Let’s take a look at two of the big plays from the Green Bay Packers’ passing game this past weekend’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals, on both ends of the spectrum. We’re starting by looking at quarterback
Jordan Love’s interception and ending with his touchdown pass.
Play 1: 3rd & 5, 8:51 remaining in the 1st quarter
On the Packers’ first drive of the game, they go 47 yards in 10 plays, now finding themselves in a 3rd down situation at the Bengals’ 19-yard line. They’re in 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR), in a 3×1 look, with Tucker Kraft [85] as the lone receiving option on the line on the right. All 3 of the WRs – Matthew Golden [0], Dontayvion Wicks [13] and Romeo Doubs [87] – in a bunch on the left.
They’re running a spacing concept on the left, but it’s muddled from the jump, with Golden stumbling after contact and Doubs getting hung up as a result.
On the right, they’re running a modified Texas concept, with Kraft running a vertical route and Emanuel Wilson [23] running what looks like an Angle route from the backfield.
Except it’s not an Angle route. With the Bengals dropping Trey Hendrickson [91] into coverage, Wilson takes the route vertical, easily gaining separation from Hendrickson. The safety sees this and buzzes over Wilson, capping the route. A real shame, because it’s an absolute beauty.
The safety vacating the middle of the field leaves Kraft on a crossing route against safety Jordan Battle [27], and a good move at the top of the route gets him some nice separation.
Love is looking to hit Wilson, but when he sees the safety over the route, he works back to the left. He doesn’t appear to even give Kraft a glance.
He doesn’t like what he sees on spacing, and by the time he looks back to Kraft, Cameron Sample [96] is running free at his face. Love breaks the pocket and makes an ill-advised throw to Doubs on the sideline.
The ball is tipped by DJ Turner [20] and intercepted by Geno Stone [22]
The big question here is why the throw doesn’t go to Kraft in the middle after Wilson is ruled out. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that Wilson was likely the Alert, Spacing was the concept and Kraft was a “work back after spacing” option.
Said another way, Love was supposed to work the concept first, unless he liked the look to Wilson. If he likes the look to Wilson, that’s the first read. If he doesn’t like the look to Wilson, he’ll work the concept first, then work back to Kraft as the 4th read.
As it is, he gets stuck a bit. The way the defense is aligned – single-high safety, Hendrickson wide to the RB side – Love likes the look, as he should. Based on this, it looks like he’s either getting Wilson on Hendrickson or Wilson on a linebacker dropping from a weird angle in the middle of the field, with the safety taking Kraft.
The safety buzzing over Wilson takes away the Alert, so Love then goes back to the spacing concept on the left, but the timing is all messed up by then. Things get messy, pressure breaks through, and he tries to make a play. Doubs has a step on Turner, but the ball is behind, allowing Turner to get a hand on it, and it ends up in the hands of the defense.
Play 2: 1st & 10, 7:42 remaining in the 4th quarter
Now we get to the touchdown, and it’s a really fun concept. The Packers are in 11 personnel in a condensed formation. They’re in a tight, 2×2 set. Savion Williams [83] is the WR on the right, and he motions into an insert position (under the line, between the tackle and the TE) before the snap.
They go play action to that side, looking like it’s run to the right, behind that insert block. Instead, they’re running a frontside boot concept, with Williams releasing through the line on a Sail route from his insert position. Romeo Doubs [87] works as the intermediate crossing option, while Tucker Kraft releases into the flat from his position on the line.
Love boots to the handoff side and hits Kraft in the flat. Jordan Battle [27] drops wide to run with Kraft, but Kraft is able to turn, get upfield and blaze a path to the end zone.
Battle gets a hand on him and Cam Taylor-Britt [29] tries to put a hit on him, but Kraft powers through and is able to pick up 6.
Before the snap, Love “Cans” the play. You can see him put his hands to his helmet, which is mirrored by the skill position players. That’s the indicator that they are “Canning” the first play.
There are some playcalls that are two playcalls, and the QB has the ability to check to the second play if the defense gives a specific look. This frontside boot was the second call in the sequence. The first call was likely a run – behind the insert blocker – if the Bengals were in a light box up front. With the Bengals showing a single-high safety and 9 men in the box, Love checks to the pass. (I don’t know for sure that the first call in the sequence was a run, but it’s something that would make sense.)
Albums listened to: Dinosaur Jr – Where You Been; Not For Radio – Melt
