The Explosive Play Report, NFL Week 2: How Can Offenses Get Back on Track?

The deal here is simple. I watch every 15+ yard run, pass, and scramble, and tell you what it means about how teams are creating explosive plays as they fight on in the never-ending battle between offense and defense.

Jump to:

• Theme of the Week: The Scramble Drill
• Explosive Player of the Week: Kyler Murray
• Favorite Design(s) of the Week: Adding Layers to Core Concepts
• Play of the Week: Sam Darnold, Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
• How Many Explosive Plays Did Each Team Have?

Theme of the Week: The Scramble Drill

Over the first two weeks of the NFL season, offenses have tripped over themselves to find their footing. Defenses are playing cleaner games with sound zone coverage, layered disguise, and tight red zone execution to limit explosive plays and make life harder on quarterbacks.

No matter how hard they try, offenses are not going to be right on every single play call. Receivers may slip, defenders can have tight coverage, or the secondary can shift at the last moment and cover every receiver before even considering the pass rush.

On the Week 2 film, quarterbacks that were able to create explosive plays outside of the structure of the called play stood out. Even when the defense is perfect for part of the play, scrambling around and completing a pass can turn a negative into a positive.

C.J. Stroud creating 3 explosive plays to Nico Collins while extending the play pic.twitter.com/3QhVxZCH8v

— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) September 19, 2024

As we continue down the path of defenses prioritizing explosive play prevention, it is hard to plan for the scramble. Some quarterbacks are great at it, while others struggle.

Against man coverage, quarterbacks that can take off and run are able to take advantage of defenders keeping their eyes on receivers instead of a potential scrambler. Hitting a big scramble to convert a 3rd down can convince the defense that they need to be in zone coverage and may even prevent a defense from sending their preferred pressure later in the game.

Four 3rd down situations in Week 2 where the QB creates an explosive play with a scramble pic.twitter.com/430cMB5AfV

— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) September 18, 2024

A quarterback that can extend the play puts extra stress on a defense that has to cover each pass catcher for longer than usual. When the quarterback leaves the comfort of the pocket, it becomes a backyard football game where zones mean little, space means a lot, and losing track of a receiver means an explosive play.

4 more examples of QBs creating explosives while extending plays in Week 2 pic.twitter.com/GqB3NsXM3c

— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) September 19, 2024

With stricter scrutiny applied to offensive performance this season, be on the lookout for how quarterbacks are able to perform after the play has broken down. Those that can find calm in the chaos will help their offenses in the explosive play column.

Explosive Player of the Week: Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

Comparing Kyler Murray’s Week 2 performance to video game numbers overestimates how good people are at video games. Kyler was fantastic in Week 2 against the Rams in every facet of the game. Murray was able to scramble for yards, extend plays and find receivers, and fit throws into tight windows. He also had the highest EPA/dropback of any single game performer through two weeks.

Awesome day for the Cardinals offense:
*Kyler Murray performing in the pocket and in scramble situations
*Drew Petzing stressing the defense
*Trey McBride as a threat from the TE position
*James Connor continuing to ignore the first tackler
*MHJ going 4-130-2 pic.twitter.com/jgXmvuEWV9

— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) September 16, 2024

Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing will be on the short list for potential head coach openings because of what he has done with Arizona’s offense. He has trotted out 13 personnel (one running back, three tight ends) on multiple occasions to help create big plays and has a diverse run game that can attack every part of the defense. The defense is in a bind when they see 13 personnel because they want to match the offense’s bigger grouping with more run stopping defenders. The issue is Petzing and Kyler can concoct chunk plays off play action with players like Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride still on the field.

All of a sudden, the Cardinals are a way too early NFC playoff contender as they prepare for a big game against the Detroit Lions.

Others receiving votes: Nico Collins, Malik Nabers, and Brock Bowers

Favorite Design(s) of the Week:

1. A Twist on a (sort of) Classic

The best play callers find different ways to dress up and add seasoning to their fundamental concepts. Over the last few years, almost every team has run a variation of the below reverse. The offense sells to the defense that two pullers are going in one direction before one puller bails out in the opposite direction and leads a speedy reverse down the field:

XAVIER WORTHY HAS ARRIVED.

📺: #Kickoff2024 on NBC/Peacock
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/0612BrVxlJ

— NFL (@NFL) September 6, 2024

In Week 2, the Packers and Lions both put their spin on this play. The Lions used a motion player behind the quarterback as the lead blocker, and the Packers had their lead blocker start next to the quarterback in a pistol alignment as opposed to the more common tight end alignment.

Lions and Packers finding different ways to get lead blockers on this common reverse. Usually the lead blocker is just a tight end fake pulling then getting out in space but the Lions use a motion man and the Packers have their lead blocker start in the pistol backfield pic.twitter.com/jEcXZgbR77

— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) September 19, 2024

2. A Running Start

The Cardinals gave the defense extra eye candy when James Conner initially motioned towards the flat as a quick throw threat before pivoting in the other direction and taking a handoff to gash the defense. I like this play as a unique way to misdirect the defense and give the running back a head start on a run concept the Cardinals use often.

Conner fakes a motion to the flat before getting a running start on this handoff pic.twitter.com/6L9h7WkcPF

— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) September 19, 2024

3. Sneaking into the Flat

There are times when my favorite part of a play design is that there is a logical exit when everything doesn’t go as planned. In Kevin O’Connell’s first year with the Minnesota Vikings, he liked to attack single high defenses with an outside vertical route and two deep crossers that created a moving pick. This put the defense in a bind because they either had to work through traffic or pass the routes off between multiple players.

The example on the right below is from the first game O’Connell called as the Vikings head coach. The example on the left came from Week 2 against the 49ers. It is a similar play with the added dimension of a wide receiver running through the traffic of the offensive line and providing an extra outlet for the quarterback. The shot play didn’t open up in the way Minnesota would have hoped, but the throw to the flat still created an explosive play.

Vikings sneaking a WR through the line and into the flat as an extra wrinkle for a single high beater they like pic.twitter.com/ITSO1wY9TM

— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) September 19, 2024

Play of the Week: Sam Darnold/Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

Backed up on his own three-yard line, Sam Darnold took a snap, faked a run to his right, hitched, hitched again, and sent the ball into the stratosphere.

97 yards?! What will Sam Darnold and @JJettas2 cook up next?

(via @FanDuel) pic.twitter.com/aAASpC80nB

— NFL (@NFL) September 17, 2024

On the other side of the launch was Justin Jefferson, fresh of a double move that misled the middle of the field safety and opened up space downfield. In addition to reeling in the throw, Jefferson gets bonus points here for finishing the run after the catch, Jalen Nailor gets credit for sprinting to make a touchdown-sealing block, and the referee gets an honorable mention for his change of direction, stop and start ability, and hip fluidity near the end zone.

Aside from the players, I like this design because it is a heavy run look that has Justin Jefferson as the inside receiver in a condensed stack alignment. This gets Jefferson away from Charvarius Ward and gives him more room to convince the safety that he is actually breaking outside. Nailor’s route running across the field is also a viable option in this situation against a cornerback with outside leverage, and if the middle of the field safety went to cut it off, Jefferson’s patj to six points would have been even easier.

Other plays receiving votes: Derek Carr to Rashid Shaheed, Alvin Kamara’s screen, and Breece Hall’s jump ball

The Numbers

After two weeks, the Packers lead the way with 18 plays of 15+ yards, while the 0-2 Ravens are just one play behind. Liam Coen and Baker Mayfield continue to create explosive plays for the Buccaneers, and multiple quarterbacks now have two 15+ yard scrambles.