Matt Bowen's Week 9 NFL Film Study
Every Thursday, former NFL defensive back Matt Bowen brings you his film study: a breakdown of the league from multiple angles.
Five Matchups to Watch in Week 9
1. Bill Belichick vs. Peyton Manning, Broncos
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Looking at this game from a matchup perspective, how will Belichick utilize Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner versus Manning and the Broncos?
The Patriots could lean on Cover 1 or 2-Man with Revis and Browner matching to Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, but don't forget about Julius Thomas. This is where I would use Browner (based on game/down-and-distance situation) to jam and re-route the Broncos tight end.
In the Week 8 win over the Bears, the Patriots played 2-Man in their dime personnel (six defensive backs) with Revis matched up versus Brandon Marshall (slot) and Browner going outside the numbers to press tight end Martellus Bennett (take away the smash route).
Back in the 2013 AFC Championship Game, the Patriots had issues versus the Broncos' Hi-Lo concepts with receivers winning at the line of scrimmage.
This allowed the Broncos receivers to work away from leverage (forcing defenders to fight through inside traffic) on shallow and intermediate crossing routes versus underneath coverage.
On Sunday, the Patriots have to challenge receivers on the release in their press looks and disrupt the timing of the Broncos' Hi-Lo concepts. And that starts with the proper matchups based on personnel in the secondary.
Let's see how the Patriots match up to start the game and if they adjust to account for the Broncos tight end based on his alignment when he is removed from the core of the formation.
2. Cardinals' Zero-Pressure vs. Cowboys
The Cowboys struggled versus the Redskins' zero-pressure (blitz-man with no safety help) Monday night as they failed to account for the "off the ball" rushers in the protection count.
Here's an example on the blitz that knocked Tony Romo out of the game, as the Redskins rush six while adding two ("green-dog" techniques/rush to coverage). That gives linebacker Keenan Robinson a free run to hit the quarterback.
The issue there for the Cowboys was the inability to check outside to a hot read (three-step routes) with the defensive backs playing off and to the inside. You can't run routes that break at 12-15 yards when the ball has to come out.
Looking ahead to Sunday's matchup with the Cardinals, the Cowboys will have to make some real adjustments because they are going to see even more zero-pressure from Todd Bowles' defense.
The Cardinals love to send pressure, and they have no problem showing the blitz in their pre-snap alignment with the defensive backs playing off-man.
That allows the secondary to play with a flat-foot read, drive on the throw and break the pass up or make a tackle for a minimal gain.
We don't know if Romo will play this Sunday, but the Cardinals will send the same pressure if Brandon Weeden is under center. Time for the Cowboys to identify the blitz, adjust the protection up front and get the ball out to challenge the Arizona secondary.
3. Ben Roethlisberger vs. Ravens Secondary
Roethlisberger was excellent in Week 8 versus the Colts, and the majority of his throws came inside the pocket with the quarterback quickly working through his progressions to identify open receivers.
Sure, Roethlisberger did extend the play to find Antonio Brown on a "scramble drill," but I was more impressed with his ability to work the ball to a variety of receivers in Todd Haley's game plan.
This is an example of Roethlisberger coming back side (versus Quarters technique) to find rookie Martavis Bryant on the inside slant route to split the safeties.
With the Ravens heading into the Sunday night matchup without cornerback Jimmy Smith, I would look for Roethlisberger to challenge the Baltimore two-deep shells and zone-blitz concepts.
Plus, with the sudden impact from Bryant (along with Brown, Markus Wheaton and tight end Heath Miller), Roethlisberger can continue to work the ball to multiple levels of the field.
4. Joe Staley vs. Robert Quinn
Staley is a key part of the 49ers offense when they want to run Power O or G-Lead (down block on the edge), but I'm really interested to watch the veteran tackle after he shut down Quinn back in Week 6 on Monday night.
Quinn (who has three sacks in his last two games) tried to use speed on the edge versus Staley. However, the veteran consistently washed the defensive end up the field and prevented him from turning the corner.
Check out this play with Quinn again attacking the edge of Staley from a wide 9 alignment.
Staley rides Quinn up the field and eventually dumps him on the turf. That's a negative rush, and it also opens up the pocket for Colin Kaepernick if he pulls the ball down.
If you are watching this game Sunday, focus on Quinn's counter moves and the ability to set up Staley. The defensive end has to keep contain and force Kaepernick to stay in the pocket.
That will allow the Rams to play more coverage in the secondary while also creating opportunities for rookie defensive tackle Aaron Donald to generate an inside push.
5. Arian Foster vs. Eagles Front Seven
The Eagles can score points versus the Texans defense, and that puts some stress on Foster and the offense to establish tempo while producing on the ground.
Foster's tape is outstanding, and I have no problem putting him in the discussion with DeMarco Murray as the top back in the NFL this season because of his vision, cutback ability and speed in the Texans' zone-based schemes.
Here's an example of that skill set from last Sunday's matchup versus the Titans on the zone/stretch scheme to the open side of the formation.
With the linebackers flowing hard to the play side, Foster cuts this ball all the way back to the closed side of the formation. This is where we see his speed to eliminate angles and put this ball in the end zone.
That's a great run (versus pursuit), and it shows us the ability of Foster to see the entire field in the zone scheme.
Foster needs at least 20-25 touches, in my opinion, for the Texans to establish tempo and wear down the Eagles defensive front. That starts with the outside-zone/stretch scheme that allows Foster to press the ball or cut back.
Five Players to Watch in Week 9
1. Henry Melton, DT, Cowboys
After suffering a knee injury in 2013, Melton looks like the productive 3-technique defensive tackle in the 4-3 front we saw back during his time with the Bears and Lovie Smith in 2011 and 2012.
Take a look at this play from Monday night, with Melton showing that burst off the line of scrimmage and the quick move at the point of attack to penetrate up the field and record a sack versus Colt McCoy.
That's the exact skill set you want at the defensive tackle position in Rod Marinelli's scheme, and it allows the Cowboys to play Cover 3 and sit in two-deep on third-down situations because of the interior pressure up front.
The Cowboys will have to take some stress off their secondary versus Carson Palmer and the Cardinals this Sunday given the speed and talent Arizona has at the wide receiver position. That's why Melton's production (and the ability of the front four) is key when Dallas drops back into its zone shells.
2. Robert Griffin III, QB, Redskins
I understand the decision to start Griffin even after McCoy's numbers in the Monday night win over Dallas. Go with your guy, your No. 1, when he is healthy and ready to play football.
What we need to watch is how Griffin moves outside of the pocket and what type of game plan Jay Gruden scripts to put his quarterback in a position to make quick reads with the ball.
I would expect the screen game to show up early Sunday versus the Vikings with a lot of three-step route schemes and the movement passes that cater to Griffin's skill set at the position.
More importantly, the Redskins wide receivers have to make some plays for the quarterback and produce numbers after the catch. Griffin might show signs of a player who has been on the shelf for a while when this game kicks off.
3. T.J. Ward, SS, Broncos
Can Ward match up to Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski when the Broncos roll the safety down in coverage?
Gronkowski is playing his best football of the season, and the tape tells the story on his ability to consistently create leverage versus man-coverage on inside breaking routes and the 7 cut (corner route) in the red zone.
Ward struggled in the red zone versus Antonio Gates this past Thursday night when the veteran tight end initiated contact at the top of the stem or used his size to box out the safety in the end zone.
Tom Brady and Gronkowski lit up the Bears in Week 8 on basic concepts that put the tight end in a position to use his strength and frame to shield defenders from the ball in the short-to-intermediate passing game.
This is a tough matchup for Ward. Keep an eye on how he plays Gronkowski (press or off) early Sunday.
4. Anthony Barr, LB, Vikings
After spending some time this week on the Vikings tape, I'm excited to see the development over the second half of the season for the rookie linebacker out of UCLA.
Barr is athletic, he can rush off the edge and I really like how Mike Zimmer is utilizing his talent as an underneath defender in both zone and man schemes.
That's where I see his impact as a sub-package defender that can continue developing his coverage skills while matching to tight ends up the seam or running backs on the option routes.
The play Barr made to close out the Bucs in Week 8 was impressive, but there is a lot more on the tape that highlights his speed and skill set.
The linebacker gets another test this Sunday versus the Redskins, and we will get another look at his versatility within Zimmer's defense.
5. Nick Foles, QB, Eagles
Foles will have opportunities to target the Texans secondary this Sunday, but will the Eagles quarterback show more consistency throwing the ball when he has clean windows to work with?
In the Week 8 loss to the Cardinals, Foles made a big-time throw on the deep post route to Jeremy Maclin that produced a touchdown, but he also threw two interceptions on base concepts (seam and dig).
Check out the footwork here from Foles on the "999" route (four verticals from a 3x1 alignment) that resulted in an interception.
Foles had a window to target No. 2 on the seam, but he pulled the ball down, failed to reset and made this throw without his base square to the target. That forced the ball to hang in the air and allowed Antonio Cromartie to undercut the route.
As I said at the top, the Eagles can score points on the Texans defense, but they need more consistent play from Foles to get the win on the road.
10 Quick Takeaways from the Week 8 Film
1. Check out the tape of Redskins cornerback Bashaud Breeland versus Dez Bryant. The rookie consistently challenged the Cowboys No. 1 wide receiver and showed the ability to win with technique in the red zone. Impressive night.
2. Saints running back Mark Ingram was very decisive picking running lanes versus the Packers, and he showcased much more speed through the hole than I've seen in the past.
3. When the Patriots used counter protection (pull the guard) in their play-action schemes, Tom Brady had clean throwing lanes with the second-level defenders removed. It was a really rough day for the Bears defense, and it started with poor eye discipline at the linebacker position.
4. How did Golden Tate catch a deep 9 route versus the Falcons for a touchdown? Safety Kemal Ishmael never got off the numbers to overlap the route in the deep half. That's bad football with a single vertical threat down the sideline.
5. J.J. Watt can beat offensive linemen with power or speed. On Sunday, it was his speed off the ball versus offensive guard Chance Warmack on a two-point attempt for the Titans. Watt set up Warmack at the snap, attacked the edge with a quick swim move and ran right past him to make a tackle in the backfield. Too easy.
6. Bruce Irvin's sack versus Cam Newton in the final series of the game is one of my favorite plays of the week. With the Panthers showing sprint action to the opposite side of the field, Irvin defeated a back-side cut block and never stopped running until he finished the play.
7. William Gay's pick-six versus Andrew Luck was a good example of how cornerbacks can challenge routes from an off-man position. With Hakeem Nicks pushing up the field, Gay shuffled and allowed Nicks to eat up the cushion before breaking downhill when the receiver chopped his feet.
8. When are defensive backs going to realize that you can't give DeSean Jackson a free release off the line of scrimmage in press-man? That immediately puts the defender into a trail position versus the top-end speed of Jackson. You can't just open and run. That's not going to cut it.
9. Bears linebacker Shea McClellin played defensive end in a 4-3 front during the first two years of his career. On Sunday, he had to match up to Rob Gronkowski on the red-zone fade route. It was an excellent use of personnel and alignment from the Patriots to create a one-on-one outside of the numbers for a touchdown.
10. If you want to see perfect execution of the "pick" route in the red zone, take a look at Brian Hoyer's touchdown pass to Andrew Hawkins. Trips alignment with an offset back. Ideal situation to use sprint action with Hawkins running to the flat off the inside rub route.
Seven-year NFL veteran Matt Bowen is an NFL National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report.
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