It’s time for another of our “Three and out” columns! The concept is simple. Each week I will pick out three notable plays from the previous weekend and break them down.
These could vary from big highlight reel plays to simply some special playcalling and scheme design.
This week we’ve got a trio of offensive plays, including two sublime play calls and one special piece of play from a rookie quarterback.
Let’s get to it!
The Dolphins’ Fake Power Crack Toss
This series could realistically be made up solely of plays from Mike McDaniel’s Dolphins playbook. There is so much innovation and fresh ideas on display every week it is tough to just pick one to highlight.
This particular play stood out though. It came in the third quarter of the Dolphins-Broncos game, with Miami already possessing a commanding lead. The Broncos had struggled to stop the perimeter run game, and McDaniel wheeled out a very creative design.
The Dolphins come out in 21 personnel (two running backs and one tight end) in a 2×2 formation. Rookie running back Devon Achane is lined up as a receiver to the top of the screen, with Raheem Mostert in the backfield.
Prior to the snap, the Dolphins send wide receiver Braxton Berrios in orbit motion across the formation. You can see the impact this has on the Broncos defense as they shift across to account for the motion. McDaniel then puts them in a bind with some added misdirection.
At the snap, the Dolphins send Achane across in orbit motion, but the focus of the defense is on the threat of the run from Mostert. The Dolphins pull their backside guard, threatening a power run to the right side. This forces the defense to flow back away from the motion, and it is this that really costs them.
Tua then tosses the ball to Achane, who has Berrios as a lead blocker and an array of offensive linemen climbing to engage with the defense in the open field. When you get a runner with legitimate Olympic level track speed in this sort of space, there’s only one result – a massive gain for the offense.
The Rams’ Fake Book Throwback Screen
We’ve got another offensive play here, this time from Sean McVay and the Rams. McVay has been delving into his bag of tricks regularly this season, wheeling out a bunch of new concepts and wrinkles to old classics. This play falls firmly into the latter category.
Everyone knows how much McVay and other offenses from the so-called ‘Shanahan tree’ like to use boot action. In essence, boot action is a variation of play action that sees the quarterback roll out of the pocket to one side of the field, instead of simply dropping straight back. With opposing defenses ready for the boot, McVay dials up a great play fake.
This play came early in the third quarter of the game against the Bengals. The Rams come out in 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end) in a 2×2 formation.
They send wide receiver Tutu Atwell in motion across the formation at the snap. The Rams will often use Atwell on sweeps and end arounds, and with 4.3 speed the defense has to respect the potential for a handoff to Atwell. McVay adds in a few extra bits of eye candy to make sure he has the defense moving this way.
At the snap, Van Jefferson runs a crossing route across the formation, which once again has the effect of pulling the defenders over in this direction.
Matthew Stafford also does an excellent job of selling the fake boot. You can see the looping angle of his dropback and how that impacts the flow of the linebackers.
Whilst all eyes on this, running back Kyren Williams sneaks out into the flat almost unnoticed. Stafford then stops mid-boot and reverses field, getting the ball to his running back in space. Credit has to go to rookie left guard Steve Avila, who shows off his athleticism to pick up Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton before he can tackle Williams.
With no other defender anywhere close, Williams scampers downfield with blockers in front of him for a very nice gain of 20 yards.
CJ Stroud rips the deep out
The other two plays featured this week deserved to be highlighted because of some creative schematic design. This play is a little different. It’s actually a very simple play that you will see run multiple times a week by a bunch of teams. What makes this one special is the brilliance of one player – Texans rookie quarterback CJ Stroud.
This play came early in the second quarter of the Texans’ game against divisional rivals Jacksonville. It was a 1st and 10 and the Texans have come out in 21 personnel. They have called a variation of the Drift concept. Drift is a staple of the Kyle Shanahan offense, so it would make sense that former 49ers passing game coordinator Bobby Slowik has brought it over to Houston with him.
Drift is a play action concept that involves a 10-yard in-breaking route. It is generally paired with some kind of vertical route on the other side. In this instance, the Texans have Robert Woods to the field side running a deep out.
Stroud’s primary read here is the drift route, but when he sees the linebacker getting depth to undercut it he knows that it won’t be an option.
Before he can work the secondary read (deep out), the Jaguars manage to force him off his spot. Stroud shows excellent composure and pocket presence, side-stepping the pressure whilst maintaining a good base.
He then shows the ability to throw with anticipation, getting the ball out before Woods is even out of his break. Timing is crucial on a route like this, so having the confidence and accuracy to hit this route perfectly on the sideline is outstanding.
This would be an impressive play for any NFL veteran, so to see this from a rookie in just his second start is hugely encouraging.
