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.
COWBOYS OFFENSE VERSUS EAGLES DEFENSE
Eagles opened the game in their 5-2 front versus Cowboys 11 personnel, Davis the 0-technique; Davis has been a big factor in the run game in the 5 man front from 0-technique and 1-technique alignment
Eagles 4-2 nickel had Edwards and White the LB with Maddox the slot corner, Sweat and Reddick were the predominant edge rushers with Graham and Johnson also significant snaps
Slay left corner and Bradberry right corner versus Cowboys, They played sides and did not match up to Lamb or Gallup
Eagles a high percentage nickel sub defense, They have only played 15 snaps of dime all season; Against the Cowboys they played 2 snaps of dime with safety Wallace the dime
86% of the Eagles defensive snaps through 6 games have been in nickel, That’s the second highest percentage in the NFL (Bills)
Gardner-Johnson interception to start Cowboys third possession came out of 5-2 cover 4, Bradberry outstanding job planting and driving on Gallup curl route and then beating Gallup to the ball to tip it in the air
Eagles went zero blitz on 3rd + 9 on Cowboys fourth possession, 5-1 front with Graham the standup 0-technique; It became a 7 man pressure with running back Elliott staying in to pass protect
LB White flashed in the 1st half both as a run defender and in pass coverage, Outstanding run game on Cowboys fifth possession attacking the LOS to release the double team on Williams and then physically beat RG Martin to tackle Pollard for 1 yard
Slay interception on 3rd + 9 to end Cowboys fifth possession came out of dime versus 3x1 set with Gallup the boundary x and Lamb #3 to trips, Eagles man coverage concept with dime Wallace bracketing Lamb with Gardner-Johnson and boundary safety Epps playing over the top of Gallup allowing Slay to undercut the route; Rush climbed the pocket reacting to Hargrave pressure and threw to Gallup on the dig but Slay was in perfect position to make the interception – Textbook coverage
Bradberry excellent job in red zone cover 4 playing with his eyes reading both the route distribution and the QB allowing him to sink o Gallup corner route and make a play on the ball preventing a TD; Reddick speed-to-power pass rush versus TE Hendershot forced Rush to slide to his left into Sweat rush versus LT Smith
27 of Lamb 59 targets through 6 games have come out of the slot with 18 of his 33 receptions – The question is, Is Lamb better suited to play the slot with his skill set?
Eagles continued to play both 4-2 nickel and 5-1 nickel, Davis only played in the 5-1 nickel (and almost exclusively played in the 5 man fronts)
Both DT Williams and DE/edge Johnson had some good reps in the run game playing off blocks and making plays
Cowboys first 2 drives of the 2nd half: 9 plays and 79 yards for a TD (6 of the 9 plays were Elliott/Pollard runs), 15 plays and 93 yards for a TD (7 of the 15 plays were Elliott/Pollard runs); They went no huddle tempo at times on both possessions, Run game was efficient
Elliott ran between the tackles effectively: Power, contact balance and finishing traits; What Elliott no longer has at this point in his career is second level acceleration
Gardner-Johnson second interception in the 4th quarter came out of 4-2 nickel versus Cowboys 12 closed boundary twins to the field, Eagles cover 1 with Gardner-Johnson the post safety; Lamb from plus split #1 to twins beat Bradberry but Graham pass rush versus LT Smith impacted Rush throw and he left it short and too far inside
Eagles went 4-2 nickel on every snap on Cowboys final possession, They rushed 4 DL and played zone concepts behind it
EAGLES OFFENSE VERSUS COWBOYS DEFENSE
Eagles highest percentage of multiple TE sets versus Cowboys than in any of their previous 5 games: 43% of offensive snaps came out of 12 and 13 personnel
Cowboys are not a base personnel defense, They have played 75% nickel and 22% dime through 6 games – Cowboys played nickel with Lewis the slot corner versus Eagles 12 personnel, They also played snaps of big nickel with safeties versus 12 personnel
Hooker continued to be the dime safety, He also played snaps in the nickel as he has done all season
Cowboys matched up to Eagles 13 personnel with 4 safety nickel: Wilson, Kearse, Hooker and Mukuamu
Armstrong sack on Eagles first possession came out of nickel 5 man reduced front with Parsons and Lawrence on the edges, Inside stunt with Odighizuwa looping behind both Bohanna and Armstrong; Hurts broke down in the pocket at the flash of color and Armstrong cleaned up for the sack
Cowboys through 6 games have stunted more than any team in the NFL by a wide margin, They are multiple with their fronts and stunt concepts
Parsons continued to play both stacked off the ball and edge on the ball depending on down and distance and both Cowboys defensive personnel and offense’s personnel; There were cover 2 snaps he was the middle hole defender
Parsons from stacked off the ball alignment versus 12 personnel was beaten by Stoll shallow crosser on second possession, Parsons did not react to the route
Eagles do an excellent job with backfield actions and motions in addition to the zone read element that is always present with Hurts in the shotgun, That impacts defensive reactions and defines things for Hurts
Sanders much improved as a more nuanced runner this season showing more patience with a better feel for manipulating second level defenders and helping his OL blocks
Brown 11 yard TD on 3rd + 3 in the 2nd quarter came out of 11 personnel versus Cowboys conventional nickel, Cowboys played cover 1 with the Eagles using Brown in return motion/shift; Well-designed concept with zone read action holding Parsons whose responsibility was the QB and Brown working behind and across the formation, Lewis who had Brown man-to-man was late to react to Brown and was not in position to play his responsibility – Once Brown set in the formation Lewis was thinking 3 man bunch to the boundary
Cowboys played 2 snaps of base defense in the game with the first snap coming on the first play of the 3rd quarter versus Eagles 12 personnel: 5-2 front with Vander Esch and Barr the LB
Driscoll played the 2nd half at RT in place of injured Johnson – Johnson is the best RT in the NFL
Cowboys more 5 man fronts in the 3rd quarter: Game planned? Halftime adjustment? Function of Driscoll at RT?
Cowboys went zero blitz out of dime on 3rd + 7 on Eagles second possession of 3rd quarter; Eagles did not sort out the protection properly, Gainwell went to block second level rusher Kearse but Dickerson took Kearse when he should have blocked Fowler who was then clean to Hurts for the sack
Eagles 4th quarter TD drive started with Sanders 13 yards on gap scheme concept out of 11 personnel, Cowboys 5 man front but man coverage and zone read element removed back side pursuit; Pullers Dickerson and Mailata executed their blocks and Sanders with patience cut off Maialta the wrapper
Eagles again used Gainwell as an inside runner in crunch time in the 4th quarter, Gainwell runs hard inside – Eagles 9 called runs on 13 play 75 yard TD drive that ate up more than 7:00 of clock, They featured the counter gap scheme concept
Smith 7 yard TD in the middle of the 4th quarter to end the 7:00 drive another concept that played off the zone read element and got defenders eyes stuck in the backfield, Safety Wilson reading the backfield action and the switch release action by Goedert and Smith with Smith showing run blocking and Goedert running into the flat left Smith wide open for the easy TD
Eagles game plan and offensive approach minimized the Cowboys multiple front looks and pass rush: Tempo, run game, zone read element, RPO concepts, misdirection, quick rhythm throws – Cowboys could never get into a defensive rhythm
49ERS OFFENSE VERSUS FALCONS DEFENSE
Evans and rookie Andersen were the Falcons LB in the base and nickel defenses, They both played every snap
Alford continued to get snaps as the nickel slot corner but the Falcons used Oliver a big corner as their predominant nickel because of his size and ability to be a factor in the box in the run game
Terrell has been the Falcons matchup corner but against the 49ers he was the boundary corner and did not match up up or travel with either Samuel or Aiyuk
Falcons continued to play snaps of 3-3-5 nickel with Landman the third LB with Evans and Andersen, Against the 49ers that package was only used sparingly
Jarrett without question is one of the best 3-technique DT in the NFL, He flashes every game with his combination of off the ball quickness and short area explosiveness and power
Aiyuk 12 yard TD on 2nd + 5 early in the 2nd quarter came on a well-designed tunnel screen concept to the boundary: Samuel offset in the backfield to the boundary with sweep run action to the field pulling the pursuit to the field, Screen back to Aiyuk with a plus split to the boundary with LT Moore and LB Banks out in front
Falcons played both 5-2 and 4-3 fronts out of base personnel, Carter was often the multi-positional player who lined up on the ball in the 5-2 and off the ball in the 4-3
Aiyuk 14 yard TD on 2nd + 9 in the 2nd quarter came out of 22 personnel with shift and motion to define the coverage pre-snap, Falcons out of base matched up man-to-man with Terrell on Aiyuk who after the shift and motion was the slot to the boundary; Aiyuk excellent whip route back outside versus Terrell
Rookie edge rusher Ebiketie has shown excellent burst off the ball with velocity and explosiveness and the lateral quickness to change direction without any loss of speed
Terrell injured early in the 3rd quarter, Hall replaced him at boundary corner opposite Hayward
Garoppolo and McCloud just missed connecting on deep post on second play of the 3rd quarter, Good ball by Garoppolo that was just a fraction overthrown and one might argue it was catchable
Second possession of the 3rd quarter 49ers tried to get their offense going with the Samuel run game out of the backfield
TE Woerner a bad drop on seam ball on second possession of the 3rd quarter, Falcons ¼ ¼ ½ out of base with the 49ers in an empty set out of 22 personnel; Woerner #3 to the quarters side of the coverage and nobody carried him, Big missed opportunity
Next play after Woerner drop (3rd + 6) Garoppolo had Wilson on the angle route for an easy 1st down and he threw it behind him, A throw you must make despite the pressure
49ers big play opportunity on first play of the 4th quarter with Aiyuk running the deep post versus Hall with no deep safety, Garoppolo left the ball a little behind Aiyuk rather than putting out in front of him
Next play after missed big play opportunity was Hawkins interception: It came on 49ers staple deep sail-cross combination with Samuel running the crosser, Boundary corner Hall outstanding recognition in the 3 deep coverage passing Snead to post safety Hawkins and jumping the crosser by Samuel; Hall made a play on the ball and the tipped ball went to Hawkins
Falcons played high percentage zone coverage versus the 49ers with not many snaps of cover 1, They played a much lower percentage of cover 1 than they had through the first 5 games of the season: Function of score? Opponent?
Samuel 27 yards on 2nd + 14 in the 4th quarter was the kind of play Garoppolo must make for the 49ers passing game to reach the needed higher level: Pocket movement with vison and precise ball placement
Garoppolo has always struggled the longer he stays in the pocket, He is not a comfortable late-in-the-down QB with a consistent tendency to widen his base and throw off-balance
49ers started Moore at LT and Brunskill replaced injured McGlinchey at RT in the 2nd quarter, 49ers without their top 2 OT
This was not the kind of game the 49ers want to play with 42 drop backs by Garoppolo and only 13 called running plays excluding Garoppolo QB sneaks
FALCONS OFFENSE VERSUS 49ERS DEFENSE
Falcons continued to be a high percentage base personnel offense, Almost 40% of their offensive snaps have come with fullback Smith on the field - Only 21% of their offensive snaps through 6 games have come out of 11 personnel
Burks was the third LB with Warner and Greenlaw in the 49ers base 4-3 defense, He played 26 snaps in the game
49ers started the game with Ward and Lenoir the outside corners in the base defense, with Johnson the slot corner in nickel
Ward has been almost exclusively the left corner but against the Falcons there were snaps in which he matched up to London
3rd + 2 on first Falcons possession 49ers stayed base versus 11 personnel: Zaccheaus 37 yards on what was a busted coverage
49ers showed some 5 man reduced fronts out of base with LB Burks on the ball on the edge and Warner and Greenlaw the stacked LB
London 15 yards on second possession a good snapshot of Falcons passing game: 21 personnel with Mariota run action/zone read element, Quick rhythm throw to London on the 5 step slant from reduced split versus off coverage corner Ward
49ers on 3rd + 7 in the 2nd quarter showed a nickel front with Jackson and Ebukam standing up inside as 3-technique Jokers, T/T stunt with Jackson the penetrator and Ebukam the looper; Ebukam clean off his loop forced Mariota to move and Jackson ran him down for the sack
You must defend the zone read game when you play the Falcons, With Mariota in the shotgun you have that dimension on almost every snap
Womack replaced injured Ward at outside corner opposite Lenoir in the 2nd quarter, With Ward out Lenoir became the matchup on London – 49ers getting thin at the corner position
Mariota 15 yards on 3rd + 12 in the 2nd quarter a big play in the game: 49ers loaded front out of nickel with a 6 man pressure and a single high blitz coverage it, Greenlaw and slot corner Johnson were the blitzers with Greenlaw getting in clean through the boundary C gap; Mariota stepped up beating Greenlaw and ran for 15 yards
London 20 yards on 2nd + 2 on late 2nd quarter TD drive came on back shoulder versus Lenoir – That was London’s game at USC, Contested catches using his big frame and outstanding body control and hands
Huntley 16 yards on late 2nd quarter TD drive came out of 22 personnel versus 49ers 5 DL front with Warner and Greenlaw the LB, Fullback Smith motion across the formation from wing alignment bumped over Warner and Greenlaw; Pin-pull concept to the field with Pitts pinning DE Omenihu and RT McGary pulling to lead – Well-executed play
Mariota 3 yard TD late in the 2nd quarter came on zone read, Corner Womack was Mariota’s read and he came too far inside – Mariota hurt the 49ers with the zone read throughout the game: First possession of 3rd quarter (TD) Mariota 20 yards on zone read on 2nd + 6, Ebukam the unblocked defender crashed inside opening the edge
Pitts 7 yard TD to end first possession of the 3rd quarter came out of 11 2x2 spread, Byrd orbit motion leaving Pitts the single receiver matched on corner Womack; Orbit motion resulted in 49ers bumping over to match 4 to one side with Pitts one-on-one, Pitts beat Womack on the slant for the TD
Mariota only 17 drop backs versus the 49ers: 13-14 for 129 yards and 2 TD, He was sacked twice and had the big 3rd + 12 scramble on 2nd quarter TD drive
49ers defense played well allowing only 289 total yards, Falcons 9-14 on 3rd down but 9 of the 14 3rd downs were 3 yards or less – Falcons ran the ball just well enough to stay ahead of the sticks
BENGALS OFFENSE VERSUS SAINTS DEFENSE
Harris was the Saints slot corner with Roby and Adebo the outside corners, Lattimore was inactive; Roby was the right corner and Adebo the left corner
Bengals played all but one snap out of 11 personnel versus the Saints, Through 6 games almost 85% of their offensive snaps have come out of 11 personnel (second highest percentage in the NFL behind the Rams)
Saints played 47 snaps of nickel and only 6 snaps of dime, Davis and Werner were the nickel LB with Evans the dime safety; Saints snaps of 3-2-6 dime
Bengals OL still struggling at times in pass protection both with individual matchups and with stunts, It has been an issue all season – Elliss sack in the 4th quarter came on T/E stunt concept
Bengals featured RPO concept on third possession: Power run action with Burrow reading stacked LB Davis and hitting Boyd 12 yards on slant from the slot to the field
Mixon 9 yard TD reception on 3rd and goal late in the 1st quarter came out of 11 empty with Mixon #1 to twins outside of Chase, Saints out of nickel played red zone cover 2/4; LB Werner carried Chase vertical release and corner Adebo stayed outside when Mixon cut inside so there was no one to play Mixon – Pitch and catch easy TD
Boyd 21 yards on 2nd + 6 in the 2nd quarter came out of 11 2x2 with Boyd the slot to the field, Saints 2 man coverage concept with Harris press on Boyd; Boyd set up Harris beautifully with initial outside stem then cut back inside on slant route
Bengals had 3rd down success with basic route concepts like slant-flat: Chase 8 yards versus Adebo on 3rd + 3, Boyd 3 yards in zone void on 3rd + 2
Burrow 19 yard TD on 3rd + 8 in the 2nd quarter beat the Saints pressure and coverage, 5 man pressure with Harris off the field edge and Mathieu off the boundary edge with zone match to the field and man-to-man on boundary x Hurst; When Hurts disappeared on the shallow to the field there were no defenders to the boundary side of the field
Chase 15 yard TD on 1st + 10 in the 3rd quarter came out of 11 empty with Chase #1 to twins, Saints man-to-man to the boundary with Adebo press versus Chase; Chase with his release got inside of Adebo on his skinny post and Burrow with outstanding timing put the ball right on him
Saints gave the Bengals problems with double mug looks with Davis and Werner, Davis and Werner stunted and that created problems for the back and the OC
Davis sack in the 4th quarter came on a 5 man pressure out of nickel with Davis the fifth rusher and Werner adding in as a green dogger when running back Mixon stayed in to pass protect
Chase 60 yard TD late in the 4th quarter came out of 11 2x2 with Chase #1 to the boundary, Saints out of nickel went cover 1 behind 5 man pressure; Burrow threw back shoulder fade to Chase versus Roby and then it was run-after-catch
Saints played significant snaps out of 2 high safety coverage, They played 2 man and cover 2, Cover 2 was featured out of dime while cover 1 was the predominant coverage in nickel
Burrow has been effective out of empty sets this season: 29-38 for 270 yards and 3 TD; Empty is a foundation of the Bengals passing game
Burrow played with a more refined sense of timing and rhythm versus the Saints and the pass game overall had a more rhythmic feel to it
My sense is Burrow is settling in the past couple of weeks and is more comfortable in the pocket, He is getting rid of the ball and taking the throws that are there
JUSTIN FIELDS VERSUS COMMANDERS DEFENSE
Wildgoose was the Commanders slot corner with Fuller at right corner and St. Juste at left corner, Commanders high percentage dime with 3 corners and 3 safeties
Commanders continued to play snaps of big nickel with Curl, Forrest and McCain the 3 safeties
Commanders continued to play both 4-2 nickel with Holcombe and Davis, and 5-1 nickel with Holcomb the only LB
Fields continued to show a tendency to be a beat late on routine throws like hitches versus off coverage corners, Footwork continued to be an issue
What consistently has stood out with Fields has been an unwillingness to turn it loose on throws that need to be thrown by NFL standards, Too often he needs a road map to cut it loose
Too often the sacks are a function of Fields unwillingness to turn it loose: Obada sack on first possession
Pettis 19 yards on 2nd + 8 in the 1st quarter was one of Fields better plays: Play action boot right reading Pettis settle in the middle of the field then taking him away form coverage with his throw to the outside
Fields will always make second reaction outside of structure plays, That is a part of his game; In addition he is physically tough and competitive
Mooney 26 yards to start 2nd quarter possession came out of 11 2x2 versus Commanders big nickel cover 4, Outside zone run action with Fields holding the mesh point; Mooney outstanding out route versus St. Juste threatening the corner vertically before breaking outside, Fields excellent throw with timing and anticipation and precise ball placement – Higher level quarterbacking by Fields
LB Davis lined up as both an edge pass rusher and standup 3-technique in the 4 man dime DL front, Davis deployed at times as a spy on Fields
My sense watching the Bears tape is that rookie Jones can be a factor with more manufactured and schemed touches: Jet sweep, WR screens, slant routes off RPO concepts; Jones has strong run-after-catch traits
Fields needs to execute basic concepts like snag-flat to the boundary quicker and better, Routine throws that must be executed with the proper timing
Mooney 21 yards on 1st + 10 in the 3rd quarter came out of 12 personnel, Toss action to the field with Fields boot right hitting Mooney on the crosser – Well-designed concept that defined the read and throw for Fields
Pettis 40 yard TD in the 3rd quarter came on big-time throw by Fields with pressure on his delivery from Sweat driving back LT Leno, Fields dropped the ball right in the bucket 55 yards down the sideline
LT Leno had a tough day in pass protection versus Sweat, Sweat beat Leno with both power and speed off the edge
Fields had the throw to Pettis on the slant route versus off coverage on the first play of the final possession, Fields did not turn it loose came off it and was sacked by Allen and fumbled
Fields left the 4th and goal throw to Mooney with :35 remaining a little short forcing Mooney to stop and attack the ball in the air which left him jus short of the end zone
Fields has significant issues that need to be addressed and cleaned up: Poor eye level, lack of timing and anticipation, unwillingness to turn it loose, does not work through progressions with needed speed and clarity, leaves too many throws on the field
I thought he showed some promise on some throws versus the Vikings last week but he struggled versus the Commanders despite some good moments
GIANTS OFFENSE VERSUS RAVENS DEFENSE
With Williams inactive Stone (not Hamilton) started at safety with Clark, Clark played every snap
Stephens and Williams continued to both get snaps at slot corner, Washington also got some snaps at slot corner; Williams predominantly played in 3rd down situations
Humphrey has been the right corner all season and Peters the left corner, They have not been matchup corners
Ravens continued to play dime on 3rd down (and other situations) with Hamilton the dime safety, Through 6 games no team in the NFL has played a higher percentage of dime than the Ravens: 28% of defensive snaps
In the 2nd half Hamilton also played snaps at safety with Clark in both the base defense and the sub nickel
Ravens went zero blitz on Giants first 3rd down of the game (3rd + 6): Johnson WR screen 7 yards
Ravens on Giants third 3rd down of the game (3rd + 5) deployed Queen as a spy on Jones, They rushed 4 DL and played cover 1 out of dime with Hamilton matched on TE Bellinger and Stone matched on Barkley
Slayton 18 yards on 3rd + 14 in the 2nd quarter good ball by Jones: Giants 7 man protection with Bellinger and Barkley and a 3 man route concept with 3 curls at the sticks, Ravens ¼ ¼ ½ with halves to the boundary, Slayton bent onside cover 2 Humphrey and Jones out the ball right on him
Giants 7 snaps with 6 OL personnel, They played almost 50% of their offensive snaps in a base personnel grouping
Robinson 15 yards on 3rd + 12 on 2nd quarter TD drive another good ball by Jones this one versus blitz, Barkley excellent job crossing the formation to block blitzing slot corner Williams; Jones stepped up and made the throw in a contested pocket
What continues to stand out is that Daboll looks to manufacture offense with multiple personnel groupings and multiple concepts including wildcat with Barkley
Robinson 5 yard TD on 3rd + 4 came out of 11 1x3 nub with tight bunch to the field, Great natural rub concept versus man coverage with Robinson releasing behind Sills and Robinson; Ravens out of dime blitzed Clark who was aligned over Robinson and Williams was slow to react – Well-designed tight red zone concept on 3rd down
When the Ravens went cover 1 out of dime versus 11 personnel Hamilton was the TE matchup
Both Barkley and Breida did a good job recognizing blitz pressure and executing blocks, Snaps in which they crossed the formation; Breida picked up Queen through the A gap on 3rd + 4 on second 3rd quarter possession allowing Jones to hit Bellinger on shallow crosser for 7 yards
Giants focused on pass protection on 3rd down versus the Ravens multiple pressure concepts out of dime, They used 6 and 7 man protections in addition to chips; Formations also important to get an extra body in front of Pierre-Paul and Oweh
Campbell sack on 3rd and goal late in the 3rd quarter resulted from T/T stunt with Campbell the looper behind Madubuike, Rookie LG Ezeudu went too far inside with Madubuike and was not in position to react to Campbell
Johnson 18 yards on 3rd + 4 in the 4th quarter came out of 11 2x2 with reduced splits versus Ravens cover 1 out of nickel, Giants ran man beater concept with mesh underneath and mirrored crossers above it; Johnson on the crosser ran away from slot corner Williams and Jones climbing the pocket made an excellent throw
Robinson showed excellent route and separation quickness: 17 yards versus Williams in the 4th quarter; Another good ball by Jones off subtle pocket movement
Jones made throws on first 4th quarter TD drive, He was strong in the pocket and delivered with confidence and ball location; Bellinger 8 yard TD came out of 13 personnel with play action boot left, Bellinger back side crosser settled into the void and Jones under duress made the tough throw
Jones strong on 3rd down versus Ravens: 8-11 for 77 yards and TD with 6 of the 8 completions resulting in 1st downs, Ravens blitzed on 5 of Jones 3rd down drop backs
Jones has been efficient versus blitz through 6 games: 26-41 for 239 yards with 1 TD and no interceptions, He has been sacked 5 times
RAVENS OFFENSE VERSUS GIANTS DEFENSE
Ravens only played 2 snaps of 11 personnel versus the Giants, Giants played 42 snaps of sub defense and only 16 snaps of base defense; Giants predominantly played base 5-2 versus Ravens 22 personnel
Giants featured big nickel as a foundational personnel package, Belton was the third safety with McKinney and Love; They played snaps of big nickel out of 5-1 front with both Crowder and Smith the only LB
Jackson the left corner and Moreau the right corner for the Giants, They both played every snap
Love was the predominant man-to-man matchup on Andrews in the Giants big nickel package, In dime Holmes was the matchup
Holmes played 10 snaps as the dime corner in the 3 corner-3 safety dime package, First time they played it was 3rd + 8 on Ravens first possession
Giants showed multiple front looks out of nickel and dime especially out of the 5-1 big nickel front with multi-positional DL aligned in different spots
3rd + 8 on Ravens first possession out of dime Giants showed a different front look with Lawrence and Thibodeaux aligned off the ball stacked behind Ximines, They did it again on 3rd + 8 in the 2nd quarter
Giants featured 5 man DL pressures out of their big nickel 5-1 fronts and they played a good percentage of man coverage behind it, There were a few times Jackson beat the rush with his legs (14 yards to start first 2nd quarter possession) but overall Jackson’s legs were not a big factor on second reaction runs
There were snaps when Andrews was reduced the Giants lined up the edge defender over him to disrupt his release
Drake 30 yards on 1st + 10 late in the 2nd quarter came out of 21 pistol formation versus Giants 5-1 big nickel, Gap scheme concept with Picard motion across the formation as the puller and OC Linderbaum the wrapper – Well-executed concept
Drake 21 yards started 3rd quarter and came out of 22 pistol versus Giants base 5-2 front, Another gap scheme concept with Picard again motion across the formation as the puller and RG Zeitler the wrapper
Ravens continued to feature Jackson gap scheme run off sweep action as a staple run game concept, They consistently have success with it: Jackson 25 yards late in the 3rd quarter a great example
Ravens featured gap scheme concepts as run game foundation and they had a lot of success with it versus Giants 5-1 big nickel and 5-2 base defense
Andrews 12 yard TD on 2nd + 8 in the 4th quarter came out of 22 empty versus Giants base 5-2, Andrews #2 to trips with Picard attached in a wing alignment; Giants cover 1 with Moreau matched on Andrews, Jackson beautiful fade ball for the TD
Thibodeaux sack-forced fumble to end the game came out of dime with the Giants playing 2 man concept with a bracket on Andrews in the slot with Belton lined up over him and Love dropping down, Thibodeaux working against RT Mekari got his inside arm on the ball causing the fumble
What stood out was the Ravens were not able to generate explosive pass plays versus the Giants foundational 5-1 big nickel defense
CHIEFS OFFENSE VERSUS BILLS DEFENSE
Chiefs played 20 snaps out of 12 personnel which was about one-third of their offensive snaps, Chiefs this season have played significant snaps of 12 personnel each week
Bills played sub defense on every snap which is their normal MO, They rarely ever deviate from that
Hamlin started at safety with Poyer, Both played every snap versus the Chiefs, Jackson and Elam were the starting corners with Benford also getting significant snaps
Bills played 9 snaps of dime versus the Chiefs, It was 3-2-6 dime with Neal the dime safety; Dime was the predominant 3rd down personnel package
When the Bills rushed 5 (both Milano and Edmunds the fifth rusher) and played cover 1 versus Chiefs 11 personnel Poyer was the matchup on Kelce
Bills game plan featured a good percentage of cover 1, They played a higher percentage of cover 1 than they had in any of their previous 5 games; They also played snaps of 2 man and snaps of hybrid coverages with both man and zone concepts
Hardman 26 yards on 2nd + 10 on first possession came out of 11 empty with Hardman return motion to #3 to trips, Bills cover 1 with Johnson matched on Hardman; Hardman corner route with an excellent spot throw by Mahomes
Chiefs featured motion on their first possession and motion has always been an Andy Reid staple; It is more than just a man-zone indicator in that it creates free access off the ball for the motion receiver and at times by extension other receivers to the motion side, It often forces the defense to communicate and make adjustments based on change of passing strength
There is no question Mahomes is the best trick shot artist in the NFL with his uncanny ability to make accurate throws from multiple arm angles and platforms
Bills rushed 5 on 8 of Mahomes 47 drop backs with none of those pressures coming on 3rd down
Elam low red zone interception on 3rd and goal to end Chiefs first possession came out of nickel cover 2, Mahomes wanted to work the hi-low to the boundary but outstanding route recognition and coverage discipline took away the Kelce corner route and Miller’s pressure versus LT Brown squeezed the pocket forcing Mahomes to move; Mahomes tried to make a Mahomes play but this time it didn’t work
3rd + 10 from the Chiefs 3 yard line Bills deployed Milano as a spy in 3-2-6 dime, They rushed 3 DL featuring E/T stunt with Lawson and Oliver and played 2 man behind it – Bills again used Milano as the spy in 3-2-6 dime on 3rd + 15 later in the 2nd quarter, Again E/T stunt and again 2 man coverage with Neal the matchup on Kelce
Milano as a spy out of 3-2-6 dime was part of Bills 3rd down game plan, They deployed that tactic 4 times in the 1st half and continued it in the 2nd half; They played split safety behind it featuring both 2 man and cover 2 and cover 4
Miller sack late in the 2nd quarter came on a great inside spin move that beat both the chip by McKinnon and RT Wylie, Epenesa speed-to-power rush versus LT Brown from the other side also squeezed the pocket
Moore 24 yards on 3rd + 9 on first possession of 3rd quarter came out of 11 1x3 set versus Bills 3-2-6 dime with Milano spy on Mahomes and cover 1 robber behind it, Big-time throw by Mahomes sliding to his left (Miller one arm stab drove back RT Wylie into the pocket) and throwing across the field on the out route
Bills in the 2nd half continued with Milano as the spy on 3rd down out of 3-2-6 dime, They continued to predominantly play 2 man behind it
Bills also played cover 2 out of nickel on 3rd down with Edmunds the middle hole defender, They got to it at times out of a pressure front look
Kelce 23 yards to start second 3rd quarter possession came out of 12 1x3 nub with Kelce #3 t trips, Chiefs staple flood concept to the field versus Bills cover 3 (Bills did not play many snaps of cover 3) with Kelce settling in the void on the numbers – Edwards-Helaire crossed the formation to help LT Brown on Miller
Smith-Schuster 41 yards on second play of second 3rd quarter possession came on RPO concept and man beater concept with stack formation and natural rub element to get Smith-Schuster clean off the LOS on the slant route
Miller sack on 3rd + 6 with just over 6 minutes remaining came out of dime, 3 man rush with Milano as the spy and cover 1 robber behind it; Miller beat RT Wylie off the edge
Johnson interception to seal the Bills win came out of dime with Milano the spy and 2 shell coverage behind it with both man and zone principles; Miller rushed inside with Milano in position to attack when Mahomes moved outside, Johnson in his zone drop read Moore on the crosser and was in position to pick off Mahomes trick shot throw, Mahomes clearly did not account for Johnson
Bills coverage foundations versus Chiefs were cover 1 (at times robber), 2 man and cover 2; They did not play many snaps of cover 3
BILLS OFFENSE VERSUS CHIEFS DEFENSE
Rookies Watson and Williams were the Chiefs outside corners in nickel and dime, Sneed as always was the slot corner; Bush was the dime safety
Cover 2 was the foundational coverage for the Chiefs which made sense given the 2 rookies on the outside
Davis 18 yards out of empty on 3rd + 13 from Bills 1 yard line with just over 1:00 remaining in the 1st half may have been the biggest play of the game: Dagger concept versus cover 2 with the Chiefs corners carrying the outside receivers, Davis ran the dig and Allen off movement threw a laser – Big time throw by Allen
Diggs 30 yards on 2nd + 7 with less than :40 remaining in the 1st half another big time thrown by Allen: Chiefs cover 2 out of dime, Allen with great timing and ball placement hit Diggs in the outside void to the boundary, Great job by Diggs getting out of bounds
Shakir 14 yards the play after Diggs: Allen read the blitz by Bolton and Sneed got it protected and hit Shakir in the coverage void left by the blitz; Reid was slow to get to Shakir and that was his responsibility, He held the disguise too long
Davis 34 yard TD late in the 1st half came versus zero blitz out of dime, Bills anticipated pressure with Knox and Singletary both offset in the backfield; Allen secure in the pocket behind 7 man protection with Davis running the fade versus Williams, Great by Allen
Diggs 17 yards TD on 2nd + 5 to end first 3rd quarter possession came out of 11 3x1 with Diggs the boundary x, Chiefs 5 man pressure with Sneed coming off the tight slot and Bolton adding in late as a sixth rusher; Boundary safety Reid had his eyes to trips leaving Williams man-to-man with Diggs, Allen threw the fade to Diggs
DC Spagnuolo did not play conservatively on the Bills final possession, Diggs 11 yards on 3rd + 2 Chiefs brought pressure with Sneed coming of the field slot and Reid off the boundary edge; Allen hit Diggs on the quick out off motion across the formation with Knox the natural rub element
Diggs 18 yards on 2nd + 10 was another strike by Allen this time out of empty: Chiefs split safety coverage that had both a cover 2 and cover 4 look to it, Well-designed 3 man route combination to the field with Diggs running the deep curl, McKenzie stemmed his vertical release inside to occupy Bolton who dropped as the middle hole defender; Allen late-in-the-down throw with a tough catch by Diggs
Knox 14 yard TD on 2nd + 12 with just over 1:00 minute remaining in the game came out of 11 2x2 versus Chiefs cover 1 lurk out of dime, Diggs and Knox both reduced splits to the boundary with safety Bush dropping down to bracket Diggs leaving Knox one-on-one with Reid; Allen behind great protection threw a bullet to Knox on the sideline
Chiefs rushed 5 or more on 14 of Allen 44 drop backs, Allen’s numbers overall versus blitz were not good: 5-14 for 79 yards but he hit 2 TD including one versus zero blitz
Allen effective throwing on 1st down: 14-20 for 139 yards and TD; Through 6 games Allen has more 1st down TD passes (6) than any QB in the NFL, Allen most 1st down drop backs of any QB in the league
COLTS OFFENSE VERSUS JAGUARS DEFENSE
Colts OL had Kelly playing LT with Pryor the RG, Rookie Raimann started at LT but only played 11 snaps
Jaguars base front is 5-2 with Oluokun and Lloyd the stacked LB, and Allen and Walker the predominant edge players
Jaguars snaps of 5-2 versus Colts 11 personnel on 1st down and normal down and distance situations
Williams continued to be the nickel slot corner for the Jaguars – Through 6 games Jaguars have been a 100% nickel sub defense playing no snaps of dime
Jaguars a predominant single high safety defense with Cisco the post safety and Jenkins the box safety, Griffin the left corner and Campbell the right corner
Pittman 15 yards on 3rd + 7 on second possession came out of 11 3x1 with bunch to the field versus Jaguars cover 1 behind 5 man pressure, Pittman from #1 in the bunch ran the shallow crosser underneath Campbell and Woods with corner Griffin from off coverage trailing – Well-designed 3rd down concept versus man coverage
Key and Smoot continued to line up both outside and inside in the Jaguars nickel fronts, They predominantly were the inside pass rushers on 3rd down with Allen and Walker the outside rushers
Pierce was the boundary x in 11 3x1 sets and he showed the off the ball quickness and hand usage to defeat press man coverage
Colts have not featured play action as a foundation of their pass game, Higher percentage of play action has come with Ryan in the shotgun - Ryan was efficient versus Jaguars: 7-10 for 57 yards
Ryan through 6 games the second most blitzed QB (5 or more rushers) in the NFL and while he has had some success versus pressure he has been sacked 9 times (second most in the league behind Fields)
Jaguars blitzed Ryan 18 of his 58 drop backs and they did not sack him, Ryan was outstanding versus blitz against the Jaguars: 13-18 for 166 yards and all 3 of his TD
Running back Jackson was a factor as a receiver both on swing passes out of the backfield and in the screen game
Rookie LB Lloyd struggled in coverage in this game both in zone and man matching up to the TE, When the Jaguars went cover 1 robber out of nickel Lloyd was the TE matchup
Granson 17 yards on 3rd + 7 on first 3rd quarter possession another well-designed man beater concept out of 11 1x3 set, Jaguars cover 1 robber out of nickel: Mesh with Granson one of the shallow crossers versus Lloyd who was slow to react and then had to work underneath Campbell’s shallow crosser
Pittman 18 yards on 2nd + 10 in the 2nd quarter came out of 11 1x3 nub versus Jaguars cover 8 with halves to the field and quarters to the boundary, Well-designed 3 man route concept to the boundary that got Pittman on his shallow crosser from #2 to trips into the void in the coverage with run after catch
Jaguars 4 man DL pass rush was not a factor versus Colts OL – This was the best the Colts OL pass protected all season
Woods has become a big factor in the red zone for the Colts with his size and hands: 10 yard TD early in the 4th quarter came out of 11 empty bunch with Woods fade from point position behind Pittman natural pick, Ryan excellent back shoulder throw – Jaguars cover 1 with Lloyd matched on Woods
Ryan beat Jaguars blitz on Pittman 15 yards on 3rd + 10 and he made a great throw to Pierce for 32 yard game winning TD versus 5 man DL pressure, Jaguars cover 1 on both plays with Griffin getting beat in off coverage on the first play and then getting beat in press man on the TD
Ryan was outstanding on 3rd down versus Jaguars: 11-14 for 135 yards and 2 TD, Jaguars rushed 5 on 5 of Ryan 14 3rd down drop backs and Ryan was 4-5 for 66 yards and 2 TD with all 4 completions resulting in 1st downs and TD
SEAHAWKS OFFENSE VERSUS CARDS DEFENSE
Cards nickel had Wilson at left corner and Hamilton at right corner with Murphy the slot corner, Collins and Niemann were the LB
Cards at times in their 3rd down nickel featured Simmons and Collins in double mug look, They rarely blitz almost always dropping into coverage; Seahawks took advantage on first possession with direct snap to Walker who ran into the A gap with Simmons and Collins retreating: 17 yards
Simmons did not play in the base 5-2 defense, Collins was one of the stacked LB with Vallejo getting most of the snaps versus Seahawks 12 and 13 personnel
Vallejo was the stacked LB with Collins in the base 5-2 front, Neimann was predominantly the LB with Collins in the 4-2 nickel front but Simmons also snaps in the 4-2 nickel with Collins
There were base defense 5 man fronts with Collins on the ball on the edge, with Vallejo and Gardeck the stacked LB; Gardeck played both on the ball and off the ball in the base defense
Simmons continued to be used as the nickel slot corner with Murphy and Wilson outside in normal down and distance situations
Walker has outstanding lateral agility and quickness and explosiveness, He has sudden cutting ability in confined space and the quickness to make unblocked second and third level defenders miss in space: 34 yards in the 1st quarter a great example
Walker showed outstanding stop-and-start and re-acceleration burst, He also showed the quickness to make sharp decisive cuts and excellent contact balance and strong finishing traits
16 of Walker 21 rushes came out of 12 and 13 personnel, for 82 yards – Seahawks through 6 games have been in 12 and 13 personnel more than 43% of their offensive snaps
Seahawks continued to feature play action boot with Smith under center, It has been a foundation of the passing game – Smith overall play action numbers off the charts: 46-56 for 497 yards and 3 TD; A good mix of conventional shotgun with Smith under center, in the shotgun and the pistol
What continues to stand out with Smith is he has been decisive with his reads and throws, He has also been decisive in deciding to pull the ball down and run
Cards continued to play zone as their coverage foundation, Through 6 games they have played among the lowest percentage of cover 1 of any team in the NFL (less than 20% of QB drop backs)
Seahawks showed 2x2 wide spread formation in the 3rd quarter with each pair of receivers outside the numbers, Seahawks also snaps with 5 man surface out of 13 personnel: Metcalf 17 yards on first play of the 4th quarter came out of 13 personnel with 5 man surface
What also has stood out with Smith through 6 game has been his precise ball placement, He has been putting the ball right on his receivers
RT Lucas was beaten by Thomas for sack of Smith on 3rd + 6 in the high red zone in the 1st quarter, Cards 4 man DL rush out of nickel; Thomas powerful one arm stab drove back Lucas into the pocket
Gardeck and Collins were deployed as movable chess pieces in the Cards nickel fronts, They are both versatile players who can rush the QB from different alignments
Golden sack on 3rd + 7 in the low red zone in the 3rd quarter resulted from mirrored T/E stunts out of 4 man DL, LG Lewis went too far outside with Allen opening the B gap for Golden
All 5 of Smith sacks came on 3rd down with the last coming from Cards 5 man front and Sanders beating LT Cross resulting in sack by Collins, Sanders showed power on contact and got Cross turned opening the edge
