants went zero out of 5-1 nickel on 3rd + 8 in the 2nd quarter, Slot corner Holmes got in clean off the field edge and Thibodeaux beat LT Smith with a rip move on the boundary side; Prescott a hurried incompletion
Giants are a high percentage man coverage defense and a high percentage blitz defense, That has always been DC Martindale’s MO
Gallup 25 yards on 2nd + 8 in the 2nd quarter came out of 12 closed boundary twins to the field versus Giants 5-2 base defense, Play action with Prescott working the one-on-one outside with Gallup running the deep dig versus Flott
Cowboys had success working Gallup outside versus Flott when they went 12 personnel with the boundary closed and twins to the field
There was a dime snap on 3rd + 14 in the 2nd quarter in which Thibodeaux was deployed as an off the ball standup Joker in the middle of the defense, He was the looper in a stunt concept from that alignment
Love interception on 3rd + 15 at the 2 minute mark of the 1st half came out of dime 2 man coverage with Love and Belton the deep safeties, Prescott went to Lamb on the seam route from #3 to trips when he saw Holmes back but he left the ball short and too far inside and Holmes was able to recover and make a play on the ball
Thibodeaux much more of a power pass rusher than an athletic flexible rusher, He has speed-to-power traits but he does not possess the needed flexibility to bend the arc and close to the QB
Giants tendency when they went dime on 3rd down was to play 2 man coverage, Love and Belton were the deep safeties; Giants went with 5 DL when they were in dime
3rd + 12 just outside the red zone on Cowboys first 3rd quarter possession Giants went cover 1 out of dime with Thibodeaux for the second time in dime aligned as an off the ball standup Joker, He was again the looper in a stunt concept; Prescott had time in the pocket and hit Lamb on the crosser versus Holmes 14 yards
Williams played outside corner in all packages in the 2nd half, He replaced Flott
Schultz 15 yard TD on 3rd and goal to end first 3rd quarter possession came out of 11 empty versus Giants 2 man coverage on their first snap of dollar, Schultz reduced split to the twins side of the formation just outside of Pollard with McCloud the man matchup; Schultz ran a corner route and Prescott made an excellent timing and ball placement throw
Giants second snap of zero came on 2nd +5 just outside the red zone on Cowboys second 3rd quarter possession, Prescott off second reaction movement hit Lamb versus Holmes 21 yards
A big key to this game was how well the Cowboys passing game did versus the Giants man coverage concepts (and the Giants are a predominant man coverage defense), Prescott versus man coverage: 15-21 for 207 yards with TD (Schultz 15 yards) and an interception
Another big key was how effective Cowboys passing game was versus man blitz: Prescott 9-14 for 125 yards
GIANTS OFFENSE VERSUS COWBOYS DEFENSE
Bland continued to be the slot corner in the Cowboys conventional nickel and dime, Vander Esch and Clark were the nickel LB with Vander Esch the dime LB
First play of the game Giants attacked Clark with their play design with TE Cager from wing alignment crossing behind the formation into the boundary flat, Outside zone to the field and wheel route off motion by James left Clark as the flat defender and he had reacted hard to the run action opposite
Giants first 2 plays featured misdirection, Clearly something they felt they could do versus Cowboys defense
Cowboys are a sub nickel and dime defense, They have only played 26 snaps of base defense all season; Cowboys “base” defense is big nickel with 3 safeties
Cowboys continued to be multiple with their front looks out of dime, A lot of different alignments with multi-positional personnel
Armstrong sack on Giants second possession came on T/E stunt with Watkins the penetrator and Armstrong the looper, LG Anderson reacted to it but was not in good position to block Armstrong
Giants game plan featured misdirection and boot action – Is that an effective way to attack the Cowboys defense?
Kearse continued to be an important part of the Cowboys defense, He was the reason last season they went to big nickel as their base defense and he plays significant snaps in the conventional nickel
Slayton 44 yards on 2nd + 4 in the 2nd quarter came out of 11 personnel with Slayton the boundary x, Cowboys out of conventional nickel went cover 1 with boundary corner Brown in off coverage man; Slayton go route threatened Brown over the top and the corner got out of phase and could not play the ball, Slayton went up and made a contested catch
Giants predominant personnel was 11, 63% of offensive snaps came out of 11 personnel; They only had 2 snaps out of 12 personnel
Cowboys feature multiple stunt concepts as part of their 4 man DL pass rush out of dime; Inside stunt concepts with Parsons attacking the edge part of their tactics, Get the QB to climb the pocket into the stunt
In cover 1 and cover 3 out of dime Hooker was almost always the post safety, Kearse and Wilson were underneath defenders in cover 3 and interchangeable TE/running back matchups in cover 1
Cover 2 has been a bigger part of the Cowboys coverage package this season than it was a year ago, Cowboys get to cover 2 in different ways with multiple middle hole defenders; There are times they get to cover 2 behind 4 man zone exchange pressures with DL dropping as underneath hook defenders
Giants featured Pony package beginning later in the 3rd quarter; They featured snaps with Barkley and Brightwell, and Barkley and Breida
Cowboys played 2 snaps of base 5-2 and they came on consecutive plays early in the 4th quarter when the Giants had 6 OL/2 TE personnel on the field
Parsons beat LT Thomas for a sack on 2nd + 10 later in the 4th quarter, Giants did not give Thomas any help and Parsons beat him with a stutter move off the ball then explosive quickness and burst to clear the arc and close to Jones
Cowboys this season have played the highest percentage of cover 1 of any team in the NFL, Almost 50% of opposing QB drop backs the Cowboys have played cover 1 (with some robber at times)
On 3rd down out of dime the Cowboys cover 1 percentage drops and their percentage of cover 2 increases, That tells you they are very comfortable with their 4 man DL pass rush generating pressure on the QB
EAGLES OFFENSE VERSUS PACKERS DEFENSE
Eagles continued to play predominantly out of 11 personnel, That has been their foundational personnel grouping for the last month
Nixon was the Packers slot corner, That was a change from the last 2 games when Savage played slot corner; Ford continued to be the nickel safety with Amos
Alexander lined at right corner and Douglas at left corner, Alexander did not match up specifically on Brown
Packers went dime on first 3rd and long (3rd + 10) with Savage the dime safety, They played cover 1 behind 4 man pass rush with LB Walker the spy on Hurts (did Walker have the back in coverage); Hurts never planted his back foot and took off, Walker had no shot to make the tackle and Hurts ran for 24 yards
Eagles run game with Sanders continued to feature both zone (straight zone and split flow) and gap scheme concepts, In gap scheme Eagles at times pulled the OT not the OG (RT Johnson was the puller); Sanders 15 yard TD to end second possession came on a trap play
Hurts 28 yards on 3rd + 6 on first possession came on a designed QB draw: 11 2x2 with offset back Gainwell motion from the boundary to the field bringing LB Barnes with him, Kelce block on LB Walker and with the Packers in cover 1 it was Hurts versus post safety Amos and Hurts beat him to the perimeter
Hurts designed run game part of Eagles game plan: QB draw on 3rd + 6 on first possession 28 yards, Gap scheme off misdirection on 2nd + 4 on second possession 8 yards and on 2nd + 5 on fifth possession 17 yards
Packers showed some 5-1 nickel fronts on Eagles second possession: Hurts 8 yards gap scheme run, Sanders 15 yard TD on trap play with Johnson trapping 3-technique Reed; Sanders outstanding contact balance and power to run through Clark
Brown 23 yards on 2nd + 11 on fourth possession showed his strength at the top of the route stem, He physically created space on his 5 step slant by moving Douglas and that allowed for run-after-catch
Hurts 42 yards on 3rd + 2 on fourth possession came out of 12 personnel with Jurgens the sixth OL and Watkins the only WR, Hurts conventional play action turned his head and saw open space to his right
Jurgens also in the game as the sixth OL on Sanders 2 yard TD run to end fourth possession – Jurgens came to Nebraska as a TE so you know the Eagles are setting something up down the road
Smith 17 yards to start fifth possession came out of 12 closed boundary twins to the field with the outside matchup of Smith versus Alexander, Smith beat Alexander on deep out
Packers more aggressive with blitz pressure in the 2nd quarter, They showed some double mug looks out of nickel with LB Walker and Barnes in the A gaps and they also brought pressure off the edges; 7 of the Packers 16 5 man pressures came in the 2nd quarter
Brown 19 yards on 3rd + 6 on late 2nd quarter TD drive showed Hurts pre-snap understanding: Packers double mug look so Hurts moved Gainwell from the backfield to split alignment to the boundary, That forced the Packers out of their double mug look; Coverage call was zone which the Packers had played behind double mug fronts/pressures and the Eagles hi-low concept beat the coverage
Gainwell continued to struggle at times with blitz pickup, That is a part of his game he must improve to get more snaps especially in passing down and distance situations
Watkins 30 yard TD late in the 2nd quarter came out of 11 3x1 with Watkins the boundary x versus Packers nickel cover 3, Outstanding back shoulder fade by Hurts versus off coverage corner Douglas knowing Watkins could not get over the top of Douglas
Sanders 21 yards on second play of 3rd quarter came out of 12 closed boundary twins to the field, G/C pull scheme to the boundary with pin-pull element
4 consecutive Sanders runs on first 3rd quarter possession: G/C pull scheme, Gap scheme with Johnson the puller (consecutive runs), Inside zone; All came out of shotgun – The 4 runs gained 65 yards
Brown 6 yard TD to end first 3rd quarter possession came out of 11 2x2 with Brown reduced split to the boundary, Brown out cut versus Douglas with excellent timing and ball placement throw by Hurts
Gainwell played 27 snaps and he was a meaningful part of the Eagles offensive game plan, It was the most snaps he has played this season and the highest percentage of the overall snaps (34%)
Eagles came back to trap play on 3rd + 4 on first play of 3rd quarter: Gainwell 10 yards; Mailata was the trapper on 3-technique Wyatt – Two plays another trap with Johnson the trapper: Gainwell 5 yards
Trap game was a meaningful part of the Eagles run game versus the Packers, I don’t remember the Eagles featuring it as much in any previous game – Gainwell 8 yards, 4 yards on 4th quarter FG drive
Sanders 11 yards to start 4th quarter FG drive was an outstanding run: RG Seumalo missed his block on DT Clark forcing pulling LT Mailata to block Clark rather than work to the second level to block LB Walker who was now clean in the hole, Sanders made Walker miss with explosive lateral agility and balance
Eagles 49 rushes (including 5 Hurts scrambles) for 363 yards, It was like a college game; Hurts only 153 yards passing yet the Eagles scored 5 TD
PACKERS OFFENSE VERSUS EAGLES DEFENSE
Scott continued to be the Eagles slot corner, Slay predominantly lined up at left corner with Bradberry at right corner
Scott interception on 3rd + 4 to end Packers first possession had many elements: Packers made a mistake in protection allowing Hargrave clean to Rodgers, Eagles cover 1 out of 4-2-5 nickel; Rodgers off second reaction movement threw to Lazard but Slay stay glued to him through the route adjustment with the ball bouncing off Slay’s helmet for Scott to pick off
Joseph continued to be the 0-technique/nose shade in the Eagles 5 man base fronts, In that front Joseph was predominantly flanked by Cox and Hargrave but there were also base front snaps in which Suh and Williams were the DT
Cox controlled and displaced RT Nijman on second play of Packers second possession, He tackled Jones for 1 yard loss
Dillon 20 yard TD on 1st + 10 to end Packers second possession came out of 11 3x1 versus Eagles 4-2 nickel with Suh and Williams inside at DT, Outside zone to the boundary off Lazard motion from the field to the boundary; Really well blocked at both first and second levels of the defense
Eagles run defense has been at its best when they are in their 5 man base front, They have struggled at times defending the run in their 4-2 nickel front
Eagles played their 5 man base front at times in nickel versus Packers 11 personnel, Edwards was the only LB and he was stacked
Gardner-Johnson hurt late in the 1st quarter and did not return, Blankenship replaced him at safety with Epps
Watson 21 yards on 4th + 5 on Packers second TD drive came out of 11 empty with Watson #3 to trips running the bender inside, Eagles out of nickel split safety coverage with man match to the boundary and zone to the field – Hargrave and Cox aligned at DE with Quinn and Graham inside
Cobb 11 yard TD on 1st + 10 to end third possession came out of 11 2x2 versus Eagles 5-1 base nickel with cover 1 behind it, Twins stack to the field with Watson running the crosser versus Slay and threatening post safety Blankenship with his speed; Cobb one-on-one versus Scott running an excellent route to get inside of him with Rodgers making an outstanding ball placement throw
Blankenship interception on 1st + 10 in the 2nd quarter was a big-time play: Eagles were in their base front with White on the ball to the closed side of the formation making it a 6 man front, They rushed 4 and played split safety behind it; Blankenship as the boundary safety initially retreated but he read the crosser by Davis and drove on the route before Rodgers started his delivery
Eagles played significant snaps of 5 man base front versus Packers 11 personnel, They played 5-1 nickel; That was clearly game planned – Joseph played 30 snaps versus the Packers
Suh played 18 snaps again playing in the both the base 5 man front at 3 technique/4i and in the 4-2 nickel front at 1-technique and 3-technique
Blankenship another big-time play on 2nd + 8 on second play of 3rd quarter, He came down from post safety position and made a tough one-on-one tackle on Jones on pin-pull concept to the field for 1 yard gain
Reddick-Graham split sack on 3rd + 7 on Packers first 3rd quarter possession came on same 5 man front alignment and inside stunt concept as Reddick sack on Pickett versus the Steelers: Reddick aligned inside of the DE ran a long stunt behind Hargrave and Graham and that resulted in the sack – Same front personnel and alignment with Cox wide 9 to the side of Reddick loop
Love replaced Rodgers in the 4th quarter, Rodgers rib injury and could not continue
Watson 63 yard TD on 1st + 10 in the 4th quarter came out of 11 2x2 with Watson reduced split to the boundary, Eagles played 5-1 base nickel with slot corner Scott in the box to the field and safety Epps aligned over Watson in the slot to the boundary; Conventional play action with Love hitting Watson on the 5 step slant in front of Epps with run-after-catch
Eagles played more zone coverage versus the Packers, This was not a high percentage man coverage game; Eagles played significant snaps of 5-1 base nickel
Overall Eagles played 33 snaps of nickel and 16 snaps of base defense, They did not play any snaps of dime
BENGALS OFFENSE VERSUS TITANS DEFENSE
Titans continued to play big nickel versus 12 personnel; With Hooker back the 3 safeties in big nickel were Hooker, Byard and Adams
Titans snaps of big nickel versus 11 personnel depending on down and distance, Hooker lined up over the slot
Titans played 46 snaps of nickel and 13 snaps of dime, In dime McCreary moved inside to the slot with Avery at corner opposite Fulton
Titans conventional nickel had Molden in the slot with Fulton and McCreary outside, Long and Cole were the nickel LB with Long the dime LB
There were some conventional nickel snaps in which McCreary played the slot with Fulton and Avery outside
There were sub defense snaps in which Fulton lined up over Higgins, Titans not a high percentage man-to-man defense
Titans dime pass rush front predominantly had Weaver and Dupree on the outside with Simmons and Edwards inside, There were also 4 man dime pass rushes with Dupree and Edwards outside with Simmons and Walker inside
Titans continued to feature 4 man zone exchange pressure concepts, The fourth rushers were predominantly Long and Molden
First sack of Burrow came on 4 man zone exchange pressure with Long the fourth rusher, DT Walker and Long squeezed the pocket from the inside and Edwards pushed it from the outside
What immediately stood out with the Bengals pass game was the emphasis on quick game timing and rhythm throws by Burrow, Bengals did not want the Titans pass rush to be a determining factor
Titans continued to be a 4 man DL pass rush defense (with some zone exchange pressures), That has been their template most of the season
Hurst 29 yards on 1st + 10 in the 2nd quarter came out of 11 2x2 with Hurst the attached TE to the boundary, Titans out of conventional nickel showed 2 shell then rotation to cover 3 at the snap with 4m an zone exchange pressure with Molden off the slot to the field; Burrow worked the boundary once he saw the safety rotation away with Higgins out-and-go and Hurst seam, Beautiful firm touch seam throw to Hurst
Burrow is kind of a sneaky second reaction movement player both throwing and scrambling: Williams 24 yards on 3rd + 12 on late 2nd quarter TD drive a good example
First 3rd and long (3rd + 10) of the 3rd quarter Titans went with 5 DL in their dime sub package, They rushed all 5 and played cover 1 behind it with Hooker the TE matchup; It was the first time in the game they went with that personnel and that pressure, Result was a Burrow incompletion
Titans showed loaded fronts on 3rd down out of dime, They featured multiple stunt concepts from that front
Titans on 3rd down in the 3rd quarter more aggressive with man coverage out of dime
Higgins 24 yards on 1st + 10 on first play of 4th quarter came out of 6 OL/2 TE personnel versus Titans base 4-3 personnel, Bengals formation was closed to the boundary with Higgins the single receiver to the field; Titans played cover 2 out of base and Burrow hit Higgins in the outside void to the field
Irwin 16 yards on 3rd + 12 on 4th quarter TD drive another 3rd down play where the Titans out of dime went man coverage (cover 1 robber) behind 4 man DL pass rush, Burrow outstanding back shoulder throw to Irwin versus good coverage by Avery
Higgins 27 yard TD on 1st + 10 in the 4th quarter (play after Irwin 3rd down reception) came out of 11 2x2 versus Titans conventional nickel with man match concept, McCreary off coverage man versus Higgins and Burrow another excellent back shoulder throw
Burrow has always been aggressive throwing to one-on-ones outside the numbers, Those throws are staples of the Bengals passing game – Higgins 29 yards on 2nd + 10 with 3 minutes remaining another great example: Stop-and-go versus Fulton in cover 1
Titans more conventional nickel than big nickel in the 2nd half, Molden played significant snaps
Bengals did not feature empty sets versus Titans as they did a week ago versus the Steelers, Bengals only 6 snaps of empty
Titans coverage profile all season (with few exceptions) has been more zone coverage than man coverage with cover 3 a strong foundation but also a significant percentage of split safety including cover 2
TITANS OFFENSE VERSUS BENGALS DEFENSE
Taylor-Britt again the right corner and Apple the left corner, Bengals base front continued to be 5-2 with Wilson the stacked LB and Pratt both off the ball and on the ball depending on the front
Hilton continued to be the Bengals slot corner in nickel and dime, Davis-Gaither was the nickel LB with Wilson on 3rd down and select long yardage situations; Flowers and Hill were the dime players
Brewer again started at OC and Radunz at LG for the Titans, Jones inactive for the second consecutive week
Titans this season have played almost 40% of their offensive snaps in multiple TE personnel, They are a high percentage base personnel offense
Bengals multiple in the way they get to cover 2, They disguise effectively with different alignments and late rotation; Bengals will use multiple middle hole defenders
3rd + 4 on Titans third possession Bengals went with dollar personnel, Bates was an underneath lurk defender with Bell the deeper robber, Bengals rushed 3 and played man coverage; Bates cut the crosser by Woods and forced Tannehill into an incompletion – Great defensive concept to defend Titans 3rd down tendency to work the middle of the field
Titans could not generate any run game with Henry out of their multiple TE personnel sets, Henry 12-23 out of 12 and 13 personnel; For the season Henry is 126-634, 5 yards per rush out of 12 and 13, Henry most rushes in the NFL out of multiple TE sets by a wide margin
Westbrook-Ikhine 25 yards on 3rd + 10 late in the 1st quarter came out of 11 3x1 with Westbrook-Ikhine #2 to trips, Bengals out of 3-2-6 dime played cover 8 with halves to the field and quarters to the boundary; No one carried Westbrook-Ikhine on his seam route inside and Tannehill put the ball right on him, Route concept was dagger to the trips side with the ball almost always going to the dig but Westbrook-Ikhine showed open within Tannehill’s drop timing
Haskins played some 3rd down snaps and snaps in the 2 minute at the end of the 1st half, He is an excellent pass protector versus blitz
Titans continued to use Henry more in the screen game, It has been a tactic to get Henry the ball in space – Henry 69 yard screen on first play of 2nd quarter possession: Burks fumble recovery TD
Bengals did not play a high percentage of man coverage versus the Titans but they did play 3 snaps of zero and Tannehill was 0-3, Titans had a good opportunity on 3rd + 9 in the 2nd quarter with Burks open on the skinny post versus Apple but Hill got in clean through the B gap and hit Tannehill as he delivered impacting the throw
Hubbard sack on 3rd + 6 to end Titans first possession of 3rd quarter came out of loaded front, Bengals 2 man out of dime with Flowers matched on the TE; T/E stunt with Hubbard the looper behind Sample the penetrator, RG Davis went too far outside with Sample and OC Brewer was a step late after posting 1-technique Hill
Two players (among others) stood out watching the Bengals defense: Slot corner Hilton was a factor in the run game, and rookie corner Taylor-Britt played with both great awareness and competitive toughness
Burks 51 yards came on shot play on first play of late 3rd quarter possession: 11 3x1 with Burks reduced split boundary x, Woods jet motion to the boundary side of the formation; Outside zone play action to the field with Westbrook-Ikhine running the sit route and Burks the deep post, Bengals cover 3 with post safety Bates sitting low resulting in no deep help over the top of Taylor-Britt
It is hard to develop a consistent passing game when you don’t ask your QB to do too much, Titans do not ask Tannehill to do much – Why?
SAINTS OFFENSE VERSUS 49ERS DEFENSE
It was evident from the first Saints possession that this would be a base defense game for the 49ers, Al-Shaair was the third LB with Warner and Greenlaw
First 3rd and long (3rd + 11) 49ers out of nickel lined up in a loaded front and played 2 man behind it, It was the 49ers only snap of 2 man in the game and it is a coverage they have not played much this season
Ebukam outstanding one-on-one speed-to-power pass rush versus LT Hurst on 3rd + 11 on Saints second possession, Ebukam was the wide 9 DE opposite the loaded front
49ers continued to get good snaps from a lot of different players in their deep DL rotation – McGill again played about 20 snaps and he flashed as a run defender
Second 3rd and long (3rd + 11) 49ers out of nickel again lined up in a loaded front this time playing cover 3 behind it with Gipson the post safety
Third 3rd and long (3rd + 14) 49ers out of nickel lined up in a straight 4 man DL front and played cover 1 robber behind it with Hufanga the free robber, Saints were in a 3x1 set with Hill the attached TE; Warner always lines up to the passing strength in nickel so he matched Hill man-to-man
49ers have been effective with multiple stunt concepts all season especially on 3rd down, They have done it from different front alignments; E/T stunt on 3rd + 14 in the 2nd quarter with Ebukam the penetrator and Willis the looper, Ebukam pressure on Dalton
Loaded fronts are a staple of the 49ers 3rd and long defense out of nickel, At times Warner will walk up on the LOS as a 3-technique opposite the load and be used as a pass rusher in multiple stunt concepts
3rd + 5 just outside the red zone in the 3rd quarter 49ers out of nickel lined up in a loaded front with Warner walked up as a 3-technique opposite the load, They played cover 1 with Hufanga the post safety; Both Warner and Greenlaw off the edge from the load side rushed and with LG Peat sliding to the load Warner was clean through the B gap forcing a hurried Dalton incompletion
49ers showed a 3rd down nickel front with Bosa aligned as the standup Joker in the middle of the defense and Warner aligned as the edge rusher
49ers felt comfortable in a critical situation in the 4th quarter in cover 1 matching safety Gipson man-to-man on Landry #3 to trips in Saints 1x3 set
Warner continued to show he is one of the best coverage LB in the NFL both playing in space in zone coverage and man matching routes
49ers played more nickel and more man coverage in the 2nd half as the Saints lined up more in 11 personnel and were forced to throw the ball more
2nd and goal from the 4 yard line with 6:31 remaining great example of coverage and pressure working together: 49ers out of nickel played a tight umbrella zone coverage with match principles, Bosa beat LT Hurts to the inside forcing Dalton to make a hurried undefined throw
3rd and goal from the 4 yard line 49ers out of nickel went ma coverage and Gipson made a good on Hill corner route from #3 to trips
On 4th down 49ers went back to the tight umbrella zone coverage, Bosa (almost off-sides) beat LT Hurst off the edge and sacked Dalton
My sense watching the Saints offense is they do not have a defined identity – Is it possible the Hill factor is hurting them rather than helping them? What is Kamara’s role on a week-to-week basis?
Overall this season the 49ers have not been a high percentage cover 1 defense but their cover 1 percentage has increased somewhat significantly on 3rd down, On 3rd down the 49ers have played more single high safety (cover 1, cover 3) than split safety
49ERS OFFENSE VERSUS SAINTS DEFENSE
Roby and Adebo were the outside corners for the Saints with Harris the slot corner, Davis and Elliss were the nickel LB (both Davis and Elliss played very snap)
Baun was the SAM LB in the Saints base 4-3 defense, Elliss was the WILL playing Werner’s position (Werner inactive)
Saints continued to play 3-2-6 dime, Davis and Elliss were the LB; 3-2-6 has been the Saints predominant dime sub package all season
Saints dime fronts at times had both Davis and Elliss on the ball in multiple positions, Different pressure schemes and coverages came from that 5 man front alignment
Williams was the Saints dime safety but he got hurt on his first snap, Evans became the dime safety which is a role he has played throughout this season
Garoppolo had Kittle wide open on the corner route versus cover 2 on 2nd + 13 on 49ers first possession, Garoppolo looked at him but did not turn it loose; That’s a throw he must make
Saints showed an effective inside stunt out of 3-2-6 dime on 3rd + 13 on 49ers first possession, Onyemata was the penetrator and Elliss was the looper with Onyemata getting inside pressure on Garoppolo
Cover 2 was part of Saints coverage game plan, They played snaps of it out of base and nickel and dime with Davis the middle hole defender
Garoppolo was not sharp versus the Saints either mentally or physically, He didn’t turn the ball loose on some throws that were there and his ball placement was not as precise as it needed to be
There were too many drop backs in which Garoppolo got stuck in the pocket and that is when he is most uncomfortable
Garoppolo overthrew open McCaffrey on wheel route on 3rd + 8 on 49ers second possession, McCaffrey ran by Mathieu in Saints cover 1 out of 3-2-6 dime
Rookie Taylor played significant snaps at right corner opposite Adebo at left corner, Adebo played every snap with Taylor playing larger majority of snaps at the other corner position
Aiyuk 27 yards on 1st + 10 in the 2nd quarter came out of 11 2x2 off Aiyuk motion across the formation versus Saints nickel cover 1, Outside zone run action to the boundary with Garoppolo boot to the field; Aiyuk deep dig versus Adebo with a good ball by Garoppolo
49ers threw the ball on 3rd and goal from the 2 yard line and 4th and goal from the 1 yard line, They did not get in the end zone
49ers OL did not have one of their better games in pass protection, Too many drop backs in which the pocket was squeezed on Garoppolo
One thing you don’t see much of in the 49ers passing game are vertical shots, My sense is they are going to need to do that at times
49ers running game has not been as consistently strong as it needs to be given the structural foundation of their offense, Run game drives their offense
What’s interesting about the 49ers offense is they do not feature play action as a foundation, Garoppolo is near the bottom of the league in play action drop backs with less than half of those drop backs coming with Garoppolo under center
49ers have not been as good in the red zone as they need to be given that they do not make a lot of explosive plays in the passing game, That showed up again versus the Saints in the 2nd quarter
When the Saints went cover 1 out of 3-2-6 dime both Maye and Mathieu have been used as the TE matchup
49ers struggled offensively versus the Saints, They could not generate any consistency in the run game and their pass game could not produce big plays
Overall Garoppolo was efficient on 3rd down: 9-13 for 81 yards with 5 of those completions resulting in 1st downs
BUCS OFFENSE VERSUS BROWNS DEFENSE
Browns base defense is 4-3 with Takitaki the MIKE flanked by Owusu-Koramoah at SAM and Fields at WILL, Johnson and Delpit the safeties
Ward and Emerson were the outside corners with Ward almost always playing to the field side and Emerson to the boundary
Takitaki and Owusu-Koramoah were the nickel LB, Green began the game as the lot corner but Graham would play most of the snaps at nickel
Browns dime sub package had safety Harrison as the dime – Browns played 13 snaps of dime which was 20% of their defensive snaps
White 35 yards on 1st + 10 on first possession came out of 11 personnel with White the I back, It was wham-trap with LG Leverett the trap block on 2i DT Elliott and TE Otton motion inside to execute the wham block on 3-technique Bryan
Bucs first possession featured the run game with White and Vaughn: Focus was a schemed run game with wham, trap, gap scheme, pulling OL – It was effective
Godwin 10 yard TD on 3rd + 5 to end first possession came out of 12 1x3 versus Browns nickel cover 1, Brady worked the boundary side with 4 routes then climbed the pocket and came back to Godwin matched one-on-one with Ward
Browns continued to play some snaps of big nickel in normal down and distance situations with Harrison the third safety with Delpit and Johnson
Godwin 23 yards on 2nd + 3 in the 2nd quarter came out of 11 3x1 with Godwin #2 to trips versus Browns nickel cover with quarters to the field, Brady hit Godwin in the middle void behind the underneath coverage and inside of half field safety Johnson – Bucs were in no huddle tempo
Brady worked Evans versus boundary corner Emerson in the no huddle on 2nd quarter possession but they could not connect, Emerson strong coverage
Jones played significant snaps at LB in the 2nd half, He played in the nickel and dime; With Jones the Browns played 3-2-6 dime, Jones and Owusu-Koamoah were the LB
Evans 28 yards to start second possession of 3rd quarter came out of 12 personnel with Jones motion across the formation to make it closed boundary twins to the field, Browns out of 4-3 base played cover 3; Out-deep sail to the field putting corner Ward in conflict, Brady hit Evans on the out route
Godwin 22 yards on 1st + 10 on second 3rd quarter possession also came out of closed boundary twins to the field this time with 6 OL personnel, Browns out of 4-3 base rushed LB Fields off the boundary edge and played single high zone coverage behind it; Bucs dagger concept to the field with Evans running the vertical route and Godwin the dig, Safety Johnson carried Evans and Brady off gap scheme run action hit Godwin on the dig in front of Ward
Kieft 5 yard TD on 3rd +1 came on a game planned short yardage low red zone play: Kieft in the I formation fullback position in 12 personnel, He worked into the flat to TE side and Owusu-Koramoah was late to the coverage
Bucs got away from schemed run game after first possession of the game and they did not success with zone run game, They could not get overhang defenders blocked and they made plays
Bucs run game struggled in the 2nd half, both with zone concepts and gap scheme; Run game still not producing any consistency or stability for the offense
Bucs 1st down run game among the worst in the NFL, They only have run the ball 142 times on 1st down (among the least in the league) and they average 3.51 yards per rush (31st in the NFL behind the Rams 3.29)
Browns showed snaps of 3-2-6 dime on 3rd + 9 in the 4th quarter, Jones and Owusu-Koramoah were the LB with Garrett and Clowney the edge rushers
Brown good ball to Jones 26 yards late in the 4th quarter versus Browns specific cover 2 concept, He hit Jones in the outside void to the boundary
Brady overthrew Evans on go route versus Emerson on the second play of OT, Evans had gotten on top of Emerson
3rd + 14 on first possession of OT Brady had Evans wide open at the sticks for a 1st down, Brady did something you rarely ever see: He was clean in the pocket and drifted off the midline to his left creating his own pressure resulting in an inaccurate throw
Bucs 4-15 on 3rd down conversions, That has been an issue all season: Bucs 23rd in NFL with 3d down conversion rate of 38%
CHIEFS OFFENSE VERSUS RAMS DEFENSE
Chiefs have evolved over the last month into a multiple TE personnel offense: Against the Rams almost 60% of their offensive snaps came out of 12 and 13 personnel, Chiefs 11 snaps out of 13 personnel after 13 snaps last week
Rams played 5-2 base fronts and 5-1 nickel fronts versus 12 personnel, Wagner and Jones were the LB in the 5-2 and Wagner was the only LB in the 5-1; Wagner played every snap
Rams snaps of 4-2 nickel versus Chiefs 11 personnel, When Ramsey was outside Hill was the slot corner
One tactic that has stood out in recent weeks with the Chiefs offense has been the effective use of motion, Motion helps give Mahomes more information before the ball is snapped but it also presents other advantages in the passing game: free access for receivers giving them speed and velocity into routes and leverage versus coverage defenders are two more advantages
Rams continued to be a high percentage zone coverage defense, They have played among the lowest percentage of cover 1 in the NFL this season
Ramsey is rarely deployed as a matchup corner on the outside versus the better WR in the league, You might see that once in a while but it is not foundational to the Rams defense
Kelce 39 yard TD on 2nd + 16 to end second possession came out of 13 2x2 off Fortson motion across the formation, Kelce was #1 to the field in a reduced split outside of wing TE Gray; Rams matched up in 2 man coverage out of dime with Ramsey on Kelce, Kelce outstanding separation at top of route stem to beat Ramsey with run-after-catch for the TD
There were some snaps throughout the game in which Ramsey matched up to Kelce even when the Chiefs were in 11 personnel, In that dime package the Rams played with 4 corners
Rams with zone as their coverage foundation have always been susceptible to hi-low concepts between the numbers
Rams showed loaded fronts on 3rd down and selected passing situations (Chiefs possession late in the 1st half), They predominantly did it out of dime (some snaps of nickel) and there were times Wagner walked up on the ball as a standup 3-technique opposite the load
Smith-Schuster 15 yards on 2nd + 9 early in the 4th quarter came out of 12 3x1 versus Rams 4 corner dime, Rams played 2 man with Ramsey matched on Kelce #2 to trips; Smith-Schuster from boundary x back shoulder fade on a precise ball placement throw by Mahomes
Mahomes is a fascinating player to watch, He is a movement QB in that he rarely works the pocket unless the ball can come out with precise timing and rhythm; If not Mahomes instinctive reaction is to move out of the pocket and he is special off movement
Mahomes has an innate feel for where everybody is on the field and that is one reason he is so good off second reaction movement
Mahomes this season out of 12 and 13 personnel: 104-152 (166 drop backs), 68.4%, 8.2 yards per attempt, 12 TD only 1 interception
RAIDERS OFFENSE VERSUS SEAHAWKS DEFENSE
Seahawks continued to play 5-1 nickel with Brooks the stacked LB, Seahawks base front is 5-2 with Brooks and Barton the LB
Seahawks played both 5-1 nickel and 4-2 nickel – Barton great play in 4-2 nickel running the seam with Moreau and getting his hand on the throw resulting in second Diggs interception
Seahawks continued to play dime on 3rd and selected down and distance game situations, Jones continued to be the dime safety
Seahawks showed loaded fronts on 3rd down out of dime, There were loaded front snaps in which Brooks was the fifth rusher
There were run game snaps in which Irvin showed strength taking on OL blocks, Great example was Jacobs no gain on Raiders second possession when he stalemated and controlled sixth OL Munford
Raiders played 19 snaps of 21 personnel and 7 snaps with 6 OL personnel (Raiders third in the NFL in the number of ^ ol personne snaps
Jacobs this season has had a lot of success running out of 21 personnel (32% of his rushes): 70-408, 5.8 yards per rush, 9 rushes of 10+ yards out of 21 personnel
Abdullah 18 yard TD reception on 3rd + 5 came on a route adjustment by Abdullah; Seahawks out of dime pressure exchange concept with Neal the fourth rusher and Taylor dropping out into zone coverage to the field, They played man to the boundary and matched up right corner Woolen to Cole #1 to trips with 4 over 2 zone match to Hollins and Adams #2 and #3 to trips; Abdullah ran the swing route to the boundary and then took it up the sideline when Carr was stuck in the pocket, Diggs got stuck with his eyes on Carr
While the Seahawks are more of a foundational zone coverage defense they will play cover 1 a good percentage of the time and that percentages increases meaningfully on 3rd down
Jacobs 30 yard TD on to start 2nd quarter possession came on toss sweep to the boundary out of 21 straight I, Jacobs stiff arm on DT Woods on a run than was more a great individual effort than beautifully blocked
Seahawks showed 4 man zone exchange pressure concepts with the fourth rusher coming from the boundary, It was predominantly Barton or Neal
LB Brooks has been playing outstanding football, He is reaching the level of the best 3 down LB in the NFL; There were some run defense plays that were teach tape plays with his short area strength and power and his explosiveness off contact to make tackles
Jacobs 28 yard reception on 2nd + 5 late in the 3rd quarter came out of 22 personnel with Jacobs shift to a plus split outside the numbers to the field making it an empty set, Seahawks matched this formation in man coverage with corner Jackson aligned over Jacobs; Jacobs waiting at the LOS before running a slant and he caught Jackson too far outside to play the slant with Jacobs run-after-catch
Barton has flashed at times this season both as a run defender and in pass coverage – Will the Seahawks see him as a building block LB with Brooks?
Carr continued to show his tendency to miss too many routine throws that he must make, It has been an issue for him much of his career
Adams 28 yards on 2nd + 10 in the 4th quarter was a great example of formation dictating a one-on-one matchup: Raiders lined up in 4 strong to the field with Adams plus split as the boundary x, Boundary safety Neal had to get his eyes inside with the 4 strong formation leaving Jackson in zero man versus Adams; Great catch by Adams on the fade
Raiders featured 4 strong formation with Adams the boundary x on their 4th quarter TD drive; Abdullah and Jacobs receptions to the strong side matched on LB
Moreau 5 yard TD late in the 4th quarter came out of 11 2x2 with a well-designed 3 man route combination to the field versus Seahawks red zone 2 man concept, Moreau from flexed TE alignment ran the corner route versus Brooks and with safety Diggs sitting low with eyes on Adams running the sit route Brooks had no safety help; Carr good ball into a tight window
Jacobs 86 yard TD came on first play of second OT possession, It was iso lead strong out of 21 straight I with RT Eluemunor turning DT Ford inside and fullback Johnson excellent lead block on Brooks, Safety Jones replacing injured Neal took a bad angle and Jacobs took it to the house
Jacobs 33-229 with only 4 runs of 10+ yards; 18 of Jacobs runs came out of 11 personnel for only 69 yards, He was 18-157 in the 2nd half and OT
Raiders 8-14 on 3rd down conversions, Carr 7-9 for 76 yards and 2 TD on 3rd down with all 7 completions resulting in 1st downs
TUA TAGOVAILOA VERSUS TEXANS DEFENSE
Texans outside corners were Nelson and King with Thomas the slot corner in nickel (Stingley was inactive)
Tagovailao has exceptionally quick feet on his drop and set in the pocket with a compact delivery, His traits make him a perfect fit in the Mike McDaniel offense with its focus on the quick rhythm passing game off multiple concepts including conventional play action and RPOs
Waddle 22 yards on 3rd + 7 on first possession came out of 11 empty versus Texans nickel cover 2, Texans disguised the coverage with a pressure front look but Kirksey dropped and opened as the middle hole defender to the trips side of the formation; Tagovailoa worked the hi-low to the twins side hitting Waddle on the bang 8 in the middle void
Dolphins pass game is very hard to defend with the formations and motions and backfield actions and the speed of the receivers that make the route concepts difficult to defend, In addition Tagovailoa is so quick with his drop and sets in the pocket and mental quickness in in throwing with timing and precise ball placement
Waddle 24 yards on 1st + 10 on second possession great example of the Dolphins passing game and the stress it puts on both pass rush and zone coverage
Dolphins work the boundary so effectively with 2 man route combinations because corners will play soft versus Hill or Waddle and Tagovailoa is going to get a defined read from the flat defender
Run-after-catch is a major part of the Dolphins pass game with all the soft zone coverage they get because of Hill and Waddle speed
Texans did not play many snaps of cover 1, They are not a foundational man coverage defense and they did not have the corners in this game to match up effectively to the Dolphins WR
Harris got hurt after playing 15 snaps, He was replaced at LB by Reeves-Maybin who played in the nickel with Kirksey; Cashman was the third LB in the base 4-3 defense
Waddle 34 yards in 1st + 10 in the 2nd quarter a great example of using the mechanics of the play action quick game with the in-breaking routes associated with it to create opportunities for bigger plays over the top
Waddle 34 yards was an excellent catch on a pass Tagovailoa left too far inside, Tua needed to take Waddle farther across the field – Tagovailoa not at his best throwing the deeper ball
TREVOR LAWRENCE VERSUS RAVENS DEFENSE
Ravens nickel had Stephens outside at right corner with Peters at left corner and Humphrey in the slot, Humphrey and Peters were the outside corners in the base defense
Ravens did not play any snaps of dime, They played 48 snaps of nickel and 13 snaps of base
What stood out immediately with Lawrence was he was more compact in his drop and set and delivery, In addition he was decisive in his reads turning it loose within the timing and structure of the route concepts
Pederson and staff did an excellent job with route concepts-combinations defining reads and throws for Lawrence, It helped him play within rhythm and be decisive
Ravens played high percentage zone coverage mixing split safety and single high cover 3, They played predominantly split safety; Ravens game plan was coverage, They did not rush 5 very much but they did show some 4 man zone exchange pressures
Hasty 28 yard TD reception on 2nd + 13 in the 2nd quarter came out of 11 empty versus Ravens nickel cover 2, Great play by Lawrence reading the coverage immediately and throwing with outstanding anticipation and precise ball location in the outside boundary void in the coverage – Big-time by Lawrence
Agnew 17 yards on 2nd + 15 in the 4th quarter came out of 11 2x2 versus Ravens nickel cover 3, Lawrence pumped the out-and-go to Engram into the boundary but he knew that wasn’t there with corner Stephens playing with an 8 yard cushion; Lawrence came back to the hi-low to the field hitting Agnew in the middle void in the zone
Lawrence made some big time throws in the 4th quarter: Z. Jones 27 yards on 4th + 8 came versus Ravens disguise and late rotation to cover 2, Lawrence beautiful firm touch throw in the outside void to the boundary
Agnew 1 yard TD on 2nd and goal in the 4th quarter came on cool low red zone concept: Agnew speed jet motion from the boundary immediately stopped and ran back to the flat, Corner Peters anticipating the jet motion was caught a step behind – Great design
Jaguars got the ball with 2:02 remaining in the 4th quarter trailing by 7 – Lawrence was sacked and fumbled on the second play, He was lucky it was recovered by his OC
4th + 5 was a big play on the GW drive: Ravens rushed 4 from pressure front look and played man coverage, Lawrence hit M. Jones on the out route versus Stephens for 10 yards
Ravens predominantly stayed with their game planned approach on the Jaguars final drive: They rushed 4 and played zone coverage
Z. Jones 29 yards on 3rd + 6 on winning TD drive came out of 11 3x1 versus Ravens disguise late rotation to cover 2, Jones from #1 in the tight bunch ran an out-and-go and he got Stephens reacting to the out cut; Lawrence excellent throw to Jones over the top of Stephens into the void in the coverage
