Third Down Thursday (NFL Week 3, 2023)
This week’s article includes some wrinkles off of classic concepts, Mesh, and a goal line 3rd down score, all (unintentionally) being thrown to the Shanahan/McVay signature F Receiver.
49ERS
On 3rd & 10 from their own 29 yard line, the 49ers ran Peel Follow. This combination of routes is a “Good vs. Anything” play call. Peel (Post-Wheel) in and of itself is a general “Good vs. Anything” concept, but I like it most against Cover 3 when you can get an outside linebacker carrying the wheel of the #2 receiver. Follow (Levels) is a great match coverage beater, whether zone or man match, because it has two routes breaking in the same direction. The combination of the two also includes a vertical stretch of the middle field players between the Post, Basic, and Under routes, forcing two levels of defenders (linebackers and safeties) to cover three levels of route distribution. Add in Cheat motion to either get a receiver out in front of man coverage or confuse zone match assignments pre-snap, and this combination is near-impossible to defend.
In this particular instance, the Giants are running Cover 1 behind a 5 man pressure, so there is no low hole defender. Jauan Jennings (F) gets an inside release on the jam, breaks his route off over the middle, catches a perfectly touched pass from QB Brock Purdy, and gains 11 yards, just enough for the first down.
PACKERS
On 3rd & 10 on the NO 40 yard line, the Packers ran a 3 man version of the Bench concept from a loose bunch formation. The Saints played a standard Box check to the bunch. The OLB takes the first player low and outside, the ILB takes the first player low and inside, CB takes first deep and outside, Safety takes first deep and inside, all combining to form a “box” after the route distribution. As typical with zone match defenses, two routes breaking the same direction can give it trouble because of the leverage of the defenders. If there are two receivers breaking low and outside, as in a Wheel-Flat concept, the OLB would cover the wheel, but the ILB would have to cover the flat, an out-breaking route, from inside leverage, and it takes a special player to get there in time to beat the throw.
A similar distribution occurs here. The Hook by the Y breaks out initially as he runs behind the Z, so the OLB picks him up instead of zoning off to the flat. This leaves nobody to contest the throw to the F on the Bench route, as the CB is playing it top-down to avoid giving up an explosive, a common theme in modern defense.
What if the OLB had recognized the Y breaking back inside and zoned off into the flat? You can see the Y flinch just as the ball is thrown where he is going to break across the ILB’s face and give the QB an option over the middle of the field. All told, another 3rd & 10 play that gains 11 yards.
Paid subscribers will have access to a breakdown of the Mesh play the Dolphins used to continue a drive en route to their 70-20 victory over the Broncos, an unstoppable goal line play by the Rams in their primetime victory over the Bengals, and over 28 minutes of every 3rd down play call from the “Fun Bunch” in Week 3 of the 2023 NFL season.
