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.
BENGALS OFFENSE VERSUS RAVENS DEFENSE
Ravens did not game plan the Humphrey-Chase matchup but it happened throughout the game and as the game progressed into the 2nd half we saw it more and more
Second play of the game Ravens disguised both coverage and pressure out of 6 man front and brought Young as a blitzer off the slot as part of 5 man pressure with 3 under-3 deep behind, Burrow timing spot throw to Higgins on out cut for 11 yards – Bengals blew the protection but Burrow timing beat unblocked first level rusher Houston
Bengals featured WR shifts across the formation on each of first 3 plays, On the fourth play Boyd return motion from the slot
Stephens was again the Ravens dime safety, He was used in multi-dimensional ways playing on the back end and in the box
Ravens on first 3 plays matched up on the outside with Humphrey on Chase, and Averett on Higgins and played zone inside; On the fourth play (3rd + 8) Ravens went press man out of dime with field safety Elliott dropping down to bracket Boyd in the slot
Perine 23 yard reception on 3rd + 8 on first possession came versus Ravens dime 2 man with Elliott bracket on Boyd, Bengals protection first with Perine and Uzomah both offset in the backfield, When Perine showed protection Stephens green dogged adding in to the rush; Burrow avoided Oweh loop on E/T stunt and Perine slipped out of the backfield with Stephens caught up in the rush
Bengals shift on each of first 6 plays, 5 times with a WR crossing the formation and once with Boyd return motion
Bengals game plan featured protection first versus the Ravens multiple pressure front looks out of nickel and dime, 2 snaps versus Ravens dime on first possession with Perine and Uzomah in the backfield
Ravens pressure fronts on Bengals first possession including double mug out of dime, They featured blitz and stunts and hit Burrow several times
Burrow worked the Higgins-Averett matchup on the first possession with limited success, Higgins clear size advantage
Bengals continued with pre-snap movement on their second possession, It was clearly a game planned tactic to give Burrow information before the snap of the ball
Bengals went 12 personnel for the first time on their second possession; Ravens matched up with nickel but with different personnel, They had Smith at corner matched on Chase with Humphrey matched on Higgins
Second possession featured a nickel snap versus 11 personnel in which the Ravens went cover 1 and matched Averett on Chase, Smith on Higgins and Humphrey in the slot on Boyd; Smith also matched up on Chase in cover 1 versus 11 personnel: Chase 9 yards on a comeback
Smith played right corner when he was on the field so he would get Chase if Chase lined up on the left side of the offensive formation
Bynes and Board played snaps as the nickel LB with Board at times lined up on the ball on the edge as part of diamond front
Two tactics that were clearly game planned, one on each side: Bengals on 3rd down focused on protection with Perine and Uzomah in the backfield; Ravens on 3rd down out of dime bracketed Boyd in the slot
Another tactic that was game planned by the Bengals was the use of shifts and motions, They featured that on almost every snap out of 11 personnel in the 1st half and then did it selectively in the 2nd half; There were snaps in which the Ravens defense had communication and adjustment issues versus shifts
Bengals first empty set came on 2nd + 11 on their third possession, It came out of 11 personnel; Ravens out of nickel rushed 4 and played cover 1 behind it with Queen matched on the split Mixon
Ravens coverage foundation was cover 1 versus Bengals but they also featured disguise and late movement out of pressure front looks to get to zone coverage
Uzomah 55 yard TD on 1st + 10 on Bengals fifth possession came on their first snap of 13 personnel with Tate the only WR, Ravens matched up with their base personnel; Tate jet motion from the boundary to the field with outside zone run action to the boundary, Play action boot with Burrow pulling up due to pressure and Uzomah running the corner-post versus Humphrey in man coverage, Uzomah beat Humphrey and Burrow sliding to his left away from pressure put the ball right on him allowing for run after catch – A schemed shot play
Board was the LB in the Ravens sub dime, In 2 man/1 robber Stephens was the TE matchup versus 11 personnel; In cover 1 out of dime different defenders matched up on TE Uzomah depending on pressure and coverage call
Perine did an excellent job in blitz pickup throughout the game both re: recognition of where the pressure was coming from and execution of his blocks
Chase 26 yards late in 2nd quarter came out of 11 personnel with Chase the boundary x and Bengals again protection first with Perine and Uzomah in the backfield, Ravens out of dime disguised 2 man coverage out of initial double mug look with Humphrey press man on Chase; Chase won off the LOS and beat Humphrey on the in-breaker with run after catch
Ravens only snap of dollar (7 defensive backs) came on 3rd + 3 in the high red zone with :10 remaining in the 1st half, They played a 3 shell coverage and matched up man-to-man to all 5 receivers
Bengals had featured empty sets as a foundational formation through the first 6 games of the season, Against the Ravens only 2 snaps of empty with protection being the focus of the pass game versus the multiple pressure front looks
Humphrey end zone interception on 3rd and goal from the 16 early in 4th quarter came on Bengals second snap of empty, Ravens went zero for the first time in the game and Bowser clean off the back side edge forced Burrow to move and make an off-balance throw giving Chase a chance versus Humphrey
Chase 21 yards on first possession of 3rd quarter came out of 11 2x2 after Boyd shift to the field slot, Ravens out of nickel (with Smith at right corner) played cover 3; Bengals basic slant-flat to the field with Burrow reading flat defender Clark expanding and hitting Chase on the slant versus off coverage zone corner Averett, It was pitch and catch with Burrow knowing exactly what he had pre-snap
Uzomah 32 yard TD to end first possession of 3rd quarter was one of the few 11 personnel snaps in which the Bengals did not feature pre-snap movement, Ravens blew the coverage with safety Clark reading quick out to Boyd and dropping coverage on Uzomah
Chase 82 yard TD on 3rd + 2 to end second possession of 3rd quarter came out of 11 3x1 with Chase the boundary x (again no pre-snap movement) versus Ravens dime cover 1 with Humphrey press man on Chase, Bengals mirrored slant-flat combinations with Uzomah from #3 to trips the sit route right over the ball; Chase great route to widen Humphrey then get inside of him on the slant followed by outstanding run after catch
In the 2nd half the Humphrey-Chase matchup and the Averett-Higgins matchup was the Ravens tactic in man coverage out of dime, and some snaps of nickel
Higgins 11 yards on 3rd + 10 late in 3rd quarter again protection first with Perine and Uzomah in the backfield versus Ravens pressure front look, Higgins beat Averett on out route in Ravens 2 man coverage
Bengals more snaps of 12 personnel with 10 point lead in 4th quarter, 12 personnel was not game plan approach but score and game situation dictated more focus on run game in 4th quarter
Mixon 21 yard TD in 4th quarter was last of 4 consecutive runs on 4 play drive after Ravens turned it over on downs, All were zone runs
Perine 46 yard TD in middle of 4th quarter came out of 6 OL/2 TE personnel with closed boundary, It was outside zone to the field
Pressure and man coverage was the Ravens template on 3rd down out of dime, They consistently showed pressure fronts and press man coverage with a mix of disguise and late movement to zone coverage concepts – Ravens blitzed Burrow on 7 of his 10 3rd down drop backs and despite the 7 man protection Burrow was forced to break the pocket several times especially in the 1st half
1st down passing was critical versus Ravens: Burrow 10-14 for 192 yards and 2 TD on 1st down and Ravens rarely blitz on 1st down, 13 of those 14 attempts came out of 11 personnel with Uzomah 55 yard TD the only 1st down attempt that did not (in fact Uzomah TD was only Burrow drop back in the game that did not come out of 11 personnel)
What consistently stood out was Ravens blitz pressure was not a big factor in the game as the game progressed, Ravens protection first approach for the most part handled it and Burrow played with a refined sense of timing and rhythm
TITANS OFFENSE VERSUS CHIEFS DEFENSE
Fenton/Ward left corner and Sneed right corner were the outside corners in the Chiefs base defense, Sneed moved into the slot in the sub defenses; Gay and Bolton were the nickel LB with Niemann the dime LB and Sorensen the dime safety
Chiefs on 3rd down continued to feature 2 predominant coverages: cover 1 and cover 2; Those have been the 3rd down staples
DC Spagnuolo some different nickel personnel packages to try to get the Chiefs defense playing better: Niemann snaps in the nickel with Bolton, Sorensen snaps with Mathieu in the nickel
Brown 46 yards on 1st + 10 on second possession came out of 12 personnel with Brown plus split #1 to trips versus Chiefs base defense, Inside zone/duo run action with Brown go route versus Sneed; Great ball by Tannehill, TE Swain outstanding one-on-one block versus DE Danna
Brown 24 yard TD on 3rd + 7 to end second possession came out of 11 3x1 with Brown plus split #1 to trips versus Chiefs dime cover 1 behind 5 man pressure with Hughes press man on Brown; Tannehill threw to the one-on-one on the outside with a back shoulder throw and Hughes never located the ball, McNichols block on blitzing Sorensen
Foundation of Henry 1st down run game versus Chiefs was base personnel: 21, 12 and 13; Henry only 4 rushes out of 11 personnel on 1st down
Screen to Henry on 2nd + 11 in 2nd quarter, It went for 13 yards – I thought we would see more screens to Henry but it’s been once in a while and not foundational
Overall Henry only 18-49 out of base personnel, Chiefs base defense did an excellent job playing predominantly over fronts; Rookie LB Bolton continued to stand out as a run defender
OC Jones struggled with one-on-one blocks in the run game, That was one reason Henry had a number of runs stopped at the POA – Overall this was not one of the better efforts by the Titans OL in the run game
Brown 24 yards on 1st + 10 in 3rd quarter came out of 11 2x2 with Brown inside of Jones in stacked alignment versus Chiefs nickel cover 1 with Sneed matched on Brown, Outside zone run action with Brown in-breaker versus Sneed creating separation and run after catch; Tannehill took a look at boundary x Reynolds on the vertical route versus Hughes but had no definition so he came to Brown working across the field in his line of vision
What really stood out was how few 3rd and long plays the Titans had versus the Chiefs, They only had four 3rd downs in which they needed 7 or more yards; That allowed them to convert 8 of 12 on 3rd down
Chiefs aggressive with multiple pressure concepts throughout the game but they did not have impactful success: Tannehill 8-11 for 92 yards with 1 TD and 1 interception, He was sacked once
Titans were able to get through the game with Hart at LT after Lamm got hurt early in the 2nd quarter, Hart struggled both as a run blocker and in pass protection
Tannehill outstanding on play action versus the Chiefs: 8-9 for 165 yards with all 8 completions resulting in 1st downs – When the Titans offense is working the way it is designed Tannehill will have excellent play action passing numbers
PATRICK MAHOMES VERSUS TITANS DEFENSE
Jenkins left corner and Mabin right corner were the outside corners with Molden the slot corner, Farley was the dime safety
Titans played more snaps of dime and less cover 1 versus the Chiefs than they had through the first 6 games of the season, What we did see from the Titans on 3rd down was snaps of 1 robber with Byard the robber
Chiefs played almost the entire game out of 11 personnel, 62 of their 68 offensive snaps
First 3rd and long (3rd + 7) Dupree sack-forced fumble: Titans went 2 man out of dime behind a loaded front versus Chiefs 1x3 set with Kelce the boundary x and Hill #3 to trips, Cruikshank was the matchup on Kelce with Jenkins moving from left corner to the inside slot to trips; Mahomes no throw within timing and he felt front side speed-to-power rush of Autry and back side rush of Dupree who beat LT Brown off the edge
What we are seeing more and more of is defenses playing 2 man versus the Chiefs taking away the vertical throws, especially those throws to Hill when he is aligned #2 and #3 to trips
Mahomes still too much unnecessary movement not showing the needed patience in the pocket to work through progressions, Other times he is a beat slow to eliminate and isolate which also results in movement (Evans interception in the 2nd quarter) or getting stuck in the pocket
What’s interesting is Mahomes right now is not seeing things with clarity, He looks unsettled and tentative in the pocket; He is leaving too many throws within structure on the field
Cruikshank was the predominant matchup on Kelce in Titans dime when they went 2 man or 1 robber versus Chiefs 11 personnel
Titans snaps of loaded fronts and wide 9 fronts to attack the Chiefs OL, Wide 9 fronts effective with rushers generating speed and velocity off the edge putting a lot of stress on LT Brown and RT Remmers
Titans did not feature 5 man pressures, They showed some 4 man zone exchange pressures that predominantly featured Molden as the fourth rusher
Titans played significant snaps of split safety, featuring cover 2, cover 4/6/8 and 2 man; The objective was to take away the deep throws and make Mahomes be patient in the pocket
Titans defensive profile: sub defense with 40 snaps of nickel and 25 snaps of dime (only 3 snaps of base defense), 4 man pass rush with some zone exchange schemes, a good percentage of zone coverage concepts featuring split safety with some cover 1/1 robber
49ERS OFFENSE VERSUS COLTS DEFENSE
49ers game plan featured 21 personnel with fullback Juszczyk, the run game with some misdirection elements and play action boot; That was what we saw on their opening possession
Colts on the first 5 snaps of the game matched up with base 4-3 personnel to 49ers base personnel with Juszczyk; On the 49ers sixth offensive snap Colts went nickel versus 21 personnel and the result was Mitchell 20 yards on lead zone with TE Woerner and Juszczyk from straight I executing the key blocks, Colts slant and scrape and DL slanted inside away from play side
49ers first snap of 11 personnel came on seventh play of first possession: Mitchell 14 yards working off split flow zone concept with TE Dwelley showing split flow blocking action then leading Mitchell to the perimeter on the misdirection concept
Mitchell 14 yard TD to end first possession came out of 21 straight I versus Colts base 4-3, Juszczyk released away from outside zone action into the flat (play action boot release) expanding back side LB Leonard away from play side; It was split flow outside zone with Juszczyk’s release also impacting MIKE Okereke and opening the cutback lane for Mitchell
What was evident was 49ers attacked Colts defense with misdirection run game concepts, Mitchell 12 yards to start second possession was same concept/play as 14 yard run on first possession
Colts nickel had Rhodes and Rodgers outside with Moore the slot corner; Sendejo was at safety with Willis (Blackmon out for the season) with Odum also getting some snaps
3rd + 10 in the high red zone on second possession Garoppolo wanted Sanu working against Moore in the middle but Moore man coverage in Colts 2 man scheme took that away and Garoppolo had no throw, Result was an incompletion off movement
Rookie LT Moore showed plus athleticism and mobility climbing to the second level and getting to the perimeter as a puller in the pin-pull run game – 49ers started third possession with Mitchell 6 yards on pin-pull scheme
Samuel 28 yards on second play of third possession came out 21 personnel with split flow outside zone run action married to post-cross combination, Garoppolo hit Samuel on the crosser versus Colts base cover 4; Corner Rhodes read the route concept and was a beat late reacting to the crosser
Hasty on a LB on 3rd + 5 on third possession was the matchup the 49ers liked, Hasty ran the wheel route and got on top of Leonard but slipped and fell down and it was incomplete
Colts cover 1 percentage jumps up significantly on 3rd down, They are not a foundational cover 1 defense but on 3rd down especially 3rd and short to medium you can anticipate man coverage
Colts not only played cover 1 on 3rd down, they also played snaps of 2 man; Those were their foundational 3rd down coverages versus the 49ers
49ers started fourth possession with another post-cross combination off play action out of 21 personnel, Sherfield open on the crosser but Garoppolo left the ball a little too far inside
3rd + 4 and 3rd + 1 to end 2 separate possessions in the 2nd quarter resulted from individual blocks not being made, one in pass protection and the other in the run game; On the second one the jet motion by Samuel resulted in second level defenders Okereke and Moore sliding inside and being in position to better play the power run
Samuel drop on the tunnel screen on 2nd + 8 in the 2nd quarter was big, He had blockers out in front with a lot of space – Well-designed concept shifting to an empty set out of 21 personnel
Garoppolo poor throw to wide open Dwelley on out cut on 3rd + 8 in 2nd quarter, That’s a throw Garoppolo must make; Colts 2 man out of nickel with Leonard matched on Dwelley
Sanu 16 yards on 3rd + 10 in 3rd quarter (first 3rd down of 3rd quarter) was a good ball by Garoppolo on in-breaker by Sanu versus 2 man coverage, Sanu beat slot corner Moore
Garoppolo sack and fumble on 3rd + 5 later in 3rd quarter was a big play in the game, Rookie LT Moore had played well but he was beaten off the edge by Paye forcing Garoppolo to break down and move and then Muhammad who had beaten RT McGlinchey cleaned up for the sack and forced fumble; Colts again were in cover 1
Samuel 29 yards to start first 4th quarter possession came out of 21 personnel and was a staple 49ers concept: Play action boot left off outside zone run action with the deep throwback crosser
Samuel 14 yard TD to end first 4th quarter possession came out of 21 personnel with outside zone run action to the boundary, It was really a boot flood concept with Garoppolo pulling up in the pocket; Samuel was the intermediate receiver in the 3 level stretch but he adjusted his route and Garoppolo read his adjustment
Rhodes interception on 3rd + 3 in 4th quarter came with Colts in cover 1 out of nickel with Rhodes matched on boundary x Samuel, Garoppolo went to the one-on-one to Samuel on the hitch route and Rhodes had outstanding coverage; 49ers had bunch to the field on the back side of Samuel – Was the trips bunch Garoppolo’s read? Did he go to Samuel because it’s his best receiver in a one-on-one matchup?
49ers only 1-11 on 3rd down – 3rd down is one area Garoppolo has struggled this season: 21-36 for 299 yards with 2 TD and 2 interceptions; That’s not efficient enough
COLTS OFFENSE VERSUS 49ERS DEFENSE
Moseley left corner and Norman right corner were the outside corners for the 49ers, Williams was the slot corner; 49ers played 5 snaps of dime all on 3rd down with rookie Hufanga continuing to be the dime safety
Wentz outstanding pocket movement on Pittman 57 yards on 3rd + 11 on second possession, 49ers cover 4 out of dime with boundary safety Ward looking back inside when Taylor (#2 to twins) released into the flat, That left Norman one-on-one with Pittman with no help
Alie-Cox 11 yard TD on 3rd + 2 came on well-designed concept out of 11 personnel that started with zone read inside zone run action and featured a natural pick by Pittman to clear Alie-Cox to the outside on the quick out from a wing TE alignment
Colts played a much higher percentage of 12 personnel versus the 49ers than they had through the first 6 games of the season – A function of the weather, or the opponent?
49ers featured zone pressure scheme out of dime on 3rd + 10 late in the 1st quarter, It was a 5 man pressure out of double mug look with Warner and Hufanga in the A gaps, Ward the fifth rusher off the edge
Taylor 33 yards on 2nd + 10 late in 1st quarter came out of 11 personnel versus 49ers nickel with Williams blitzing off the field edge, Wham concept with Alie-Cox from wing alignment inserting inside and executing wham block on 1-technique DT Jones
Bosa as good as there is in the NFL as a pass rusher playing off contact, One of the best speed-to-power hands and leverage edge rushers in the league
Hufanga for the first time this season played significant snaps at safety with Ward due to the injury to Tartt, Hufanga played 50% of the defensive snaps
Taylor 16 yards early in 2nd quarter showed the impact of jet action on second level defenders: Duo concept out of 12 personnel with insert by Doyle from wing alignment with outstanding block by RG Reed on Warner shooting the A gap, LB Harris reacted to the jet motion and left his gap creating a big hole for Taylor
Hines dropped wheel route on well-designed man beater on 3rd + 7 in 2nd quarter, Empty set with Hines slot to twins versus 49ers dime cover 1 behind 5 man pressure with Hufanga matched on Hines; Dulin legal pick on Hufanga and Hines was wide open
Ebukam at times aligned as a Joker in the 49ers sub fronts, 49ers featured multiple stunt concepts out of their sub nickel and dime fronts
Wentz 1 yard TD on 3rd and goal late in 1st half came on zone read concept with Wentz reading widest defender play side and that was corner Moseley to the closed side of the formation
Colts started 3rd quarter with Taylor run game out of 12 personnel: Consecutive runs of 9 and 8 yards
Interesting late in 3rd quarter that the 49ers were in nickel versus Colts 12 personnel on 1st + goal from the 5 yard line: Taylor 5 yard TD; Williams in the game not Harris
When the 49ers went dime on 3rd down after Tartt was hurt Wilson was the dime safety
Pittman 14 yards on 3rd + 3 early in 4th quarter was the result of good QB play by Wentz: Colts anticipated man coverage on what is high percentage man coverage down and distance so they ran mesh, 49ers out of dime went cover 2 out of double mug look; Wentz looked to Dulin on the sit route behind the mesh (the zone beater) but that was taken away by Warner, Wentz then had to re-set mentally and he climbed the pocket and made a comfortable throw to Pittman in the cover 2 void to the field
What continued to stand out was Wentz threw with consistent ball placement, There was no scattershot element to him as there had been the last 2 seasons in Philadelphia
The other part was Wentz was playing with a more consistent rhythmic feel with the ball coming out, He was not getting stuck in the pocket
Pittman 28 yard TD on 3rd + 10 late in 4th quarter to seal the Colts win came versus 49ers cover 3 and while Pittman high-pointed the ball well that play should have been made by Kirkpatrick (who had just replaced injured Moseley at left corner)
One area that has stood out this season with Wentz is he has been effective versus blitz: 35-65 for 437 yards and 4 TD, He has only been sacked 4 times on 72 drop backs versus blitz
JUSTIN FIELDS VERSUS BUCS DEFENSE
Delaney left corner and Dean right corner were the Bucs outside corners, Cockrell continued to be the slot corner in nickel
Bucs not a dime sub defense, They have only played 9 snaps of dime this season including 2 snaps versus the Bears on 3rd and long
Rookie Tryon has become a wild card Joker in the Bucs sub fronts lining up in multiple positions including 0-technique, At times Bucs sub fronts had Tryon playing with Barrett and Pierre-Paul
Tryon also used as a spy versus Fields, He has been used as a spy throughout the season depending on the opposing QB
Herbert high-level short area burst as a zone runner especially outside zone, Explosive one cut downhill running traits; Saw that on 29 yard run in the 1st quarter, Herbert good runs versus Bucs were all outside zone runs to the left side of the OL behind LG Whitehair and LT Peters – Herbert reminded me of Tiki Barber when I watched his Virginia Tech tape and I feel the same way watching him with the Bears
Bears went no huddle quick tempo on 3rd + 5 in 1st quarter to try to catch the Bucs before they were set with their front and coverage, They ran triple glance to the field but Fields was not comfortable turning it loose versus what was cover 3; Fields left the pocket and then made a scattershot throw with Minter bearing down on him to an open Robinson that was intercepted by Delaney – If you believe one of the traits that will make Fields special in time is his second reaction movement ability then you have to live with these growing pains
Bucs on 1st + 10 early in the 2nd quarter showed a 6-2 front versus Bears 12 personnel, They played with 2 corners (Delaney and Dean) and safety Winfield; Herbert 6 yards on outside zone to the boundary
Bucs also played 5-2 fronts out of base often reduced inside versus 12 personnel, In both 5-2 and 6-2 fronts White and Minter were the stacked LB
You saw Fields throwing talent on Mooney 17 yards on 1st + 10 in the 2nd quarter, He drove the out route from the far hash with velocity and precise ball placement
Bears helped Fields with play design having him work 2 man route concepts to the boundary where it’s often a one man read
Bucs disguise and late movement part of 3rd down approach versus Fields to make him think and decipher after the snap when everything is moving fast for a rookie QB, It also helps the defense when pass rushers win one-on-ones: Barrett sack-forced fumble beating RT Simmons on 3rd + 5 late in 1st quarter
Bucs showed 4 man zone exchange pressure concepts out of nickel on 3rd down; Overall they were multiple with their coverage looks
Fields is at the point where he is anticipating and perceiving pressure, Good example was 8 yard scramble on 3rd + 8 late in 2nd quarter: He never set and planted with the result he left an open throw on the field with Mooney easily beating Cockrell in man coverage on the intermediate out route, Fields moved unnecessarily creating his own pressure
Mooney 22 yards on first possession of 3rd quarter another example of Fields throwing talent: Outside zone run action with a boot look, Deep sail-cross combination with Mooney running the crosser; Fields subtle pocket movement and then he drove the ball with velocity and precise ball placement
You see the flashes with Fields, Ball comes out easily with juice, There are times he sees it clearly and delivers with timing and confidence; But Fields is not there yet when it comes to consistently taking receivers into zone windows
Not surprisingly Fields has really struggled on 3rd down: 16-35 for 179 yards with 5 interceptions, He has been sacked 10 times on 3rd down
Bucs an interesting defensive template: They are a high percentage blitz defense (highest percentage in the NFL through 7 games) yet they play the lowest percentage of cover 1, But their cover 1 percentage doubles when they blitz and cover 1 is their most played coverage when they rush 5 or more
TOM BRADY VERSUS BEARS DEFENSE
Houston-Carson played safety with Jackson with Gipson inactive; Shelley was the slot corner in both nickel and dime (Crawford also some snaps at slot corner), Tabor was the dime safety
Johnson predominantly (but not always) matched up to Evans when Evans lined up outside, He had matched up to Adams the week before; There were snaps where Evans was the boundary x and Vildor matched up to him
Godwin 4 yard TD on 3rd and goal came on well-schemed concept to get Godwin matched on LB Trevathan: 11 2x2 set with Godwin zin motion from the boundary side, Bucs 3 man route boundary route concept versus Bears red zone cover 2/4 with Godwin attacking stacked LB Trevathan and running the stick nod, Trevathan cannot let Godwin cross his face so Godwin has natural leverage; Brady precise back shoulder throw away from Trevathan
Bears not a high percentage blitz defense, They are among the lowest percentage blitzing defenses in the NFL; Their blitz percentage does not increase much on 3rd down
Bears at times will feature 4 man zone exchange pressure concepts predominantly bringing a LB as the fourth rusher and playing zone coverage behind it
Bucs featured pre-snap movement as a foundation of their game plan, with both WR and TE often shifting and motioning across the formation
Evans 9 yard TD on 3rd + 7 late in 1st quarter came out of 11 2x2 after Brate motion across the formation to the boundary, Another 3 man boundary route concept all designed to get Evans matched one-on-one versus Johnson with a passing window for Brady and the boundary safety held in place for just a beat preventing him from bracketing Evans
What continues to stand out is Brady is throwing the ball with a lot of zip and velocity, His arm strength is as good and maybe better than it has ever been
RT Wirfs one of the best one-on-one pass protectors in the NFL, He is such a desirable combination of quick feet and strength-leverage plus his balance and technique is so good; Wirfs is almost never out of phase
Bears at times on 3rd down out of dime will line up in loaded fronts and feature multiple stunt concepts, some featuring LB Smith when they do rush 5; Bears tendency was to bring 5 out of loaded fronts
When the Bears went cover 1 out of dime versus 11 personnel dime safety Tabor was the predominant TE matchup, In 2 man out of dime Houston-Carson was the TE matchup
Bears went big nickel versus Bucs 12 personnel with Christian the third safety with Jackson and Houston-Carson
Evans 46 yards on 1st + 10 in 2nd quarter came out of 11 3x1 with Evans the boundary x versus Bears nickel cover 1 with Johnson press man on Evans, Conventional play action with perfect throw by Brady on the go route beating excellent coverage by Johnson
Evans 8 yard TD near the end of the 1st half he was the boundary x on the back side of trips with Vildor matched on him playing man technique, Bears played zone inside and man outside and Evans widened Vildor on his initial stem then beat him inside
Godwin 34 yards early in 4th quarter came out of 11 3x1 with tight bunch to the field and Godwin the point man in the bunch, Bears out of nickel played cover 8 with cover 2 to the field; Vertical route concept to the field putting pressure on half field safety Jackson who can’t play outside in quick enough to defend Godwin seam, Back side safety Christian could have squeezed inside quicker but the timing of the routes and Brady throw were so precise
Bears lined up in 6-1 front versus Bucs 6 OL personnel with Smith the stacked LB – Bucs 8 snaps with 6 OL personnel versus Bears, They have played 49 snaps with 6 OL personnel through 7 games (only the Saints with 53 snaps have more)
One thing that stands out with Fournette is that he is running with better vision and therefore more decisiveness now than he did a year ago, He still has a tendency to be choppy with his steps and at times brace for contact but he is running with more downhill velocity
EAGLES OFFENSE VERSUS RAIDERS DEFENSE
Hayward the field corner and Facyson the boundary corner with Hobbs the slot corner, Littleton and Perryman the nickel LB – Raiders game plan approach was to play nickel versus Eagles 12 personnel
What immediately stood out on Eagles first possession was Hurts was under center out of 12 personnel, featuring both the run game and play action pass game – Change in approach for the Eagles
Goedert 24 yards on first possession came out of 11 2x2 closed to the field off Arcega-Whiteside zin motion, Conventional play action with cover 3 beater flood concept with Goedert running the intermediate corner route
Eagles 5 consecutive plays on first possession with Hurts under center out of 12 personnel: 3 Sanders runs (a fourth that had defensive holding) for 21 yards, and a play action pass to Goedert 24 yards
Eagles first possession ending with Gainwell TD reception featured Hurts under center and 12 personnel - Gainwell TD came on angle route out of 13 closed to the boundary with Gainwell offset to the boundary, 4 verticals concept with Gainwell running the angle route underneath; Littleton read Hurts and over-reacted to the boundary abandoning his coverage area of responsibility
Hurts poor ball placement on slant to Smith to start second possession, Routine pitch-and-catch throw that must be made
Raiders continued to be high percentage cover 3, Through 7 games they have played the highest percentage of cover 3 of any team in the NFL by a wide margin
Raiders first snap of base defense with Wright the third LB versus Eagles 12 personnel came on second possession; Raiders first snap of dime came on 3rd + 13 on second possession with corner Trufant the dime, Raiders went 1 robber with Abram the robber and Facyson matched on Goedert
Raiders also featured dime with safety Leavitt the dime on Eagles third possession, They played cover 3 boundary lock
Eagles made some commitment to the run game with Hurts under center and overall in the 1st half they were balanced re: run-pass ratio; Sanders hurt late in the 1st quarter which left Gainwell and Scott as the backs
Raiders 3rd down game plan approach out of dime with Trufant was to play 1 robber with Abram the robber and Facyson matched on Goedert; Ngakoue sack on 3rd + 8 in 2nd quarter came out of that 4 corner dime package, He beat LT Mailata off the edge with Crosby also beating RT Johnson
Raiders continued to play to their defensive profile: 4 man DL pass rush and cover 3 with some boundary lock - Their first 5 man pressure came on 3rd + 8 on Eagles first possession of 3rd quarter, Their second came on 1st + 10 early in the 4th quarter; Both times Littleton was the fifth rusher
Watkins 27 yards to start Eagles second possession of 3rd quarter came out of 11 personnel and was well-designed shotgun play action boot with jet action part of 4 man route concept to the field, Watkins crosser from the back side with a well-thrown ball by Hurts
Goedert three 20+ yard receptions all came on intermediate corner routes versus cover 3, All 3 came out of the same cover 3 beater concept with the corner lifted
Eagles started the game on opening possession with multiple TE personnel and then rarely came back to it after that first drive, They had 12 snaps with multiple TE personnel in the game
Raiders may well be the most basic and predictable defense in the NFL with their high percentage 4 man rush and cover 3 behind it, Their weakness is run defense
RAIDERS OFFENSE VERSUS EAGLES DEFENSE
Eagles continued to play 5-2 as their base defense, Avery was again the SAM LB on the ball with Sweat the 4/4i technique; Edwards and Taylor were the LB in the base defense
Edwards a physical box LB who plays downhill with aggression and tenacity, He consistently flashes as a strong run defender
Singleton and Taylor started as the nickel LB, Wilson also snaps with Singleton in the nickel
Taylor showed some stack and shed traits versus OL in the run game but struggled physically versus FB Ingold on iso lead runs – Taylor bumped out as the overhang LB in the base defense versus twins to the field when the boundary was closed out of 12 personnel
Jones 43 yards on 3rd + 15 on first possession came out of 11 2x2 reduced on both sides of the formation versus Eagles nickel cover 3, Jones stutter-go got Nelson to stop his feet with Nelson then in recovery mode unable to locate the ball; Precise ball placement by Carr to the outside
Cox and Hargrave had some strong pass rush snaps on the Raiders first possession, Hargrave pressure versus Simpson forced Carr out of the pocket and resulted in Maddox red zone interception
Eagles do not have a quality starting LB on their roster and that weakness in their defense shows up every week
Moreau 18 yard TD on 2nd + 4 in 2nd quarter came out of 11 2x2 with Moreau attached to the field versus Eagles nickel cover 1 with safety Epps matched on Moreau, Straight seam route by Moreau with excellent coverage by Epps but the outstanding catch beat Epps
Eagles continued to play some snaps of 5-1 nickel (in addition to 4-2 nickel) with Avery on the ball on the edge, They played significant snaps of 5-1 in the 2nd quarter
Jacobs 8 yard TD late in 2nd quarter came out of 12 closed boundary twins to the field versus Eagles 5-1 nickel, Jacobs got to the perimeter and it was on wide 9 DE Barnett in that defensive front to set the edge and not allow Jacobs outside
What consistently stands out in the Eagles high percentage zone coverage concepts is they do not squeeze and close the voids quickly enough with the result that they allow too many completions
Eagles defensive profile continued to be high percentage zone coverage behind 4 man DL pass rush, Eagles have somewhat increased their percentage of cover 1 but it is still near the bottom of the NFL and they do not blitz much at all
Carr 31-34 for 323 yards with 2 TD and 1 interception versus the Eagles, He was not sacked; Raiders averaged 7 yards per offensive play – Carr near the top of NFL QB in 1st down pass attempts and he has been efficient: 68-100 for 683 yards with 2 TD
MATTHEW STAFFORD VERSUS LIONS DEFENSE
Lions nickel: Oruwariye at left corner and Jacobs at right corner with Parker the slot corner, Anzalone and Reeves-Maybin were the nickel LB with rookie Barnes also getting snaps in nickel with Anzalone
Stafford again outstanding out of empty sets: 9-9 for 106 yards; For the season he is 58-78 for 735 yards, 9.4 yards per attempt with 7 TD and 1 interception
Rams continued to feature empty sets in their no huddle tempo, They get tendency probability of coverage and Stafford sees the defense with clarity before the snap
One thing we see from the Lions zone coverage concepts (cover 3, cover 4) is boundary match, That has caused them some problems at times with crossers from the field to the boundary
At times versus 1x3 sets the Lions in cover 1 kept the corner matched on the TE with a safety (Harris, Walker) matched on the inside slot to trips
Lions showed zero blitz versus the Rams, They did it out of nickel with both stacked LB Anzalone and Reeves-Maybin blitzing from the inside
Rams very multiple with their formations re: Kupp and Woods, Both at times line up offset in the backfield and we know how much motion is a featured part of the Rams offense
What the last few weeks have shown is that the Rams like Henderson as a receiver matched on LB, They dictated those matchup versus the Giants week 6 (Henderson TD out of empty) and versus the Lions on wheel route from offset backfield alignment (incomplete)
Jefferson 11 yard TD on 3rd + 7 in 2nd quarter came out of 11 3x1 with Jefferson the boundary x versus Lions nickel 2 man with Jacobs matched on Jefferson, Stafford liked that matchup because the play concept to trips had Woods on the crosser off Kupp natural rub; Stafford great ball with Jefferson high-pointing the throw
Kupp 27 yards on 2nd + 10 in 2nd quarter came out of 11 2x2 versus Lions nickel cover 1 behind 5 man pressure with Barnes the fifth rusher and Anzalone the green dogger, Kupp beat slot corner Parker off the ball on his corner route and Stafford great timing and ball placement throw – Henderson another strong block versus blitzing LB
Lions have been multiple with their coverage concepts through 7 games, playing both single high (cover 1 and cover 3) and split safety (cover 2 and 2 man), They have not played much cover 4
Lions have been aggressive with pressure all season especially on 3rd down: Okwara sack on 3rd + 10 to end Rams first possession of 3rd quarter came on well-designed blitz-stunt concept from double mug look with Okwara the looper behind both Bryant and Anzalone – Lions oner of highest 3rd down blitz percentages in the NFL
Lions only played 2 snaps of base defense versus the Rams, They played 59 snaps of nickel with no snaps of dime; They matched up to the Rams who played 59 snaps out of 11 personnel
Kupp 59 yards on 3rd + 12 late in 3rd quarter came out of 11 3x1 with Kupp #2 to trips versus Lions nickel cover 1 behind 5 man pressure with Worley the slot corner, Kupp beat Worley on the deep over route and Stafford made a great throw - Worley replaced injured Parker at slot corner in the 2nd half
What consistently stands out with Rams empty sets is how effectively they dictate and exploit one-on-one matchups: Woods 18 yards in 4th quarter
Stafford has been outstanding versus blitz through 7 games: 50-65 (77%) for 579 yards with 6 TD, He has only been sacked 3 times; Stafford outstanding versus 3rd down blitz: 11-17 for 166 yards with TD
PATRIOTS OFFENSE VERSUS JETS DEFENSE
Jets nickel continued to be Hall and Echols/Guidry outside with Carter the slot corner, They played different LB in the nickel: Sherwood, Williams, Cashman, Phillips
Jets played both 4-2 nickel front and 5-1 nickel front with Sherwood the only LB, Tendency was to play cover 1 behind 5-1 front with Maye the TE matchup versus 11 personnel
Jets played significant snaps of nickel versus Patriots 12 personnel with Henry and Smith the TE
Bolden was the Patriots receiving back versus the Jets, He played 21 snaps and was targeted 7 times for 6-79 and TD
Patriots featured multiple formation looks and concepts to insert TE Smith into the formation in the play action pass game and then have him run routes, They did it off motion with Smith in wing alignment and they did it with Smith as an I formation fullback (24 yard reception off iso lead action)
What continued to stand out with Jones was he has efficient pocket movement with an innate feel to manage the pocket, He is also showing that he can run for 1st downs if there is space in front of him
Jets have not played a lot of dime through 7 games but they did on Bolden 15 yard TD reception in the 2nd quarter, They went cover 1 versus Patriots 11 personnel with Bolden and Myers offset in the backfield and they rushed 5 out of loaded front; Patriots crossed Bolden and Myers at the snap and Maye who had Bolden thought that would necessitate a switch but Guidry stayed with Myers and Bolden was open for the easy TD on the swing pass
Jones is a high-level ball distributor and executor of a well-designed and well-schemed passing game, He knows where to go with the ball and the ball comes out; You rarely see Jones get stuck in the pocket, He knows where his outlets and check downs are
Henry 1 yard TD at the end of the 1st half came on stick nod versus Maye, Jets press man coverage out of nickel
Bolden 20 yards on 3rd + 3 on first possession of 3rd quarter an example of a basic concept executed well versus the anticipated man coverage: 1x3 set with reduced split by TE Henry and Bolden offset to the boundary versus Jets loaded front out of nickel, Henry natural rub on LB Phillips who had Bolden man-to-man; Jones knew where he was going with the ball before the snap
Double mug looks were part of Jets 3rd down approach out of nickel, Loaded fronts also featured on 3rd down
Henry 22 yards early in 4th quarter came out of 21 personnel and was another well-designed concept to manipulate the defense and create space and a defined read for Jones: Play action with fullback Johnson iso lead action, Henry from attached TE alignment ran the crosser behind the second level and into the boundary, With boundary corner Echols locking onto Agholor there was a lot of space for Henry
Jones outstanding throw to Bourne on the go route in the 4th quarter, Timing and precise ball placement
Patriots featured multiple run game concepts with Harris out of both 1 back and 2 back sets including delay draw and wham-trap concept with fullback Johnson blocking the 2i DT, Harris a competitive downhill runner with short area burst and velocity
Harris has been effective running on 1st down: 58-271, 4.67 yards per rush – 29 of Harris 95 carries this season have come out of 21 personnel, 27 carries out of 12 personnel
Jones outstanding on play action versus the Jets: 12-16 for 178 yards and 1 TD; Play action a featured part of Patriots pass game versus Jets
KYLER MURRAY VERSUS TEXANS DEFENSE
King right corner and Mitchell left corner were Texans outside corners, Thomas continued to be the slot corner; Kirksey and Grugier-Hill continued to be the nickel LB for a defense that does not play dime
Cards continued to play significant snaps of 10 personnel, They played 20 snaps of 10 versus the Texans; Through 7 games more than 25% of Cards offensive snaps have come out of 10 personnel
Cards will also show some snaps with Connor and Edmonds on the field together, It’s predominantly 20 personnel
Ertz has always had an excellent feel for zone coverage allowing him to throttle down and settle into voids to give his QB a window to deliver the ball
What continued to stand out was the increasing formation diversity of the Cards offense, It is no longer the static alignments that defined the Air Raid for so many years; Kingsbury much greater focus on receiver distribution and location
One thing about Murray is that he is an excellent thrower, Every one focuses on his second reaction movement ability but he can throw with velocity and ball placement from the pocket
Green 41 yards on 3rd + 23 late in 2nd quarter was one of Murray’s best throws of the season: Texans played a loose cover 2 and Murray hit Green in the deep outside void 50 yards on the sideline with precise ball placement; Big-time mentality throw as well as a physical throw
Texans play predominantly zone coverage with cover 2 and cover 3 the foundations but they do not play either one well, They do not seem to have a feel for receiver distribution and location and the routes that can be run from those splits, In addition they do not consistently squeeze and close down the voids that exist in the coverages
There were far too many pitch and catch throws in this game for Murray and his receivers, Texans do not challenge receivers either at the LOS or at the catch point
Murray can camouflage and compensate for OL issues in pass protection with his second reaction movement and his vision down the field
Ertz 47 yard TD on 1st + 10 in the 3rd quarter came out of 22 closed to the boundary with Edmunds jet motion from twins, Ertz was the wing TE in the attached formation with the Texans out of base matching up with cover 3; Vertical stretch concept with Kirk running the deep sail and Ertz the intermediate crosser, Kirk vertical stem lifted both the corner and the safety but back side corner King has to see Ertz and he did but he did not react – Nice design by the Cards but poorly defended by the Texans
Murray has been outstanding out of 10 personnel: 50-61 for 767 yards and 7 TD with 2 interceptions; He has been especially lethal on 3rd down out of 10 personnel: 25-32 for 388 yards and 5 TD
