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.
EAGLES OFFENSE VERSUS CARDS DEFENSE
Eagles opened the game in 13 personnel, Cards matched with big nickel with Banjo the third safety; Vallejo was the stacked LB with Collins in the 5-2 front
Eagles 9 snaps of 13 personnel in the game and the Cards matchup was 5-2 front and big nickel
Simmons for the second consecutive week was the slot corner in the Cards nickel on 1st and 2nd down, Niemann was the LB with Collins in the nickel; Collins at times lined up on the edge and was used as the fifth rusher
Hamilton was the third corner on 3rd down (and selected other down and distances) in the Cards conventional nickel, He played outside wit Murphy in the slot; Simmons stayed in the game
Driscoll started at LT in place of injured Mailata and he again had some issues with speed-to-power pass rush, It showed up on the fifth play with Golden
Eagles went after right corner Wilson with Brown on their first possession, Wilson played off coverage and Brown ran an out route and stop route and speed out in the red zone for easy receptions; Brown was to the boundary on all 3 receptions
LG Dickerson hurt on Eagles first possession, He would come back in the game but Opeta ended up playing 47 snaps at LG
Eagles ran 3 screen concepts on their first possession, 2 to Goedert and 1 to Brown; Screen concepts were a foundational part of Eagles passing game versus Cards
Hurts second reaction ability on second possession: Smith 22 yards on 3rd + 13 off Hurts running to his left and throwing across his body, Smith 20 yards on 2nd + 2 off Hurts running to his right
Hurts 17 yards on 2nd + 10 on second possession great example of Hurts mobility becoming a factor when the coverage wins: Eagles 4 strong concept to the boundary was well defended by the Cards cover 4-special but that left a lot of space to the field and Hurts took advantage
Simmons snap at post safety on the second play of the Eagles third possession, It came versus 11 personnel
Allen sack on 3rd + 11 to end Eagles third possession came out of conventional nickel with a pressure front alignment, It became a 5man pressure with 3 under-3 deep behind it; Hurts did not trust his protection and broke down in the pocket immediately and Allen would run him down, Gainwell outstanding recognition and execution to block Hamilton off the edge
Cards as the game progressed more disguised coverage looks with late movement, They continued to show multiple front looks and pressures and it at times caused the Eagles problems in protection
Cards showed double mug looks out of conventional nickel with Collins and Simmons in the A gaps
Goedert 31 yards on 2nd + 8 on second 3rd quarter possession came on seam ball versus cover 3, Decisive read by Hurts when stacked LB Collins and Simmons stepped up with no play action
Eagles featured significant snaps of no huddle, Excellent tactic to calm down a high percentage blitz defense
Watt-Murphy split sack on 3rd + 8 to end Eagles second 3rd quarter possession came out of conventional nickel with double mug look, Cards zero coverage on the back end behind a 6 man pressure with boteh edge rushers Murphy and Baker getting in clean
Eagles first 4th quarter possession started with 8 consecutive called runs, Both Sanders and Gainwell ran hard inside getting tough yards
One Cards defender who continued to stand out was Z. Allen, He has played at a high level through the first 5 games of the season
Goedert 16 yards on 3rd + 12 on 4th quarter FG drive came versus 5 man pressure with 3 under-3 deep behind it, Goedert from #3 to trips worked the middle into the void; Good read by Hurts looking initially to Smith on the curl route but feeling the pressure and getting the ball to Goedert quicker – Big play in the game
Cards coverage game plan was high percentage zone coverage, They did not play many snaps of man coverage – That has been their MO this season but they went even more zone heavy versus the Eagles
Eagles game plan approach versus Cards high percentage blitz defense was defensive more than offensive, They did not attack at the intermediate and vertical levels with the passing game and featured a heavy dose of screen concepts; They did not put the ball in Hurts hands as a passer
CARDS OFFENSE VERSUS EAGLES DEFENSE
Cards high percentage 11 personnel versus the Eagles, 80% of their offensive snape came out of 11; They only played 13 snaps of 12 personnel
Scott was the Eagles slot corner for the second consecutive game with Maddox injured, Scott played every snap – Eagles played sub defense on every snap: 6 snaps of nickel and 3 snaps of dime, Wallace was the dime
Brown lined up on the left side of the offensive formation on almost every snap, Slay lined up over him and matched him
Eagles continued to play both 5-1 nickel with Davis the nose and Edwards the only LB, and 4-2 nickel with Edwards and White the LB
First 3rd and long (3rd + 9) Eagles out of 4-2 nickel deployed LB White as a spy on Murray and he ran down Murray when he left the pocket forcing an incompletion
Gardner-Johnson interception to start Cards second possession came out of 5-1 nickel cover 1 with Gardner-Johnson the post safety, Slay was matched on Brown who ran the post route and Murray underthrew it badly with Gardner-Johnson making the easy pick
Eagles went dime on 3rd + 10 on Cards second possession with Wallace the dime and White the only LB, Eagles went cover 1 behind 5 man pressure with effective T/E stunt by Hargrave and Reddick
Eagles continued to feature a strong DL rotation, They have a lot of quality depth; They play both 5 man and 4 man fronts
Davis played 29 snaps versus the Cards which was the highest number of snaps he has played through 5 games, He continued to play in the 5-1 front; He has snaps in which he controls OC and OG with strength and has also shown the ability to play off blocks and make tackles on the move, He has been dominant at times as a run defender
Davis has been effective as a 2-gap NT with the question being whether he can become a 1-gap DT in the 4 man DL and develop into a quality inside pass rusher, At this point Davis has limited pass rush ability
Brown 25 yard TD on 3rd + 3 in the 2nd quarter came out of 11 empty versus Eagles nickel 3 under-3 deep with match principles behind 5 man DL pass rush, Brown 5 step slant from #1 to twins then outstanding run after catch
Cards 12 snaps of empty versus the Eagles: Murray 8-11 for 104 yards and TD with one sack
Eagles versus Cards empty sets in both single high and split safety structures played zone with match principles, That’s a foundation of the Gannon defense
Eagles deployed Reddick as a spy on Murray on 3rd + 17 on Cards first 3rd quarter possession, Eagles 5-1 personnel with Edwards the LB; Moore screen for 17 yards
In the Eagles 5-1 nickel Reddick almost always lined up to the field and at times had to bump out versus twins and trips formations
Epps continued to show the ability to play downhill effectively in the run game, He shows excellent timing and has consistently proven that he is a strong tackler
Reddick sack on 3rd + 11 to end Cards first 3rd quarter possession came out of dime cover 1 versus 11 empty, Reddick speed-to-power with excellent arm extension versus RT Beachum; Hargrave also drove back LG Pugh into the pocket and that is what prevented Murray from turning it loose, Gardner-Johnson was the matchup on Ertz
White was deployed as the spy on Murray on 3rd down out of dime in the 2nd half, Eagles played dime on two 3rd down snaps in the 2nd half
Benjamin 11 yard TD was shotgun power to the boundary and came out of 11 with Brown orbit motion to the field moving Eagles defenders away from plays side – Well-designed play
Eagles went zero for the only time in the game on the Cards final possession, It was out of nickel and they played off coverage on the back end giving up the Moore 5 yard reception
Eagles played predominantly zone coverage behind 4 man DL pass rush on the Cards final possession
Eagles defense gave up only 2 plays of 20+ yards, Both were pass plays and the Brown 25 yard TD came on short pass and run after catch
Cards were 8-14 on 3rd down but only averaged 5.3 yards per play, Eagles defense only 1 sack and 1 turnover but they did not allow the Cards no huddle tempo to create assignment mistakes and big plays
RAMS OFFENSE VERSUS COWBOYS DEFENSE
Cowboys played much higher percentage of dime versus the Rams than they had in their previous 4 games
Lewis was the Cowboys slot corner, Wilson and Kearse/Hooker were the safeties in 4-2 nickel with Parsons and Vander Esch/Barr the stacked LB; There were 4-2 nickel snaps with Kearse and Hooker the safeties, and Vander Esch and Barr the stacked LB
Cowboys also showed 5-1 reduced front nickel with Parsons on the ball and Barr the stacked LB
Cowboys dime had Parsons as an edge pass rusher with Barr the only LB, Hooker was the third safety
Diggs did not travel with Kupp as a foundation of the Cowboys game plan, Diggs played right corner; There were times Kupp was an outside receiver and Brown was matched on him
Armstrong strong speed-to-power pass rush versus LT Noteboom on the second play of the game – Armstrong has played well this season
3rd + 1 on Rams first possession Armstrong beat LG Edwards inside and Lawrence beat TE Higbee and running back Brown resulting in Stafford sack-forced fumble Lawrence TD
Cowboys present a lot of tactics with their defensive front: Multiple alignments including loaded fronts, amoeba looks, pre-snap movement, slants, multiple stunts; It is a challenge for the OL to sort out both before and after the snap
Lawrence will at times line up inside of Parsons in the Cowboys dime fronts, Snaps he will work a stunt with Parsons and other snaps he will run a T/T stunt
Cowboys have been effective with stunts this season, They run different concepts from different front alignments
Skowronek still snaps as the I formation fullback, He was used as the lead blocker on Akers 9 yards on Rams first possession
When the Cowboys went cover 1 out of dime versus 11 personnel Kearse was the predominant TE matchup, Barr matched up on the running back with Hooker the post safety
Stafford great ball to Atwell 54 yards on third possession, Atwell deep post versus Diggs and Stafford laid it out perfectly
Cumulative effect of Rams offensive issues on Stafford, Almost always an aggressive thrower Stafford is now at times tentative in the pocket not turning it loose with the confidence we are using to seeing
Kupp 75 yard TD on 3rd + 2 in the 2nd quarter came out of 11 empty versus Cowboys nickel cover 1 behind 5 man DL rush (Parsons an on-the-ball edge rusher), Kupp from the twins slot inside of back Henderson beat Diggs on the shallow made a great one-handed catch and then ran away from the defense
Cowboys had a cover 2 snap out of nickel in the 2nd quarter in which Vander Esch was the corner to the boundary and Parsons was the middle hole defender
Parsons will line up in multiple positions along the defensive front in the Cowboys sub dime front, Cowboys have gotten solid play from rookie Williams who also lines up both outside and inside
Cowboys still feature cover 1 as their foundation but they also played significant snaps of cover 2 and cover 3, DC Quinn creative with the different ways in which the Cowboys disguised and moved late to cover 2
Hooker interception on 3rd + 13 late in the 4th quarter came off 4 man DL rush with Fowler from DT alignment inside of Parsons beating RG Jackson to the inside with sudden quickness, Fowler forced Stafford to move immediately and throw it to try to make a play
Stafford is not a comfortable QB right now, Pocket is squeezed on too many snaps with the result that he is playing too fast both mentally and physically
BILLS OFFENSE VERSUS STEELERS DEFENSE
Steelers nickel had Wallace at left corner and Sutton at right corner with Maulet the slot corner, Norwood replaced inactive Edmunds at safety with Fitzpatrick
Steelers continued to play 3-2-6 dime with Jack and Spillane the LB, Sutton moved inside to the slot with Maulet and Pierre played outside corner
Spillane continued to play snaps in nickel with Jack and in the dime as the only LB or with Jack in the 3-2-6
Davis 98 yard TD on 3rd + 10 on the third play of the game came out of 11 personnel with Singletary and Sweeney in the backfield for protection, Steelers man coverage out of dime with brackets on both Diggs the single receiver (tough to tell if safety Maulet was truly bracketing Diggs given Pierre’s man technique) and Davis #1 to twins with slot corner Sutton matched one-on-one with Shakir; Allen unbelievable throw with Fitzpatrick green dog hitting him just as he delivered
Shakir 31 yards on 2nd + 10 on second possession came out of 11 3x1 with Shakir #3 to trips versus Steelers disguise late movement from pre-snap single to post-snap cover 2 invert, Allen saw middle hole defender Bush turn and run and knew he could not locate the ball; Another great ball by Allen and a tough catch in traffic
Steelers continued to play rookie Leal as an edge pass rusher in their sub defenses, It is a question as to whether he can fill that role effectively
Hodgins 26 yards on 3rd + 4 early in the 2nd quarter came out of 11 2x2 with Hodgins #1 to the field, Again the Steelers off 4 man zone exchange pressure disguised cover 2 with initial single high look; Allen pure arm strength throw from the far hash to the outside void to the field
Diggs 18 yards on 2nd + 8 in the 2nd quarter great example of personnel and formation creating matchups: Bills 21 3x1 versus Steelers base split safety structure, Diggs #3 to trips matched inside on LB Spillane ran whip route with run-after-catch
Davis 62 yard TD on 1st + 10 in the 2nd quarter resulted from an unbelievable throw by Allen 62 yards in the air, Great post route by Davis with an outside stick off his vertical stem to get inside and on top of Wallace and a great read by Allen seeing post safety Fitzpatrick’s body position
Diggs 15 yard TD on 1st + 10 in the 2nd quarter came on staple Bills high red zone concept: Quick play action with condensed skinny by Diggs from reduced split to the boundary versus off coverage corner Sutton, Run action has been zone or gap scheme this time Bills inserted TE Morris as a lead blocker from boundary wing alignment and they got the reaction they wanted from LB Jack and safety Norwood attacking the LOS
Shakir 24 yard TD on 3rd + 5 late in the 1st half came out of 11 1x3 nub with Shakir #3 to trips versus Steelers man coverage with Fitzpatrick deployed as a spy on Allen, Shakir ran the over route versus backup corner Jackson; Allen underthrew it but Shakir had gained enough separation that it was still a TD
Diggs 41 yards on first play of the 4th quarter came on a beautifully executed RPO with C/G pull action to the boundary and Diggs running the slant from the slot to the field
One thing that has stood out through 5 games is how much Allen and the Bills passing game has been blitzed (5 or more rushers), Allen is the second most blitzed QB in the NFL but he has thrown for the most yards with 5 of his 14 passing TD coming versus pressure
STEELERS OFFENSE VERSUS BILLS DEFENSE
Dodson started at LB with Milano (Edmunds inactive), Johnson and Hamlin were the safeties with Jackson and Elam the outside corners – Elam and Johnson played every snap
Hamlin continued to show that he is an aggressive downhill player in the run game, He does an excellent job filling the alley and making plays in the run game
Pickett second drop back came on 3rd + 11, He made an excellent throw to Pickens on the out cut for 12 yards; Outstanding timing and ball placement on the far hash sideline out cut with the pocket being squeezed
Pickens physical off the LOS versus press coverage, He pushed Jackson to the ground on Steelers first possession before running his route
Pickett on first possession showed poise and patience in the pocket working through reads and progressions, Gentry 8 yards on 3rd + 4 a good example
Steelers got Pickett on the move on the first possession with designed boots, Pickett a plus athlete who can throw effectively on the move; Steelers continued to feature designed boot action with Pickett as the game progressed
Bills showed disguise and late movement to cover 2 on 3rd + 6 on Steelers second possession, Dodson from initial standup 0-technique in 5 man front dropped to become the middle hole defender
There were cover 2 invert snaps in which safety Johnson was the middle hole defender with slot corner Johnson dropping as a half field safety
Dodson was active right from the first possession, He made plays in the box and with some range outside the box
Steelers must develop a consistent sustaining running game with Harris or they will continue to find themselves in too many 3rd and long situations, Through 5 games Steelers in the bottom third in the NFL in 3rd down conversion rate (32%); They have really struggled in 3rd and medium (4-6 yards) and 3rd and long (7+ yards)
Pickens 24 yards on 3rd + 5 in the 2nd quarter came out of 11 2x2 with Pickens #1 to the field versus Elam in press man coverage, Pickett back shouldered the throw and Pickens went up and made the contested catch
Elam interception at the end of the 1st half came out of disguise late movement to cover 2, Pickett tried to hit Johnson in the outside void to the field but Elam with no flat threat and playing the situation sunk underneath and made the pick
Pickett played with good fundamental technique and mechanics, Good base and balance in the pocket with a compact throwing motion and release; Pickett is not a strong armed gun thrower but the ball comes out clean
Rousseau snaps inside at DT in the nickel pas rush front, He has shown to be effective working inside versus OG
Bills rushed 5 on 15 of Pickett’s 56 drop backs, Pickett 8-14 for 88 yards with 1 sack versus 5 man pressure
Split safety was the Bills coverage foundation versus the Steelers including significant snaps of 2 man coverage, They play a much higher percentage of 2 man in this game than they had in their first 4 games
49ERS OFFENSE VERSUS PANTHERS DEFENSE
Moore started at LT for the 49ers and played every snap, First 3rd down (3rd + 6) he blocked one-on-one versus Burns
Thompson predominantly aligned on the ball as an edge player in the Panthers 5-2 front, Littleton and Wilson were the stacked LB; Littleton and Thompson were the LB in the 4-2 nickel with Henderson the third corner
Hartsfield played safety with Burris in the base and nickel defense and he had snaps at slot corner in the 4-2 nickel with Chandler at safety
Kittle 20 yards on 3rd + 6 on first possession came out of 11 1x3 nub versus Panthers cover 1 behind 5 man pressure from loaded front, Garoppolo back shoulder to Kittle on the sideline fade versus Burris
Wilson 41 yards on 2nd + 9 on first possession came out of 21 shotgun with Juszczyk in wing alignment to the field versus Panthers base 5-2 reduced front, Counter to the boundary with RG Burford the puller and Juszczyk the wrapper; Play side blocks: Burford and Juszczyk with Kittle climbing to get back side LB Wilson, Jet action play side by Aiyuk expanded corner Horn – Well-designed counter play
Coleman 9 yard TD reception came out of 11 2x2 off Jennings motion across the formation to the boundary, Panthers red zone 2/4 out of 4-2 nickel; Screen to the field with Garoppolo doing an excellent job showing straight drop back to get the underneath defenders to retreat to their zone coverage responsibilities
First two 3rd down (3rd + 6, 3rd + 7) Moore one-on-one pass protection versus Burns and Haynes and he did an excellent job both times, Moore beat by Burns off the edge for a sack on 3rd + 14 on second possession
Brunskill continued to get snaps at RG in rotation with rookie Burford, Burford played 40 snaps and Brunskill 34 snaps
Coleman 30 yard reception on 3rd + 4 on second possession came out of 11 empty versus Panthers nickel zero blitz, Coleman #1 to the boundary with safety Hartsfield matched on him; Haynes clean off the edge and Burns beat Moore off the opposite edge, Great ball by Garoppolo under intense pressure
When the Panthers went man coverage out of nickel versus 49ers 11 personnel they matched Burris on Kittle
49ers success with running back screen game in the 1st quarter: Coleman 9 yard TD, Wilson 12 yards; Both to the field versus zone coverage
Aiyuk 24 yards on 2nd + 9 on third possession was a big-time window throw by Garoppolo versus ¼ ¼ ½, Hi-low concept to the boundary (quarters side of the coverage) with Garoppolo reading underneath defender Littleton and hitting Aiyuk on the dig
Panthers came back to nickel zero blitz on 3rd + 5 on 49ers third possession with Garoppolo again in an empty set, Again Haynes got in clean off the edge; Garoppolo another good ball this time to Aiyuk’s back shoulder versus Jackson, Catchable ball but incomplete – Two 3rd down empty sets, two Panthers zero blitz
Samuel 16 yards on 2nd + 15 on first 3rd quarter possession came out of 11 3x1 versus Panthers cover 4, 49ers 3 level concept to the boundary with Samuel on the crosser from the field – Well-designed concept
Wilson 14 yards on first 3rd quarter possession came on well-schemed and well-executed wind back run concept to the field off outside zone toss to the boundary
Juszczyk 18 yard reception on 3rd + 8 late in the 3rd quarter came on another screen concept, This time Panthers played cover 1 robber and 49ers ran the screen to the single receiver side of the formation with x receiver Aiyuk disappearing on the shallow cross - Another well-designed play on 3rd down
Aiyuk 18 yards on 3rd + 8 late in the 4th quarter came out of 11 3x1 with Aiyuk #2 to trips versus Panthers nickel cover 1 robber, Aiyuk excellent release versus corner Jackson ran the in-breaker and Garoppolo put the ball on him
Wilson 16 yards on 2nd + 5 in the 4th quarter was power strong out of the I formation with LG Banks the puller, Excellent block by RG McGlinchey on 3-technique DT Nixon with Wilson cutting off that block
49ers most used personnel package versus was 21 with 24 snaps (39% of offensive snaps), Through 5 games 49ers have played 28% 12 personnel (third highest percentage in the NFL)
49ers best 3rd down efficiency of the season: 7-12; Combination of scheme and individual execution
PANTHERS OFFENSE VERSUS 49ERS DEFENSE
Ward started the game at nickel corner played 1 snap before leaving with an injury, Lenoir replaced him; 49ers played 52 snaps of nickel and 13 snaps of base versus Panthers
Burks was the third LB with Warner and Greenlaw when the 49ers went base 4-3
Hufanga again showed up playing downhill and attacking gaps in the run game, First possession he shot the C gap and forced McCaffrey outside where he was tackled for 2 yard gain
Gipson continued to be the TE matchup when the 49ers went cover 1 out of nickel versus 11 personnel
49ers through 5 games have been a predominant single high safety defense playing about 30% cover 1 and 30% cover 3, The percentages do not change much at all on 3rd down
Ward has played quality left corner this season both in press man coverage and off coverage man and zone
Rookie Jackson snaps inside at DT in the 49ers nickel front, Jackson and Omenihu both can play DT and DE in the base and nickel fronts
DT Givens continued to show excellent quickness off the ball, He has light feet for his stout body type with the flexibility to change direction and make tackles (Givens was a running back in high school in Pennsylvania)
Slot corner Lenoir again used as a blitzer at times, That has stood out on film the last 2 games
49ers showed 5-2 personnel versus Panthers 13 personnel on 1st + 10 play in the 2nd quarter, They lined up in an odd front with Ridgeway the 0-technique
49ers showed 5-1 nickel on 3rd + 10 in the 2nd quarter with Ebukam a standup 3-technique, Warner was the only LB; They rushed all 5 DL with an inside stunt (Hyder the looper in long stunt got in clean through the A gap) and played man coverage behind it with Gipson the post safety and Hufanga matching TE Ricci
49ers showed some changeups versus Panthers: 5-1 nickel, and Greenlaw as the fifth rusher in loaded front alignment (it is almost always Warner)
3rd + 4 in the 2nd quarter 49ers out of nickel loaded front went cover 1, Outstanding switch in coverage with Moseley on the outside and Lenoir in the slot to defend Smith wheel route from the slot off Anderson natural pick; Mayfield had no throw and ended up moving and throwing it away
Loaded fronts are part of 49ers nickel fronts, They feature multiple stunt concepts out of it; Warner is predominantly the fifth rusher from that alignment when the 49ers rush 5
Moseley 41 yard interception return TD on 2nd + 20 late in the 2nd quarter came out of nickel cover 4 behind 4 man DL rush, Mayfield double clutched throw to McCaffrey on sit route and overthrew it right to Moseley
Warner and Greenlaw and Hufanga stand out with their play speed, They make plays all over the field with outstanding pursuit; The entire 49ers defense consistently runs to the ball
Bosa did not play in the 2nd half due to injury, 49ers have excellent depth along the defensive front: Omenihu, Ebukam, Jackson and Turay all snaps at DE in the base and nickel fronts
49ers have been outstanding through 5 games playing cover 1, They have gotten excellent play from corners Ward and Moseley (Moseley is now out for the year) and a strong pass rush both from their 4 man DL rush and from pressure, Opponent QB passer rating versus 49ers cover 1 is 55 (second in the NFL behind the Bills)
49ers nickel pass rush can win with scheme and they can win individual matchups, Great example was Ebukam beating rookie LT Ekwonu early in the 4th quarter resulting in Omenihu secondary sack
Moore 27 yards on 3rd + 10 in the 4th quarter came out of 11 3x1 versus 49ers nickel cover 2, Dagger concept with Mayfield hitting Moore on the dig in the intermediate void in the coverage – Well-thrown ball by Mayfield
Moseley hurt in the 4th quarter (torn ACL), Lenoir moved outside to right corner and Womack became the slot corner – Will that be the case going forward?
Mayfield was an uncomfortable QB, Too many drop backs in which he played too fast hurrying himself and losing his fundamental technique; He needs to slow down and trust his protection (hard to do given the state of the Panthers OL) before he can develop any consistency in the pocket
49ers held Panthers to 3-15 on 3rd down conversions, Through 5 games 49ers have the third best 3rd down defense in the NFL allowing only 30% conversion rate
FALCONS OFFENSE VERSUS BUCS DEFENSE
Falcons continue to be a base personnel offense, They have only played 11 personnel on 20% of their offensive snaps which is the second lowest percentage in the NFL (Ravens 11%)
Bucs continued to play snaps of big nickel with Neal the third safety with Winfield and Edwards, All 3 safeties can line up in the box and on the back end
When the Bucs went dime Murphy-Bunting was the slot corner, When they played 2 man in dime versus 11 personnel they matched Winfield on the slot WR and Murphy-Bunting on the TE
Bucs dime was almost always 3-2-6 with LB White and David, White is an excellent blitzer/pass rusher
Bucs base front was 5-2 (at times reduced) with White and David the stacked LB; There were 11 personnel snaps in which the Bucs played in their base defense, What clearly stood out was the Bucs felt comfortable with safety Winfield matched man-to-man on WR
First 3rd and long (3rd + 9) Bucs went 2 man out of dime with safety Winfield matched on slot receiver Zaccheaus and corner Murphy-Bunting man-to-man on TE Firkser
Tryon sack on 3rd + 10 to end first possession came on 3 man rush out of dime, Tryon beat LT Matthews with a great outside spin move
Winfield an excellent run defender both playing downhill from the back end and lining up in the box, Winfield an explosive athlete with outstanding key and diagnose
Falcons continued to play snaps of Pony with Allgeier and Williams in the game together, Williams can line up all over the formation
Mariota 16 yards on 3rd + 9 on second possession came versus 2 man coverage, Mariota escaped to his left where there were no defenders
TOM BRADY VERSUS FALCONS DEFENSE
Falcons an exclusive nickel sub defense this season, They have played no snaps of dime through 5 games – Against the Bucs they played 60 snaps of nickel
Falcons have been using Terrell as a matchup corner this season, Against the Bucs he travelled with Evans; Hayward was the corner opposite Terrell
Alford was the predominant nickel corner for the Falcons with Ford getting some snaps, Falcons played some snaps of 3-3-5 nickel with Landman the third LB with Evans and Walker
Jarrett is one of the best DT in the NFL: Sudden and explosive off the ball with quick active violent hands, Jarrett can attack gaps with burst off the ball and he can play off contact at a high level
Rookie pass rusher Ebiketie continued to get a lot of snaps, Through 5 games he has played 50% of the defensive snaps
Safety Grant was the TE matchup in nickel when the Falcons went cover 1 versus Bucs 11 personnel
Falcons played significant snaps of cover 2 versus the Bucs, On 3rd down cover 1 was the foundation with some 1 robber; Falcons showed some 4 man zone exchange pressures but they only had five 5 man pressures on 52 Brady drop backs and they did not sack Brady in the game
Bell significant snaps as an edge pass rusher, He has excellent size and length but he needs much work using his hands and playing off contact
Evans 25 yards on 3rd + 3 in the 2nd quarter came out of 11 3x1 with Evans the boundary x versus Falcons nickel cover 1 with Terrell matched on Evans in press man, Evans separated late from Terrell on the fade and he extended to make a great catch
Evans is the Bucs boundary x receiver, In 11 personnel he predominantly aligns as the single receiver to the boundary on the back side of trips
Bucs also featured 1x3 sets out of 11 personnel, Against the Falcons Otton was the TE (he played 74 snaps)
LB Walker hurt early in the 3rd quarter, Rookie Andersen got the majority of snaps with Evans in the 4-2 nickel; Andersen used at times as the fourth rusher in the 4 man zone exchange pressure concepts
Marlowe played some snaps at safety in rotation with Hawkins and Grant, Grant played a high percentage of the snaps (Grant has played almost 99% of the defensive snaps through 5 games)
Evans 40 yards on 1st + 10 in the 3rd quarter came out of 11 2x2 with Evans #1 to the 2 WR side of the formation, Falcons 4 man zone exchange pressure with slot corner Alford the fourth rusher and cover 3 behind it; Evans attacked off coverage Terrell with vertical speed on his deep stop route, Brady with time and space in the pocket drove the ball to Evans
Bucs passing game still a little out of sync, Brady not as comfortably rhythmic through 5 games as he has been with the Bucs the previous 2 seasons
COMMANDERS OFFENSE VERSUS TITANS DEFENSE
Mitchell for the second consecutive week played corner opposite Fulton, Kalu was the safety with Byard with McCreary the slot corner in the sub defenses
Cole (and at times Schobert) was the LB with Long in the nickel, Autry lined up outside in the nickel front and inside at DT in the dime front; Adams was the dime safety
For the second consecutive game Edwards played 35 snaps for the Titans, He played in the nickel run front and the nickel pass rush front predominantly lining up at DE
Titans went cover 1 out of dime on first 3rd down with Kalu the post safety and Long the underneath lurk defender, McCreary excellent one-on-one coverage versus Samuel crosser
Titans showed 3-2-6 dime on 3rd + 17 on Commanders second possession, Cole was the LB with Long
Titans only played 1 snap of base defense, Commanders high percentage 11 personnel offense; Through 5 games Commanders 84% 11 personnel snaps (second highest percentage in the NFL behind the Rams)
3rd and long out of dime Titans at times featured loaded fronts and cover 1, Overall cover 1 was not a foundational coverage versus the Commanders; Titans also disguised late movement to cover 2 from loaded front, Long was the middle hole defender
Brown 75 yard TD came on the first play of the fourth possession: Conventional play action out of 11 personnel versus Titans nickel cover 4, Brown ran by Farley on the deep post and Wentz put the ball out in front
Titans only rushed 5 on 6 of Wentz 43 drop backs but they continued featuring 4 man zone exchange pressures
What has hurt Wentz as his career has progressed is he is not a natural anticipatory thrower with a nuanced and refined sense of timing, That too often results in him not turning it loose on throws that are there or being a beat late on throws that are there
McLaurin 34 yards to start 3rd quarter was an aggressive tight window throw on the deep over versus disguised late movement to cover 2, It was one of those big-time throws that Wentz still makes
Titans feature a nickel front with the DT and DE both aligned outside the OT, You get Autry and Simmons with space to generate velocity versus OG or the OC
4th + 4 on first 3rd quarter possession Titans cover 1 out of dime with DE Weaver and LB Long dropping underneath as zone defenders behind 3 man rush, Weaver got his hands on Wentz throw to Samuel on the crosser; Mitchell great coverage on Samuel undercutting the route
Brown 30 yard TD on 2nd + 7 in the 3rd quarter came out of 11 1x3 set with Brown #2 to trips versus Titans nickel cover 1 with McCreary press man on Brown, Brown slot fade with Wentz precise ball placement throw to the outside versus excellent coverage
Autry sack on 3rd + 13 early in the 4th quarter came out of dime cover 4 behind a loaded front, Autry bull rushed LG Norwell getting his left arm inside and driving him to the ground – Autry is a high-level player with outstanding versatility
Norwell beat again on the Commanders next possession by Simmons for another Wentz sack, Commanders slid protection away from Simmons and he was one-on-one with Norwell who he beat with a club-swipe move to the outside
Titans played almost all zone coverage on the Commanders final possession, They started to play some man coverage when the Commanders go to the +40 yard line
Commanders 1st and goal at the 2 yard line with :19 seconds remaining: 1) Titans dropped out Simmons to the goal line behind 3 man rush; 2) Titans again dropped out Simmons only rushing 3; 3) Simmons again dropped out with a 3 man rush – Long interception was a great play: He jammed McLaurin on shallow crosser then read Wentz throw to McKissic on angle route out of the backfield and jumped the throw, Wentz did not account for Long
Commanders 1-11 on 3rd down conversions, It was their worst 3rd down efficiency in their 5 games
JUSTIN FIELDS VERSUS VIKINGS DEFENSE
Vikings base front continues to be 5-2 (at times reduced) with Kendricks and Hicks the stacked LB
Peterson the left corner and Dantzler the right corner with Sullivan the slot corner; Vikings an exclusive nickel sub defense, They have not played any snaps of dime through 5 games
Vikings continued to feature Z. Smith both outside and inside in their nickel fronts including standing up over the OC, Wonnum also lined up both outside and inside in the nickel fronts
Vikings featured disguise and late movement to get to cover 2 and they showed cover 2 invert as part of that coverage with multiple middle hole defenders, Cover 2 has been a foundational coverage for the Vikings through 5 games
Bears featured empty sets versus Vikings, Fields was in empty sets 12 times: 6-10 for 106 yards with 4 of the 6 completions resulting in 1st downs, He was not sacked in empty
Mooney 39 yards late in the 2nd quarter came on slot go route versus Sullivan who matched and carried, Fields threw to the matchup away from Sullivan who had his back turned and Mooney made an outstanding catch
Fields still lacking any refined sense of anticipation, At this point he is a see it-throw it QB who needs the throw to be clearly defined and in the NFL that limits the throws you can make
St. Brown 18 yards on 2nd + 7 on first 3rd quarter possession showed Fields playing from the pocket effectively: Play concept was shotgun quick play action hitting boundary x Pettis on the 5 step slant, Vikings took that away; Fields reset and hit z receiver St. Brown on the out cut to the field – A positive play for Fields
Kmet 23 yards on 3rd + 10 on first 3rd quarter possession came out of 11 2x2 versus Vikings disguised late movement cover 2 behind 4 man zone exchange pressure with slot corner Sullivan and LB Asamoah part of the 4 man rush, Kmet settled in the underneath void which was the coverage responsibility of dropping DL Hunter; Fields decisive with his throw
Vikings deployed rookie LB Asomaoh as a spy on Fields on 3rd + 7 in the 3rd quarter, They rushed 4 and played cover 1 behind it; Bears well-designed man beater concept to the boundary, Fields hit Mooney on the pivot route off natural rub by Pettis
Tough situation for the Bears passing game right now: An OL that is young and a work in progress in pass protection (second year RT Borom/rookie LT Jones/rookie RG Jenkins) and a second year QB who at this point does not possess the nuance and refinement to play the position efficiently from the pocket with any consistency
Overall Fields played with more poise in the pocket than we had seen through the first 4 games – Good example was he read the zero pressure on 2nd + 8 in the 4th quarter and hit Kmet on the inside slant for 10 yards
Asomoah (only played 6 snaps) again used as a spy on Fields on Bears final possession, Prevent Fields from making a game-changing play with his legs
VIKINGS OFFENSE VERSUS BEARS DEFENSE
Bears played nickel on all but 7 snaps versus the Vikings, Gordon was the slot corner with Jones at right corner and Vildor at left corner; Smith and Morrow were the nickel LB and they both played every snap
Vikings have transformed into an 11 personnel offense under O’Connell, Against the Bears they played 62 snaps of 11 personnel; Through 5 games 80% of their offensive snaps have come out of 11 personnel
Cousins through 5 games among the league leaders in play action passing drop backs (including play action boot) and he has been extremely efficient: 47-66, 71%, 7.32 yards per attempt, 3 TD, 1 interception – 55 of those attempts have come with Cousins under center
Two things stood out: Vikings use of no huddle tempo, and Cousins control and command at the LOS
Vikings continued to feature hi-low concepts, Thielen 13 yards on 2nd + 11 in the 1st quarter; Hi-low a staple of O’Connell pass game coming from the Rams
Jefferson lines up in multiple locations in the Vikings offense and at times is used as the motion receiver: 31 yards on 3rd + 2 in the 2nd quarter came out of 11 empty with Jefferson the slot to the boundary, Slot fade beating Vildor off the LOS Angeles
Bears coverage foundation versus Vikings was split safety with cover 1 played more on 3rd down (that is an Eberflus staple), Bears rushed 5 on 10 of Cousins 42 drop backs
Bears showed loaded fronts with multiple stunt concepts, They would predominantly feature Quinn as the wide 9 edge rusher opposite the load
Vikings OL solid in pass protection, It is a young unit that will continue to get better as the season progresses: RG Cleveland third year, LT Darrisaw second year, LG Ingram first year
Bears showed disguise and late movement to get to cover 2 behind 4 man pressure, At times the 4 man rush was zone pressure concept with LB or slot corner Gordon the fourth rusher - Disguised late movement cover 2 has become a trend in the NFL this season
57 of 81 Cook’s rushes have come out of 11 personnel: 57-287, 5.04 yards per rush with 9 runs of 10 + yards – Again the result of O’Connell’s focus on 11 personnel
Cook is an efficient runner with no wasted motion, He has quick sudden explosive feet; Cook is a velocity runner with almost no hesitation to his game
Cook 11 yards in the 2nd quarter came out of 11 personnel with Cook as the I back, It was a zone counter concept with Cook’s body turn and initial steps to the field before coming back to the boundary; Two critical elements to the play: Jefferson jet motion to the field bumping over the stacked LB and TE Mundt crossing the formation to play side as a lead blocker – Well-designed concept
Cook pin-pull 15 yards in the 2nd quarter, Outside zone 13 yards in the 3rd quarter (12 personnel), Outside zone 10 yards in the 4th quarter
Vikings outstanding on 3rd down versus Bears: 12-15 conversions; Cousins 9-10 for 91 yards and TD with 8 of his 9 completions resulting in first downs
Cousins had struggled on 3rd down until the Bears game and he has particularly struggled versus blitz on 3rd down, Cousins versus 3rd down blitz through 5 games: 4-15 for 44 yards with TD and 2 interceptions
Overall Cousins has struggled versus blitz in 2022: 22-48 for 196 yards (4.08 yards per attempt) with 4 TD and 2 interceptions and 2 sacks
SEAHAWKS OFFENSE VERSUS SAINTS DEFENSE
Saints base defense again had Elliss as the third LB with Davis and Werner, Elliss was the SAM lining up to the strong side of the offensive formation
Roby continued to be the slot corner in the sub defenses with Gray getting snaps as the dime safety; Saints played some 3-2-6 dime with Davis and Elliss the LB
Saints 4-2 nickel had Davis and Werner the LB, 3-2-6 dime had Davis and Elliss the LB
Seahawks continued to be a high percentage 12 personnel offense, Against the Saints 43% of their offensive snaps were in 12 personnel which was significantly higher than their season average of around 30%
Seahawks continued to be multiple with their formations out of 12 personnel including lining up both TE in the backfield
Metcalf 50 yard TD on 3rd + 5 to end first possession came out of 11 1x3 versus Saints nickel cover 1, Metcalf from #1 to trips zin motion to make it bunch and the Saints blew the coverage with Eskridge running free vertically; Smith did not throw to Eskridge leaving the pocket to his left and making a second reaction throw to Metcalf who read Smith’s movement and adjusted his route to go deep
Jordan sack on 3rd + 2 to end third possession came out of 4 man DL pass rush, Jordan beat rookie RT Lucas with swipe-club move then burst past him for the sack
Fant 32 yards on 1st + 10 late in the 2nd quarter came out of 12 3x1 with trips to the boundary versus Saints base 4-3 personnel, Conventional outside zone run action to the field with Smith boot action to the boundary with Fant from #2 in tight trips bunch running the corner route; Excellent throw by Smith on the move
One thing you continue to see with Smith is designed play action boot, It helps to define reads and throws for him
Lockett 35 yard TD late in the 1st half came on a big-time throw by Smith, Saints 2 man out of dollar personnel with Mathieu the robber behind 3 man rush; Lockett corner post got on top of Adebo and inside of half field safety Gray and Metcalf vertical route opposite Lockett held the other safety, Smith climbed the pocket and made an outstanding throw
SAINTS OFFENSE VERSUS SEAHAWKS DEFENSE
Seahawks played 40 snaps of base defense versus the Saints, Their base is 5-2 with Brooks and Barton the stacked LB
Rookie Bryant continued to be the Seahawks slot corner with rookie Woolen at right corner and Jackson at left corner, Diggs was the free safety and Neal was the strong safety; Burns played snaps at left corner
Seahawks played both nickel and dime, Safety Jones (who had been the starter) was the dime; Seahawks continued to play snaps of 5-1 nickel with Brooks the only LB
Saints at times out of 12 personnel lined up TE Holtz as an I formation fullback, Saints 18 snaps of 12 personnel and 6 snaps of 13 personnel
Kamara out of multiple TE personnel: 14-55, 3.95 yards per rush; Only 7 of Kamara’s 23 rushes came out of 11 personnel
Kamara 54 yard reception on 2nd + 9 late in the 3rd quarter came out of 11 2x2 with Kamara offset to the field, Seahawks rushed 5 and played cover 1 behind it with LB Brooks matched on Kamara and Barton the fifth rusher; Brooks saw Kamara show pass protection so he green dogged but it was a screen away and with Barton blitzing there was no one to react to Kamara – Perfect play call versus that blitz and coverage
Saints rode Kamara in the 4th quarter, He was the closer; 9 of his 23 carries came in the final quarter for 42 yards – Overall it was a methodical sustaining running effort by Kamara
Hill runs versus Seahawks: QB power, QB draw (11 personnel), Misdirection off orbit motion (9 yard TD), QB counter (60 yard TD on 3rd + 1 in the 4th quarter, 7 OL/3 TE personnel); Hill 8 yard TD in the 1st quarter came on QB power
There were multiple personnel groupings with Hill as the shotgun QB: When Dalton was also in the game with a TE the Seahawks treated it as 12 personnel and played base 5-2; When Hill was the QB the Seahawks matched up to the backs and receivers
Trautman 22 yard TD on 2nd + 8 in the 3rd quarter came out of 13 personnel versus Seahawks base 5-2, Empty set with TE Holtz aligned 4 yards off the ball to the boundary motioning across the formation; Play call was 3 verticals to the field with Trautman running the inside vertical in the middle seam
Rookie Mafe showed grown man strength taking on pulling OL in the gap scheme run game, Great example was Hill QB power in the 1st quarter when he took on pulling OG Peat and stoned him
BAILEY ZAPPE VERSUS LIONS DEFENSE
Zappe quick compact delivery with no wasted motion, Played with a good sense of timing and rhythm; The issue with Zappe is his lack of NFL arm strength, It’s a limitation
Lions snaps of loaded fronts on 3rd down out of nickel, Parker was the slot corner with Okudah and Harris the outside corners; First 3rd and long (3rd + 8) Lions behind loaded front went cover 1 robber with Anzalone matched on TE Henry
Lions have been a predominant man coverage defense this season, Against the Patriots they played almost 70% man coverage on Zappe drop backs
Myers 12 yards on 3rd + 5 from -8 yard line in the 1st quarter showed Zappe’s poise in the pocket, Lions blitzed both stacked LB resulting in 6 man pressure with cover 1 behind it; Zappe knew the rush was protected and with patience hit Myers on the quick out cut who ran a great route versus Harris
Zappe knew where to go with the ball within the timing and structure of the route concept-combination, He was decisive with his reads and throws; Zappe knew where his receivers were relative to the defensive coverage
Zappe showed functional mobility to avoid the rush and make a positive play with his legs both throwing on the move and scrambling
Hughes replaced injured Harris at outside corner in the 2nd quarter, Parker stayed in the slot
Henry 8 yards on 3rd + 7 late in the 2nd quarter showed both Zappe’s awareness of coverage and his feel for ball placement: Lions showed cover 1 pre-snap then spun to cover 2 post-snap, Zappe read the late movement and hit Henry on the y-stick placing the ball on Henry’s inside shoulder away from the cover 2 trap corner
Zappe was not under duress versus Lions, He did not have to operate in muddied pockets and make contested throws; That will be the next test for him
Myers 24 yard TD on 1st + 10 late in the 3rd quarter came versus Lions cover 2, Patriots 2 man vertical route concept to the boundary with Henry inside running at the safety and Myers outside 5 yards from the sideline; Zappe with his eyes on half field safety Lucas stepped up in the pocket and hit Myers down the sideline
Myers has become a refined and nuanced route runner both versus man and zone coverage, He consistently creates separation at the top of his route stem versus man: 23 yards in the 4th quarter just another example
