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 TEXANS DEFENSE
Kirksey and Harris continued to be the Texans nickel LB with King the slot corner – Texans do not play dime
Stingley predominantly lined up over Brown when Brown was outside, It was not a pure man-to-man matchup given the amount of zone coverage the Texans play
Second 3rd down (3rd + 8) on Eagles first possession Texans went 3-3-5 nickel with LB Cashman the third LB and they blitzed – It was the start of a high percentage blitz game for the Texans defense
Goedert 16 yards on 3rd + 8 on first possession came on a well-schemed cover 2 beater with Goedert corner route behind the corner and outside the safety – Texans used Addison as spy on Hurts
Brown 31 yards to start Eagles second possession came versus Texans nickel blitz with Kirksey the fifth rusher off the DL slant, Texans rotated to 2 shell coverage and the middle was wide open on the in-breaker
Smith 22 yards on 1st + 10 on second possession beat another Texans blitz: Kirksey got in clean as second level blitzer and Hurts had to deliver the ball with B gap pressure bearing down on him, Excellent throw by Hurts on the crosser to Smith
Sanders 25 yards on 1st + 10 on third possession came on wham concept with Goedert wham block on 1-technique DT Lopez
Goedert 15 yards on 2nd + 5 on third possession came on conventional screen to the field off gap scheme run action to the boundary – Well-designed concept
Gainwell continued to show that he was a tough inside runner who could grind out hard earned yards, 4 yard TD to end third possession another example
Texans in 3-3-5 nickel at the end of the 1st half deployed Cashman as a spy on Hurts; Goedert 21 yards on final 1st half possession another schemed cover 2 beater with Goedert again running the corner route in the outside void in the coverage, Texans 3 man pass rush with Cashman the spy
Eagles take advantage of Kelce mobility in the run game with fold/pull concept that gets Kelce on the move with room behind the OG down block, They run it to the nose shade side of the defensive front so the down block can be executed effectively
Murray played snaps at strong safety and Stewart snaps at free safety for the Texans, Reeves-Maybin and Hansen some snaps at LB in the Texans nickel
Brown 17 yard TD on 2nd + 10 in the 3rd quarter came out of 12 closed boundary twins to the field with Smith stacked behind Brown to the twins side, Texans cover 3 out of base; Well-designed route concept to the boundary with Goedert vertical release attacking and holding down corner Nelson and Brown over route crossing the face of post safety Owens behind Nelson – Scheme beat the coverage
There were too many voids in the Texans zone coverage concepts, It was especially the case in cover 3 and cover 2; Too many pitch and catch throw for Hurts
Eagles featured no huddle tempo at different points throughout the game, They used it selectively
Eagles have been effective this season (especially in short to medium yardage situations and red zone) with zone read/inside zone/split flow action and the split flow TE then releasing into the flat – Goedert 4 yard TD came on that concept
Hurts did not have to throw much on 3rd down versus Texans, He had only 4 3rd down drop backs going 3-3 for 48 yards with a sack
Texans rushed 5 on 16 of Hurts 33 drop backs, That was their highest percentage of the season – Hurts outstanding versus blitz: 11-13 for 119 yards and TD, He was sacked twice
TEXANS OFFENSE VERSUS EAGLES DEFENSE
Texans second snap came out of 12 personnel, Eagles did not play in a 5 man front but rather went 4-2 nickel with Edwards and White the stacked LB; They aligned in an over front with Hargrave the 3-technique and Cox the 2-technique to the weak side
Eagles 5-2 front on fourth play of first possession versus Texans 21 personnel, Tuipolotu was the 0-technique with Davis on IR
Eagles also went 5-2 front versus 12 personnel on the fifth play, Again it was Tuipulotu at 0-technique
Wilson also snaps at 0-technique/nose shade in the 5 man base front with Tuipulotu getting snaps at 3-technique/4i
Eagles went dime on Texans first 3rd down (3rd + 5), Wallace was the dime safety; They went 4-1-6 dime with White the only LB
Texans started second possession in 13 personnel and the Eagles matched up in nickel – Was this a function of Davis being out?
Eagles again went dime on 3rd + 11 on Texans second possession White again was the only LB; They played cover 4 behind 4 man DL pass rush
Hargrave sack on 3rd + 9 to end Texans third possession came out of 4-1-6 dime: 4 man DL pass rush with cover 4 boundary lock behind it
Eagles first snap of 5-1 base nickel came on first play of Texans fourth possession, Wilson was the nose shade with Edwards the stacked LB
Pierce 36 yards came on 1st + 10 late in the 2nd quarter out of 12 personnel with Mills in the shotgun, Eagles 5-1 base nickel front with Wilson the 0-technique flanked by Cox and Hargrave, Counter strong to the 2 TE side of the formation and it was well-blocked play side with Pierce then showing his open field ability and contact balance
Wilson had some strong snaps at 0-technique/nose shade both in the run game and as an inside pass rusher, It was his pass rush that forced Mills out of the pocket on Moore 13 yard TD
Edwards continued to show he can play in pass coverage, On the first play of the 3rd quarter he ran with Howard on drag wheel and made a play on the ball (Pass was a little underthrown but it was still an impressive play)
Gardner-Johnson interception on 3rd + 6 to end second possession of 3rd quarter came out of 4-2 nickel, 4 man DL pass rush with cover 4 behind it; RT Howard major assignment bust allowing DE Graham a clean run at Mills who tried to make a second reaction play that he is not really capable of
There are snaps versus multiple TE sets in which the Eagles in their base 5-2 front will align White on the ball on the edge in what becomes a 6-1 front, They did that versus Texans 12 personnel later in the 3rd quarter
Texans 8 consecutive runs on 3rd quarter FG drive most of the runs coming out of multiple TE sets versus Eagles 5-2 base front
Mills missed TD to Akins on 3rd + 9 in the high red zone, Akins open in the middle seam versus Eagles split safety and Mills did not turn it loose, Mills came off Akins too soon (?) and then lost the integrity of the play structure
Hargrave first snap at 0-technique in 5-1 base nickel came on first play of Texans first 4th quarter possession, Up to this point it had been Tuipulotu and Wilson but now it was a pass rush situation with the Texans trailing by 2 scores
Hargrave sack on 3rd + 10 in the 4th quarter came out of 4-2 nickel cover 1 behind 4 man DL pass rush, Hargrave power rush drove back rookie LG Green into the pocket
Eagles rarely rush second level LB in their 4-2 nickel, They are a foundational DL pass rush defense in both their 4 man DL fronts and 5 man DL fronts
Maddox hurt in the 4th quarter and the Eagles nickel down the stretch was big nickel with safety Wallace the fifth defensive back
Hargrave sack late in the 4th quarter in the high red zone came out of 5-1 nickel, Hargrave was the 1-technique and he beat OC Quessenberry off the snap
Eagles selective with their man coverage concepts versus Texans, They predominantly played zone coverage concepts
Pierce versus Eagles 5 man run front with Tuipulotu/Wilson as 0-technique/nose shade: 17-109; Pierce versus 4 man DL front: 10-36 yards
COMMANDERS OFFENSE VERSUS VIKINGS DEFENSE
Vikings continue to be a 5-2 base front (often reduced) with Kendricks and Hicks the stacked LB
Z. Smith and Wonnum continued to line up inside in the Vikings 3rd down nickel fronts, Vikings played both 5-1 nickel with Kendricks the LB and 4-2 nickel with Kendricks and Hicks the LB
Samuel continued to be the moveable chess piece in the Commanders offense lining in multiple locations including offset in the backfield and the I back in the pistol formation – 16 yards to start second possession came from offset alignment in the backfield with Gibson, Split flow inside zone run
RT Lucas continued to struggle in one-on-one pass protection, Hunter sack on second play of second possession came on play action flood concept
Second reaction movement both throwing and running important parts of Heinicke’s game and must be accounted for by defenses
Vikings continued to show 5 man nickel front snaps with Z. Smith (and at times Jones) a stand up 0-technqiue/1-technique and Hicks on the ball on the edge
Both Commanders OT – Leno at LT and Lucas at RT – have struggled throughout the season with one-on-one pass rush, Those are matchups opposing defenses look to exploit with their front looks on 3rd down – Hunter sack on 3rd + 6 with 7:00 minutes remaining, He beat RT Lucas off the edge
Dantzler injured in the 2nd quarter, Rookie Evans replaced him at right corner opposite Peterson at left corner
Interior of the Commanders OL – OC Larsen and LG Norwell and RG Turner – have not been good enough as run blockers and that has prevented the running game from developing any consistency
Gibson is the Commanders receiving back and he will line up in multiple locations within the formation in addition to being used as the motion receiver
Commanders offense had no rhythm to it in the 1st half, They could not generate any run game (Gibson 7-23, Robinson 4-15) which left them in some long yardage 3rd down situations and they were only 1-6 on 3rd down conversions
Samuel 49 yard TD came on a poor decision by Heinicke and it would have been an interception if safety Bynum didn’t run into the official, Heinicke had McLaurin wide open on the dig but he just threw it up with no definition – LT Leno beat to the inside which forced Heinicke to have to move
Heinicke plays with mental and physical toughness and high-level competitiveness but he walks a fine line between aggressiveness and recklessness, Heinicke will stand and deliver in the face of pressure: McLaurin 15 yards on dig ball on 2nd + 10 on second 3rd quarter possession
TE Rogers is an intriguing player, He is a former QB with excellent movement traits who can be used in different ways including jet sweeps
Vikings continued to be multiple with their alignments in their nickel fronts: Smith, Wonnum, Hunter and Jones all snaps on the outside and inside
Milne 6 yard TD on 2nd + 5 early in the 4th quarter came on an outstanding pivot route from reduced split to the boundary
Smith interception on 2nd + 11 in the 4th quarter came out of nickel cover 3, Heinicke first looked to Milne on the pivot route which was wide open and clearly thought the coverage was different because he immediately came off it and threw to Thomas on the dig; Heinicke overthrew Thomas and Smith was sitting in the deep middle
One area the Commanders have struggled is 3rd down, Their conversion rate of 34% is in the bottom third of the NFL; Heinicke only 13-24 for 118 yards on 3rd down with only 7 1st downs on those 24 attempts
VIKINGS OFFENSE VERSUS COMMANDERS DEFENSE
Vikings continued to be a high percentage 11 personnel offense, Through 8 games they have been in 11 personnel almost 80% of their offensive snaps
Johnson was the Commanders slot corner in their nickel and dime sub packages, Davis and Bostic were the nickel LB
Forrest was the dime safety with Davis the dime LB, Commanders played 26 snaps of dime versus the Vikings
Commanders continued to play 5-1 big nickel as their base defense, Ridgeway was the 1-technique/nose shade in that 5 man DL front
Commanders went big nickel versus Vikings 21 personnel and 12 personnel and at times 11 personnel depending on down and distance; Versus 12 personnel their big nickel was 4-2-5 (Vikings only 7 snaps of 12 personnel)
Commanders predominantly lined up St. Juste on Jefferson, St. Juste did not match up man-to-man on a high percentage of snaps – St. Juste had been the left corner with Fuller the right corner prior to Vikings game
Bostic was the middle hole defender when the Commanders played cover 2 out of nickel, Commanders snaps of 2 man out of dime o n3rd down
Jefferson 4 catches on Vikings opening possession with 2 coming versus St. Juste man coverage: 17 yards on back shoulder fade on 3rd + 1, 9 yard TD on corner route when he high-pointed the ball on a great ball placement throw by Cousins
Commanders on 3rd and long out of dime showed a 3 under-3 deep concept behind 5 man pressure that had a robber look to it - Davis used as fifth rusher at times in dime
Commanders continued to show loaded fronts out of dime, They featured multiple stunt concepts from that front
Thielen 36 yards late in the 1st half came on big-time throw by Cousins: 11 1x4 empty set with Thielen #2 to quads, Commanders out of dime went cover 3 with boundary lock on Hockenson; Thielen deep over on top of hook-to-curl defender Curl who had eyes on underneath crosser by Osborn
Johnson interception late in the 1st half was the result of excellent man coverage by St. Juste on Jefferson vertical route, St. Juste located the ball late and made a play
Hockenson was a factor in the Vikings passing game versus both man and zone coverage; 13 yards on 3rd + 6 on first 3rd quarter possession showed his route running savvy at the top of his route stem to create separation from slot corner Johnson
Commanders played high percentage conventional nickel and dime versus Vikings, They played 63 snaps of sub defense with slot corner Johnson playing 50 snaps
Jefferson 47 yards on 3rd + 7 in the 4th quarter was Cousins best throw of the game: 11 empty set with Jefferson slot to twins versus Commanders lurk-robber zero concept (no deep safety but McCain was a free player) out of dime, Jefferson slot fade got on top of St. Juste and Cousins hit as he delivered laid the ball out with precise placement to Jefferson
Cook 12 yard TD reception on 2nd + 10 in the 4th quarter came out of 11 1x3 with Cook offset to the boundary, Commanders out of dime played an umbrella shell coverage matching routes; Cook ran out-and-up with Curl matching, Big-time throw by Cousins and a great one-handed catch by Cook
Commanders featured multiple stunt concepts out of different front alignments and they were effective generating pressure on Cousins
Commanders selective with pressure versus Vikings, They rushed 5 or more (3 snaps of zero) on 14 of Cousins 42 drop backs; 13 of those 5 man pressures came out of nickel
Cousins effective on 3rd down: 7-12 for 122 yards with 5 of those completions resulting in 1st downs, He was blitzed 5 times on 3rd down and sacked once
BILLS OFFENSE VERSUS JETS DEFENSE
Bills opened the game in 21 personnel and motioned Diggs across the formation to get free access on vertical route versus Gardner, Jets cover 3 out of base; Diggs ran by Gardner and Allen hit him for 42 yards
Bills played 10 snaps with 6 OL personnel, Hart was the sixth OL; First time they went 6 OL they ran an RPO: Diggs 13 yards on quick slant from the slot versus slot corner Carter
Bills played 9 snaps of 21 personnel with Gilliam the fullback, Gilliam lined up in multiple locations within the formations
Jets snaps of big nickel versus 21 personnel, Parks was the third safety with Whitehead and Joyner
Jets only played 4 snaps of dime with Echols the dime corner, Jets showed loaded fronts out of dime and nickel
Pass protection an issue for the Bills against the Jets DL, One subtle example came on 2nd + 4 from +31 yard line on second possession: Play action with Diggs wide open on sail route but before Diggs route fully developed Allen saw Rankins clean in the A gap and knew he did not have time to wait that extra beat for Diggs, Allen threw the check down to Knox for -1 yard
Gardner did not match up to or travel with Diggs but versus the Bills he played both left corner and right corner
Rankins sack-forced fumble in the high red zone also prevented a TD, Bills Pony package with Cook wheel route to the boundary getting on top of safety Whitehead who had eyes on Singletary in the boundary flat off run action
This was one of those games in which Allen did not see things as clearly as he normally does, He left some clean throws on the field either going to another receiver or leaving the pocket
Bills ran wham-trap concept on 2nd quarter TD drive: Singletary 4 yards; TE Morris wham block on 3-technique Thomas and RG Bates trap block on 2i Shepherd
Bills went no huddle on 93 yard TD drive in the 2nd quarter, It was not tempo as much as Allen controlling the game at the LOS
Allen 36 yard TD on 3rd + 2 to end 93 yard TD drive in the 2nd quarter came out of 11 1x3 nub with Singletary motion from the boundary to the field, Allen sweep to the boundary behind pulling OL Morse and Saffold where the Jets defense was at its weakest from a numbers standpoint
Williams sack on Bills first play of the 3rd quarter resulted from early in the down coverage, Allen looked to Diggs off motion but he was jammed off the LOS by Gardner; Allen then looked inside but Williams push on OC Morse squeezed the pocket and resulted in a sack
Jets pass rush resulted in Allen playing a little fast at times, He was not as patient in the pocket as we have seen; Overall the Bills pass game was a little out of synch and Allen was at times a little out of synch
Bills got Cook more involved in the offense both as a runner and receiver, My sense is that needs to continue given that Cook has more juice than Singletary and is a better overall receiver who can detach from the formation
3rd + 9 from +33 yard line early in the 4th quarter Bills went 11 empty with Hines slot to twins inside of Davis, Jets out of nickel matched up man-to-man to the boundary with safety Joyner press man on Hines; Bills play design was Hines wheel route off Davis natural rub but Joyner got underneath the rub and ran with Hines stride-for-stride, Allen overthrew Hines
There may have been 2 snaps in the entire game in which Gardner lined up over Diggs, That matchup did not happen as many thought it would
Huff beat RT Quessenberry for sack-forced fumble on Bills final possession, Allen was throwing to Davis on the left sideline and it likely would have been completion near midfield with Davis able to step out of bounds
Bills only gained 317 yards of total offense averaging 5.2 yards per play, The stat that doesn’t fit was they were 8-13 on 3rd down but that was misleading with Allen only 3-7 for 28 yards on 3rd down
Jets relied almost exclusively on 4 man DL pass rush, They did not blitz much at all; Rookies Johnson and Clemons did not play many snaps but they made an impact
CHARGERS OFFENSE VERSUS FALCONS DEFENSE
Chargers WR in 11 personnel were Palmer, Carter and Bandy; Both Allen and Williams injured and inactive
Falcons nickel had Hall and Armstrong as the outside corners with Oliver/Alford the slot corner, Walker and Evans were the nickel LB; Falcons played snaps of 3-3-5 nickel with Anderson the third LB
Falcons base front continued to be 5-2 with Walker and Evans the stacked LB, They played that front versus 12 personnel T
Falcons also played a 4-3 front with Anderson the third LB, That front they predominantly played on 1st down and normal down and distance situations versus 11 personnel
Rookies a significant part of the Falcons defensive front: Ebiketie and Malone snaps on the edge, Anderson snaps at LB in multiple packages
Rookie Salyer continued to be the LT for the Chargers, Pipkins continued to be the RT; Rookie RG Johnson struggled with the first T/E stunt the Falcons ran, He did not show needed accelerated vision and DE Ogundeji was clean as the looper to Herbert
When the Falcons went cover 1 out of nickel versus Chargers 11 personnel both safeties Hawkins and Grant snaps in which they matched up on TE Everett
Palmer 25 yards on 3rd + 15 in the 2nd quarter came out of 11 1x3 set versus Falcons 4 man zone exchange pressure out of 3-3-5 nickel with slot corner Alford the fourth rusher and a simulated blitz cover 2 concept behind it; Herbert climbed the pocket and hit Palmer on the dig, Chargers dagger with hi-low concept created the void in the middle
Foundation of Chargers pass game is quick timing and rhythm, Herbert focus is 3 step and 5 step drops with the ball coming out
Falcons DC Pees continued to feature disguise and late movement/rotation to get to zone coverage concepts especially cover 2 with multiple middle hole defenders, Pass rush was both 4 man DL and 4 man zone exchange concepts
Falcons higher percentage single high (cover 1, cover 3, snaps of cover 1 robber) than they are split safety, In cover 1 robber out of nickel versus 11 personnel LB Walker was the TE matchup
Every time I watch the Falcons defense I come away impressed with rookie LB Andersen, He is long and athletic with excellent play speed and he showed some physicality taking on blocks in the run game
Carter 23 yards on 3rd + 5 late in the 2nd quarter came on a big-time throw by Herbert, Falcons out of nickel played a man-zone combination coverage with a robber element and Herbert’s throw to Carter on the sit route on the hash beat the robber Hawkins
Rookie Spiller first meaningful action of the season for the Chargers, He was featured as an inside runner which is his strength; What stood out was Spiller in pass protection taking on blitzing LB Andersen and stoning him
Palmer 21 yards on 2nd + 8 from the +30 yard line in the 4th quarter came off split flow inside zone run action with jet motion by Carter outside of Palmer, Timing seam throw by Herbert that beat cover 3 post safety Grant with Carter outside release holding corner Armstrong
Herbert is a methodical measured QB who consistently executes within the timing and structure of the pass game, Some might say there is a robotic mechanical feel to his play but he efficiently delivers the ball with timing and precise ball location to the right receiver at the right time
Palmer 22 yards to set up winning FG came out of 11 1x3 set versus Falcons nickel cover 1, Palmer #3 to trips with Armstrong matched in press; Palmer beat Armstrong off the LOS and ran away from him on his crosser/over route, Herbert delivered a good ball
Falcons pass defense foundation versus Chargers was coverage not pressure, They only rushed 5 on 5 of Herbert’s 44 drop backs and they did not sack him
BUCS OFFENSE VERSUS RAMS DEFENSE
Bucs went empty out of 00 personnel (5 WR) on first possession, It was the only time they played that personnel in the game - Bucs 4 snaps of 10 personnel
Rams played 41 snaps of nickel and 26 snaps of dime versus the Bucs, Bucs do not present any viable running game at this point
Rams pass defense foundation was coverage, They only rushed 5 on 10 of Brady 59 drop backs and they only sacked Brady once; Rams did feature some 4 man zone exchange pressure concepts, Wagner often the fourth rusher
When Ramsey lined up outside in nickel Hill was the slot corner with Kendrick the other outside corner; Long was the fourth corner in dime and he played outside with Kendrick, Ramsey played inside in dime
Brady effectively worked the boundary on the Bucs first possession: Jones 19 yards, Evans 13 yards on 3rd + 6; Evans 13 yards came from boundary x alignment versus Ramsey in off coverage zero man
Ramsey some snaps of press man versus Evans when Evans lined up at boundary x on the back side of trips but it was not a defining matchup of the game
Rams continue to show loaded fronts predominantly on 3rd down out of dime, Donald lined up in multiple positions including wide 9 opposite the load – Donald sack on 4th + 2 in the 3rd quarter came from wide 9 alignment, Speed-to-power versus LT Smith
Rams featured a lot of stunt concepts from different front alignments, They put a lot of pressure on OL cohesion and adjustment
Rams at times will line up in 5-1 nickel fronts with Wagner the only LB, That front almost always dictates one-on-one pass protection especially inside
Brady continued to get rid of the ball so quick, I don’t know whether he doesn’t trust his OL but he does not get to late in the down throws in the pocket
Ramsey in the 4th quarter matched up to Ramsey on selected down and distance/field location snaps
Bucs got the ball with :44 remaining and no TOs, Rams played dime which put Ramsey inside in the Rams zone coverage concepts
Otton 28 yards to start winning drive came on a seam throw versus split safety zone coverage, It was Ramsey’s responsibility to carry the seam
Rams went nickel with :19 remaining putting Ramsey outside, He lined up over Miller (not Evans) and gave Miller an 11 yard cushion with the ball on the +14 yard line
Otton 1 yard TD to win the game came out of tight bunch to the boundary versus Rams man coverage, Safety Scott was matched on Otton but he had his eyes in the backfield and was late to Otton on the flat route
Brady numbers versus blitz through 9 games: 45-70 for 475 yards with 5 TD and 0 interceptions with 3 sacks, Only 34% of drop backs versus blitz have resulted in 1st downs
Rams continued to be a high percentage zone coverage defense, They have played the lowest percentage of cover 1 in the NFL through 9 weeks averaging about 7 snaps of cover 1 per game
Rams defense from a coverage standpoint is a soft coverage zone heavy defense that rarely challenges receivers off the ball, They have a high traits man corner in Ramsey who doesn’t play many snaps of man coverage
Brady more 3rd down drop backs than any QB in the NFL, Bucs do not have a run game that can work on 3rd and 4 or fewer so defenses can play pass on all 3rd downs
RAMS OFFENSE VERSUS BUCS DEFENSE
Rams continued to be a high percentage 11 personnel offense, 94% of their offensive snaps this season have come out of 11 personnel which is the highest percentage in the NFL
Dean and Davis the outside corners for the Bucs with Murphy-Bunting the slot corner, Neal and Edwards were the safeties
Rams went empty on first 3rd down (3rd + 5), Bucs matched up in cover 1; Rams still feature empty sets this season with no offense in the NFL using more empty sets on 3rd down than the Rams
Stafford good success out of empty on 3rd down: 22-33 for 242 yards with TD and no interceptions, He has only been sacked twice
LB David was the matchup on Higbee when the Bucs went cover 1 out of nickel – Bucs played 51 snaps of nickel versus Rams with only 1 snap of dime
Vea sack on 2nd + 10 on Rams second possession came out of 4 man DL pass rush with cover 3 behind it, Vea beat LG Evans in one-on-one matchup – LG Evans has been an issue in pass protection, He has slow feet and he turns his body too quickly to the sideline
Kupp 69 yard TD on 2nd + 11 early in the 3rd quarter came out of 11 empty with Kupp the slot to twins versus Bucs nickel cover 3 with safety Neal the flat defender to the boundary and Neal the boundary corner aligned over Higbee; Kupp ran the seam and with Davis playing man technique on Higbee he was not in position to react to Kupp, Great job by Stafford manipulating post safety Edwards and delivering the ball with precise placement just as Vea drove back Evans into him
Bucs matched up to 3rd down empty with cover 1 at times rushing 3 and dropping both edge players into underneath zones to take away the short in-breaking routes
Stafford missed some things in this game, He is not processing as quickly as he has done throughout his career; Second play of 3rd quarter was a great example: Kupp wide open on vertical sideline route versus cover 2 that could have been a 54 yard TD, Stafford climbed the pocket and did not turn it loose instead throwing a hurried incompletion into the flat
Bucs continued to show loaded fronts on 3rd down out of nickel, They featured multiple stunt concepts from that front
Henderson consecutive zone runs on first possession of 3rd quarter in which he showed both cutback ability and the vision and awareness to cut off second level blocks
Kupp 34 yards on 2nd + 7 late in the 3rd quarter came out of 3x1 set off Skowronek motion across the formation, Bucs cover 3 behind 4 man zone exchange pressure with White the fourth rusher and Tryon the flat defender to the boundary; Conventional play action boot throwback with Stafford boot right and Kupp the deep over away from Stafford, Play concept got Kupp running his route against post safety Edwards
Rams offense lacking explosive plays in the passing game, Stafford only 19 completions of 20+ yards which is the third fewest in the NFL
Rams 1st down run game has produced the second fewest yards in the NFL through 9 weeks, They also are in the bottom 5 in 1st down rush attempts and 1st down yards per rush (3.59)
Rams have not been able to run the ball on 1st down and they are not producing big plays in the passing game, Tough way to develop any offensive consistency
DOLPHINS OFFENSE VERSUS BEARS DEFENSE
Bears base 4-3 had rookie Sanborn at MIKE flanked by Morrow and Thomas, Johnson and Gordon continued to be the corners in the base defense
Waddle 17 yards on second play of the game was an outstanding throw by Tagovailoa versus split safety zone coverage, Dolphins empty set out of 21 personnel with Tagovailoa initially looking right then coming back left with coverage awareness and precise timing and ball placement
Dolphins 01 personnel on first 3rd down (3rd + 5) in 3x1 set with TE Smythe offset in the backfield, Bears showed 2 man pre-snap then rotated to cover 2 post-snap; Tagovailoa read the rotation and stayed within timing and structure to hit Sherfield on the skinny post 18 yards
Tagovailoa seeing things at a high level right now, both pre-snap and post-snap, and that is allowing him to play with a refined sense of timing and rhythm
Bears played 22 snaps of nickel and 7 snaps of dime, Gordon continued to move inside to the slot in the sub defenses with Jones on the outside with Johnson (Vildor hurt after playing 2 snaps); Houston-Carson was the dime safety
Morrow and Sanborn were the LB in the Bears sub nickel, Sanborn played in the base and nickel as the replacement for Smith
Hill 25 yards on 1st + 15 on second possession came out of 21 empty (game planned versus Bears?, One-third of Tagovailoa’s 29 empty drop backs have come out of 21 personnel), Bears cover 2 out of base with middle hole defender Sanborn opening to the trips side off the Ingold motion across the formation; Tagovailoa worked the hi-low to the boundary with Hill and Gesicki and made another precise ball placement throw to the inside away from corner Johnson
Dolphins continued to feature motion and play action as foundations of their offense, Waddle 26 yards on skinny post versus cover 3 on second possession another example: Sherfield orbit motion, power run action to the field, Waddle skinny from the boundary
Another element that consistently stands out with the Dolphins offense is misdirection, A lot of mental gymnastics for second level defenders
Hill 39 yards on 3rd + 6 late in the 2nd quarter came out of 11 3x1 bunch versus Bears dime 2 man, Well-designed man beater with Hill from #3 in the bunch wheel route off natural rub by Gesicki; Hill outstanding job showing patience on his delayed release setting up corner Johnson
Bears at times in their sub fronts will line up rookie edge rusher Robinson inside at DT to maximize 4 man DL pass rush
Waddle 18 yard TD to end first 3rd quarter possession came out of 21 1x3 set versus Bears base high red zone split safety zone, Tagovailoa play action boot left off sweep action right with the Dolphins flooding the zone to the boundary
Dolphins 21 snaps of 21 personnel versus the Bears but only 5 snaps of 12 personnel, They also played 5 snap of 22 personnel
Tagovailoa this season has thrown the ball 68 times out of 21 personnel, He has completed 51 for almost 11 yards per attempt
Tagovailoa is continuing to show a great feel for throwing into zone windows with outstanding anticipation and precise timing and ball placement, Hill 20 yards on second 3rd quarter possession another strong example
Wilson 10 yard TD reception on 3rd + 7 to end second possession came out of 11 2x2 with Wilson offset to the boundary, Bears went cover 1 out of nickel with LB Morrow matched on Wilson; Man beater concept with Gesicki inside release providing natural rub element on Morrow leaving Wilson open on out route out of the backfield
There were snaps depending on formation and route development in which the Bears out of split safety structure bracketed Hill and Waddle, 4th + 6 late in the 3rd quarter a vivid example forcing Tagovailoa to go to Gesicki well-covered by Houston-Carson
Dolphins offense gives a defense a lot to see and process and sort out and with the pass game so timing-based and rhythmic it is a tough assignment to take away those throws being the numbers and inside the hashes
Bears playing higher percentage zone coverage concepts versus the Dolphins, They had played a good amount of cover 1 this season but against Miami they went more zone with the obvious concern the matchups with Hill and Waddle and the extensive use of motion the Dolphins deploy
JUSTIN FIELDS VERSUS DOLPHINS DEFENSE
Howard and Kohou were the Dolphins outside corners, Crossen was the slot corner; Holland (every snap) and Rowe were the safeties, Campbell also snaps at safety with Holland
Igbinoghene also played snaps at outside corner with Kohou moving inside to the slot
Pettis 12 yards on 2nd + 3 on first possession good example of Bears evolving offense: Fields holding the mesh point with dual run option for the defense (Fields and the back) and Fields run action with a pass, Mental gymnastics for second level defenders
First 3rd and long (3rd + 10) Dolphins nickel front had Chubb and Ogbah the edge rushers with Phillips inside with Wilkins
Second 3rd and long (3rd + 8) Dolphins out of nickel went cover 1 with LB Tindall deployed as a spy, Fields had to move in response to Phillips driving back LG Whitehair into the pocket and he beat Tindall to run for 12 yards – Phillips again lined up inside with Chubb and Ingram the edge rushers
First three 3rd and long plays Phillips lined up inside at DT with Chubb and Ogbah/Ingram the edge rushers – Dolphins game plan tactic on 3rd and long was cover 1 out of nickel with Tindall as the spy on Fields
Kmet 18 yard TD on 1st + 10 on first play of the 2nd quarter came out of 21 personnel with Fields play action boot right to the boundary, Dolphins cover 1 with safety Campbell matched on Kmet; Campbell got stuck with eyes on run action and dropped Kmet working across the field to the boundary flat
Fields 17 yards on 2nd + 8 in the 2nd quarter came on designed run from the shotgun with Fields flanked by both Montgomery and fullback Blasingame
Bears continued to feature multiple run game concepts with Fields, They are becoming more and more creative with their concepts and motions; That has become a foundation of their offense as Fields ideally continues to grow as a pocket QB
Bears featured run action and boot action with Fields at times using exaggerated mesh points to create misdirection and uncertainty in defensive reactions and quickly define the read and throw for Fields, Most of those concepts are no read
Mooney 16 yard TD on 3rd + 8 at 2:00 of the 1st half came out of 11 1x3 nub with Mooney #3 to trips, Dolphins stayed with 3rd down game plan of cover 1 behind 4 man DL rush with Phillips inside and Tindall the spy on Fields; Mooney slot fade versus Howard and Fields made an excellent throw with the pocket squeezed
Fields 61 yard TD on 3rd + 5 to end first 3rd quarter possession was first 3rd down of the game in which the Dolphins went zone out of nickel (cover 3) and did not spy Fields, Great example of where Fields is in his development: Bears ran mesh anticipating man coverage with the sit route behind it (zone beater element of mesh) and Mooney was wide open on the sit, Fields had time and space to deliver to Mooney but broke down and ran – What do you say to him as a coaching staff?
Dolphins more 5-1 nickel fronts in the 2nd half after featuring 4-2 nickel fronts in the 1st half, Phillips stayed outside in the 5-1 front
3rd + 18 on Bears possession after Fields 61 yard TD Dolphins went back to cover 1 behind 4 man DL rush with LB Riley the spy
Kmet 4 yard TD on 1st and goal in the 4th quarter came on well-designed concept out of 22 straight I, Iso lead run action with split flow element; Kmet excellent job holding play side block long enough to make Holland believe it was a run then he released into the flat for the easy TD
Fields 13 yards on 3rd + 7 in the 4th quarter came versus Dolphins cover behind 4 man DL rush with Phillips inside and Riley the spy
There was only one 3rd down in the game in which the Dolphins did not play cover 1 behind 4 man DL pass rush with Phillips inside at DT and either Tindall or Riley the spy and that was Fields 61 yard TD on the first 3rd down of the 3rd quarter
TITANS OFFENSE VERSUS CHIEFS DEFENSE
Sneed and McDuffie were the outside corners for the Chiefs in the base defense, Sneed moved inside as the slot corner with Williams outside in the sub defenses; Cook was the dime safety
Titans game planned personnel foundation was 13, They played 15 snaps of 13 personnel which was more than 31% of their overall offensive snaps
Willis 17 yards on 2nd + 6 on second possession came on zone read, There was no unblocked defender given the Chiefs front alignment and Willis easily got the edge
Henry 24 yards on second possession came out of 13 personnel with TE Rader the I formation fullback, Iso lead concept well blocked getting Henry to the third level where he ran away from safety Thornhill
TE Rader was featured as a fullback both in the straight I formation and offset, Rader along with Swain are the Titans blocking TE – Rader I formation fullback on Henry 1 yard TD to end third possession
Henry 56 yards to start third possession came out of 12 personnel versus Chiefs base 4-3 cover 4, Outside zone to the boundary blocked well play side with Brewer back side cut off and Daley back side reach block allowing Henry to cut inside against defensive flow
Hooper 18 yards on 2nd + 7 on third possession came out of 13 3x1 with all 3 TE to the field, Chiefs rushed 5 and went cover 1 out of base; Hooper from #2 to trips ran the fade and Willis made an outstanding back shoulder throw allowing Hooper to beat good coverage by safety Thornhill
Willis big-time throw to Conley on fade on 3rd + 9 late in the 2nd quarter but Conley could not hold on, Titans were in empty out of 11 personnel versus Chiefs 5 man pressure with cover 1 behind it
Haskins 5 yards on 3rd + 8 from -18 yard line on first possession of the 3rd quarter a strong reflection of where the Titans coaching staff is with Willis at this point given the strength of the defense, They are not ready to give Willis opportunities in situations where the defense has the tactical advantage
Willis poor ball placement throw to Okonkwo on crosser on first play after McCreary interception, Titans went shot play concept out of heavy personnel (6 OL/2 TE) with mirrored crossers off play action and Willis threw a strike too far out in front of Okonkwo
Overall Titans tried to get through second consecutive game with Willis without the QB being a factor as a passer – Another example was 3rd + 14 from -33 yard line on third 3rd quarter possession: They threw a screen to Haskins out of 1x4 empty set (2 yards)
2nd + 9 from +38 yard line with less than 11:00 remaining in the 4th quarter and an 8 point lead: Willis threw the fade to boundary x Westbrook-Ikhine when the safe and wide open y-stick to Hooper was there – Willis must continue to learn more about game situations and game management
3rd + 9 on the next play was a called screen to Hilliard for -4 yards, Again coaching staff did not want Willis to read progressions and make a throw
3rd + 8 with 2:13 remaining in the 4th quarter and the game tied 17-17: Willis straight drop out of gun with 4 individual isolation routes hooking up at the sticks versus man coverage, Hilliard blocking one-on-one versus Dunlap who sacked Willis
Titans only 1-11 on 3rd down conversions after being 4-12 last week versus Texans, They only gained 229 yards of total offense versus the Chiefs – Titans ran 48 offensive plays
PATRICK MAHOMES VERSUS TITANS DEFENSE
Titans game plan featured snaps of big nickel versus Chiefs 12 personnel: Kalu was the third safety with Byard and Adams; Kalu also played snaps in the nickel versus 11 personnel (Hooker did that before he was hurt)
Fulton the right corner in base, nickel and dime with McCreary the left corner in base and nickel; They both played every snap
Titans played snaps of conventional nickel with Mitchell at left corner opposite Fulton and McCreary the slot corner, They played some cover 1 out of it at times matching Byard on WR depending on Chiefs formation
Titans pressure foundation was 4 man DL pass rush, They did not blitz much at all; There were some 4 man zone exchange concepts but that is always part of the Titans pressure schemes – Titans can generate consistent pass rush with their 4 DL especially out of dime
Titans coverage foundation would be more zone than man versus Chiefs especially with Kalu playing significant snaps at slot corner in the sub nickel
Titans played 24 snaps of dime with Mitchell at left corner and McCreary the slot corner; Johnson was the third safety with Byard and Adams
On first 3rd down (3rd + 6) Titans went dime and they bracketed Kelce with Byard and Johnson as part of man coverage concept, Mahomes hit Hardman on the speed out off jet motion for 11 yards
Kelce 23 yards to start second possession came on a beautifully designed flood opposite concept that attacked the void in the Titans big nickel cover 3, Hardman jet motion opposite the flood caused the LB to bump and Long got caught and was therefore not in good position to react to Kelce on the crosser
Watson 31 yards on 3rd + 7 on second possession came out of 11 3x1 tight bunch to the field versus Titans dime man coverage with safety Adams in position to bracket Kelce who was #3 in the bunch; Mahomes wanted Kelce but came off him smoothly and went to Watson on the out-and-up versus Fulton, Good ball and good catch versus good coverage
Chiefs continue to feature Hardman in the red zone: Multiple alignments, multiple motions, multiple play concepts – 7 yard TD on 3rd + 5 to end second possession Hardman was offset in the backfield and caught the swing route off natural rub element by Kelce and Watson
Titans 3rd down game plan featured man coverage with bracket principles on Kelce, They also played cover 1 robber with Byard man-to-man on Kelce – Man was predominant coverage on 3rd down, Titans played a man concept on most of the Chiefs plays in the 2:00 at the end of the 1st half
Titans dime 4 man DL pass rush with Simmons and Autry inside consistently does a good job squeezing the pocket and closing it down
Titans limited Mahomes big plays in the passing game through much of the game, Mahomes did not make many downfield throws; Titans did an excellent job keeping the pass game in front of them
Mahomes missed one in the 3rd quarter: He had Hardman open on the deep over versus cover 2 but he did not process it and did not turn it loose from a clean pocket
One of the biggest plays of the game was Mahomes 20 yard scramble on 3rd + 17 in the middle of the 4th quarter, Titans rushed 4 and played a 4 across umbrella zone concept behind it; What was fascinating was Mahomes anticipated pressure and broke down in the pocket when it wasn’t there - Titans were leading 17-9 at the time
Mahomes missed another big play in the 4th quarter: Hardman wide open on the seam route off motion, Mahomes looked right at Hardman but it didn’t register and he threw the late check down to McKinnon
Mahomes 14 yard TD came on the next play after he missed Hardman, 3rd + 9 and Titans out of dime went man coverage with boundary safety Johnson cutting the crosser by Kelce opening the entire boundary side of the field
Titans defense had an outstanding game given the number of snaps they had to play, Their 4 man DL pass rush generated consistent pressure on Mahomes who was not comfortable on many snaps in the game and their mix of zone and man concepts was effective in making Mahomes have to mentally work after the snap
JAGUARS OFFENSE VERSUS RAIDERS DEFENSE
Jaguars significant snaps with multiple TE, That is a foundation of their offense; Against the Raiders they had 15 snaps of 12 personnel and 13 snaps of 13 personnel, That was more than 40% of their offensive snaps
Raiders continued to play big nickel versus 12 and 13 personnel, Abram (released after this game) was the third safety with Moehrig and Harmon
Ya-Sin left corner and Averett right corner were the outside corners for the Raiders, Robertson was the slot corner; Raiders dime had 3 corners and 3 safeties
Webb played snaps at right corner in big nickel and conventional nickel, Robey was the slot corner in the 2nd half
Deablo hurt on second play of the game, Martinez replaced him at LB with Perryman in the nickel
Kirk 23 yards on 1st + 10 on first possession was Lawrence longest completion of the game, It came out of 13 personnel off play action mini-boot left with throwback right versus Raiders big nickel cover 2
Lawrence gives the Jaguars offense the zone read game situationally, He is a good athlete with size and length and movement
Lawrence also can make second reaction runs and throws, That is a part of his game: 24 yard scramble late in the 1st half a great example in this game, Jones 11 yards on 3rd + 2 on second 3rd quarter possession another example
Raiders showed some double mug looks out of nickel with LB Perryman and Martinez aligned in the A gaps, That dictated the back step inside in pass protection
Z. Jones 22 yards on 1st + 10 in the 2nd quarter an excellent throw by Lawrence versus Raiders big nickel cover 3, He layered it beautifully over flat defender Abram with a firm touch throw
Jaguars had success working their pass game off outside stretch run action: Kirk 23 yards, Z. Jones 22 yards – Overall Lawrence 7-8 for 80 yards off play action
Lawrence 16 yard scramble on 3rd + 8 in the 2nd quarter beat Raiders defensive scheme that tactically won the down: Raiders double mug front out of nickel with slot corner Robertson unaccounted for as the edge blitzer, Lawrence avoided Robertson and saw space to his left – Big 3rd down conversion with Jaguars trailing 17-0 at the time
Raiders best sub 4 man DL pass rush front had Jones and Crosby at DE with Ferrell and Nichols inside at DT
Lawrence efficient execution of 1:00 offense at the end of the 1st half, It included his 24 yard scramble
Jaguars pass game timing and rhythm based in structure, Allow Lawrence to hit his back foot and deliver the ball; Let the pass game concepts present define reads and throws so he can deliver with confidence and conviction
Kirk 7 yard TD on 2nd and goal to end first 3rd quarter possession came out of 11 3x3 nub with Kirk #2 to trips, Robey was the slot corner for the Raiders and he blitzed matching safety Moehrig on Kirk; Lawrence read the blitz and changed the protection, Kirk excellent corner route separating from Moehrig at the top of his stem and Lawrence delivered with timing and ball location
Kirk 7 yard TD a great example of high-level red zone execution and that has been an issue for the Jaguars offense this season, Outstanding mental and physical execution by Lawrence
Raiders more 5-2 fronts versus multiple TE personnel in the 3rd quarter, Perryman and Martinez were the stacked LB
Arnold 19 yards on 2nd + 8 on second 3rd quarter possession result of great route concept breaking down cover 3: 4 strong stretching the coverage horizontally and creating levels vertically, Lawrence off pocket movement hit Arnold on the crosser and he was drilled by Ferrell right after he released the ball – Outstanding concept and big-time pressure throw by Lawrence
M. Jones 15 yards on 2nd + 11 from -8 yard line in the 4th quarter a big-time play by Lawrence, Outstanding pocket movement to avoid Perryman clean through A gap out of double mug front and then an outstanding off-balance throw with precise ball placement to Jones
Kirk 10 yards on 3rd + 4 with less than 5:00 remaining in the 4th quarter another confident throw by Lawrence with precise timing and ball placement, Kirk short out route from the slot versus Averett man coverage and Lawrence put it on him
Etienne 2 big runs on game sealing 4th quarter drive, Etienne ran hard inside and gained hard earned yards
Etienne was used as the closer when the Jaguars got the ball with 6:19 remaining in the 4th quarter and a 4 point lead, He had 5 runs as the Jaguars took more than 4 minutes off the clock
Lawrence efficient on 1st down versus Raiders: 11-13 for 105 yards – Combination of well-schemed passing game and Lawrence executing at a high level
