If you’re new to this series, we’re reviewing how the Green Bay Packers offense performed in 2025 by situation. We’re doing that by building out a call sheet, which I ran down in my initial post. This is the 10th article in the series, where we’re looking at the High Red Zone (plays between the 11-20 yard line).
We finished up our down & distance sections in our previous post, so now we’re truly starting to wind down this series. We’re breaking up the Red Zone into two (maybe three) sections, and
we’re focusing on the High Red Zone today.
The Packers averaged 5.4 plays per game in the High Red Zone in 2025, tied with the Chargers & Ravens for 4th-most in the league. From a Success Rate standpoint, they find themselves below average. Their 42.4% Success Rate was 19th in the league in 2025, and that was roughly the same no matter if they were passing (43.1%) or running (41.5%). Their pass rate in this area of the field, 55.4%, was 20th in the league, so they could have afforded to lean into the passing game a bit more (although it’s worth noting that the best team in Success Rate was the Commanders, who had a Success Rate of 50% and a pass rate of 48.4%).
While the Success Rate wasn’t great, the Packers did well in Explosive Rate and TD Rate. They had an Explosive Play Rate of 11.5% (4th) and a TD Rate of 15.4% (3rd). So they weren’t a hyper efficient offense in this area of the field, but they did well in terms of scoring and picking up some chunk plays.
We’ve got 6 plays in this section, so let’s dig in.
Pass
Pinwheel (17.0 YPA, 100% Success)
The Packers only ran this concept once this past season, but it was one of my favorite calls of the year. We had seen this concept generate explosives across the league over the past few years and it worked to perfection here. The outside receiver runs a post to run off the boundary defender, the #2 receiver runs a hitch that works as a natural rub, and the #3 jab-steps before looping under #2 and releasing vertically up the sideline. Beautiful concept and Love finishes this one off with a great throw to Jayden Reed.
Smash (9.1 YPA, 57.1% Success)
This has been a high red zone staple around the league since it first came on the scene (it is said to find its origins with former Packers head coach Lindy Infante, though he never took credit for it himself). It’s a high-low read on the outside, with the #1 receiver running a quick hitch (or in-cutting route) and the #2 receiver running a corner route over the top. The idea is to put the boundary defender in a bind. If that defender stays with the hitch, there’s room to throw the corner. If the defender bails for the corner, throw the hitch.
In the clip above, we see the boundary defender bailing, so Love hits Wicks on the hitch.
TE Screen (16.0 YPA, 100% Success)
I love the way the Packers run these. It’s not a full sell-out on the screen: there are options built in if the defense is giving a certain look. The ball needs to be out relatively quickly (before the linemen get downfield), but they always give themselves the opportunity for a big hitter away from the screen.
Bow-and-Go (18.0 YPA, 100% Success)
This plays nicely off core passing concept in this offense. Bow is a two-man concept that has one man running a hitch and the other man wrapping an in-cutter over the top.
Bow also works well in this area of the field, but if you catch them jumping the hitch (as the Packers do in the clip above), you can dial up a killer.
Run
Inside Zone (6.6 YPA, 66.7% Success)
This was the Packers most-used play in this area of the field and their most successful of concepts they used at least 4 times (on the season they used this 12 times). It also produced a TD rate of 25%, which is a great return in this area of the field. This team wants to be a downhill running team, and that served them well in the high red zone in 2025.
To compare this to another running concept Packers know well, they used Wide Zone 5 times in the high red zone in 2025. They had a success rate of 40%, an average gain of 2.8 YPA and a TD rate of 0%.
Zone Read (11.0 YPA, 100% Success)
I know that the clip above features Malik Willis, but this is also something we’ve seen the Packers pull out with Jordan Love in big moments as well, so this isn’t a Willis-only play in the playbook. This certainly isn’t something I’d expect the Packers to use very often, but having this highlighted to use in the high red zone wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world.
Here’s how that section looks on our callsheet:
Here is where you can find the other parts in this series:
An Introduction
1st & 10
2nd & Long
2nd & Medium
2nd & Short
3rd & Long
3rd & Medium
3rd & Short
4th & Short
Albums listened to: Jack White – Frozen Charlotte; Gracie Abrams – Daughter from Hell; Adrian Younge – Afro-Disco Makossa EP; Ed O’Brien – Blue Morpho
