Welcome to The Explosive Play Report! As NFL offenses look to gain yards in a hurry, I watched every Week 1 play that went for 15 or more yards to see how, why, and where offenses are attacking defenses.
In the Week 1 version of The Explosive Play Report, you will find:
- Theme of the Week: Test the Linebackers!
- Explosive Player of the Week: Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions
- Design of the Week: Green Bay Packers
- Play of the Week: Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
- How Many Explosive Plays Did Each Team Have?
Theme of the Week: Test the Linebackers!
The life of a linebacker is hard. First you have to be a run defender, take on blocks, and make key tackles. Then you have to deal with routes coming at you from all different directions. This is before play action makes the whole process of playing the position fast and free impossible.
The best offensive coordinators take advantage of the linebacker’s dual responsibility in the run and pass game. Coordinators need multiple ways to attack linebackers through the air, on play action, and with presentations that give the feel of one type of play before changing in an instant.
Pull the Guard and Send the Tight End
From under center, play action fakes can look just like run plays as the quarterback holds the ball out for the running back. From shotgun, the offense has to take extra steps to convince the linebacker that a run may actually be on the way.
Offenses want to have it both ways; they want to get the sweet benefits of under center play action while keeping their quarterback comfortable in shotgun for passing situations. In Week 1, offenses used a pulling guard in shotgun to invite linebackers towards the run fake. Linebackers that key the interior offensive line to take them to the ball are put in a bind when a guard pulls and a tight end zooms past them. In all of the examples below, focus on how the linebackers are influenced by what is happening in the backfield and on the offensive line.
— Even 72 Bracket Triple Clip (@Evn72BrktTrClip) September 12, 2024
In the above example, the Packers gave the Eagles linebackers every reason to bite on the run. They had success running the ball from the shotgun and had the defenses on its heels. They also used similar setups and motions to make it look and feel like the same run play before sneaking the tight end out into space for a big gain.
The Buffalo Bills gave us a good example of flustering a linebacker by faking a pitch from shotgun, pulling the center out to the same side, and slipping the tight end right on by. Pulling a lineman on these play action plays has the added benefit of getting an offensive lineman on the edge to avoid the mismatch of a dominant rusher on a tight end in pass protection.
Bills fake a pitch and pull the center to draw in the LB pic.twitter.com/ZH4fWmCtKR
— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) September 9, 2024
Pull the Guard, Send the Tight End, and Send the Running Back
The Eagles and Lions took the plays above a step further by adding in a running back going up the sideline. Both teams snuck the running back through the middle of the offensive line, which is how a running back may start an underneath check down route.
It is rare for a player to go vertical up the field through the line of scrimmage, but it was something multiple teams used in Week 1. The Eagles caught the Packers in a blitz, but the motion, play action, and pulling guard were all enough to give Saquon Barkley space for a great Jalen Hurts throw.
— Even 72 Bracket Triple Clip (@Evn72BrktTrClip) September 12, 2024
The Lions used a similar setup to the Eagles but faked the handoff to the motion player going behind the quarterback. Two defenders jumped out to play the motion player, the running back was picked up, and the tight end used an invisibility cloak to end up wide open.
— Even 72 Bracket Triple Clip (@Evn72BrktTrClip) September 12, 2024
Explosive Player of the Week: Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions
There were plenty of strong candidates for the illustrious prize of Week 1 Explosive Player of the Week. Jayden Reed made a case and Saquon Barkley excelled, but Jameson Williams takes the crown in Week 1 for his involvement in three explosive plays.
Jameson Williams was one of only five ball carriers to hit over 21 MPH in Week 1, per NGS.
He had yards after the catch in both the short and intermediate areas, won big on a double move, and is a threat around the outside in the run game pic.twitter.com/iCZ4raNH29
— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) September 12, 2024
Jameson Williams can supercharge a Lions offense that already has both a top play caller and top offensive line. Williams is a big play waiting to happen off the catch, around the outside on reverses, and adds a vertical element to an offense hungry for a third pass catching option.
In 2023, Jared Goff was last in the league among qualifying passers in percentage of throws traveling 20 or more air yards down the field. The offense will continue to target the middle of the field, but Williams is a legitimate down the field threat in addition to being a nightmare with the ball in his hands.
Jameson Williams with the speed to separate on a stutter and go pic.twitter.com/4Ysbuq70EO
— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) December 4, 2021
Design of the Week: Green Bay Packers
Early in the 4th quarter of the Packers season opener in Brazil against the Philadelphia Eagles, Jordan Love approached the line of scrimmage on 3rd and 5 with no running back in the backfield. The running back was split out wide to the left as rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell jogged out to line up across from him. This was a hint that the Eagles would be in zone coverage; if it was man coverage, the Eagles would be more likely to have a linebacker play across from the running back to let Mitchell cover a wide receiver.
Love simulated the snap count twice and noticed one of the Eagles safeties starting to creep down closer to line. Single high safety after the snap based on the rotation tip, likely zone coverage based on the formation tip.
Love checked the play. His audible signal, a stirring motion, reflected what was about to happen to the defense:
Love gets to the line in no huddle, sees the safety rotation, and checks to this sweet 1 high beater. Crossers underneath and at the intermediate level force every person to communicate this through pic.twitter.com/GEUJHpxFx7
— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) September 7, 2024
This play requires near perfection from the defense. There are the underneath crossing routes that require communication between the underneath defenders. 10 yards further down the field, two routes are darting across each other to create a big X on the field.
If there is one pass off error, one player gets caught up in the traffic, or one defender is caught with their eyes in the wrong place, this is a win for the offense. The crossing effect can help create traffic against man coverage and match coverage, but it also stresses zone defenders who may focus on one level of receivers as the other level finds its way open.
Play of the Week: Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
Anthony Richardson plays football like he is insulted by the idea of limiting explosive plays. He can run through a defense, he can run by a defense, he can throw through a defense, and he can throw over a defense. Against the Texans, Richardson uncorked a pass so magnificent it overshadowed the fact that he slipped before letting the ball go:
— Even 72 Bracket Triple Clip (@Evn72BrktTrClip) September 12, 2024
Players make the plays that are called possible, but this one is also well designed against the defense presented. The defense’s coverage has 4 defenders deep and 3 defenders underneath. To each side, a cornerback is defending deep and outside while a safety is defending the inside.
Alec Pierce’s vertical route does enough to push the cornerback outside while getting over the top of the safety. The play call is well suited for beating the Texans defense here but both Richardson and Pierce deserve immense credit for making it all work.
The Numbers
Three teams generated nine plays of 15 or more yards across NFL Week 1. The Packers, Chiefs, and Buccaneers all start the season at the top of the leaderboard. New Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen called some thoughtful run plays and had Baker Mayfield testing the outside of the Washington defense. I will be on the lookout for how Coen’s Buccaneers perform against a Lions defense that loves to play man coverage.
| 15+ Pass | 15+ Designed Run | 15+ Scramble | 15+ Total | |
| Arizona Cardinals | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Buffalo Bills | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Carolina Panthers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Chicago Bears | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Cleveland Browns | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Denver Broncos | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Detroit Lions | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Green Bay Packers | 5 | 4 | 0 | 9 |
| Houston Texans | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 5 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 8 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Miami Dolphins | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 4 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| New England Patriots | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| New Orleans Saints | 6 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| New York Giants | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| New York Jets | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 6 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 6 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| Tennessee Titans | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| Washington Commanders | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
Though I did not dig into any of the creative run designs from Week 1, I will leave you with these two examples of offenses forcing 1 on 1 tackling situations for cornerbacks as a bonus:
Of the 32 designed runs that went for 15+ yards in Week 1, many were gap scheme runs. Here are two examples of Duo where it turns into a 1 on 1 with the running back and a cornerback pic.twitter.com/ot7qqO5q6K
— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) September 12, 2024
