Matt Bowen's Week 13 NFL Film Study
Every week, former NFL defensive back Matt Bowen brings you his film study: a breakdown of the league from multiple angles.
1st-and-10
Here are 10 thoughts from a scheme and matchup perspective as we look ahead to the Week 13 schedule in the NFL.
TOP NEWS
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Colts Release Kenny Moore
Projecting Every NFL Team's Starting Lineup 🔮
Rookie WRs Who Will Outplay Their Draft Value 📈
1. Dez Bryant vs. Eagles Secondary
If Philadelphia Eagles cornerbacks Bradley Fletcher and Cary Williams want to limit Bryant on Thanksgiving afternoon, it starts with technique and the pre-snap look in the secondary.
Think jam and mirror at the line of scrimmage with the safeties rolling to the deep middle at the snap in Cover 1 (man-free). Forget about “opening the gate” from a press alignment (open the hips and run). That’s not going to cut it versus Bryant. These corners have to be physical, move the feet and reroute the stem if they want to win in one-on-one situations.
Check out Bryant versus Jaguars cornerback Dwayne Gratz.
What happened here? Gratz stopped his feet on the initial jam. Bryant is just too strong at the point of attack as he runs through the jam to stack on top of the cornerback. Plus, the Eagles can’t show Tony Romo single-high looks when they break the huddle like they did in Week 11 versus the Green Bay Packers. That will allow Romo to identify the matchup he wants with Bryant outside of the numbers.
2. Dom Capers’ Game Plan vs. Rob Gronkowski
I would put Packers defensive back Micah Hyde on Gronkowski based on the down-and-distance situation because of his versatility in the secondary. However, the Packers can’t allow Gronkowski to get off the line clean.
There is too much of that on the film with opposing defenses giving Gronkowski a free release into the route stem in both zone and man coverages. Take a look at the tape from the Denver Broncos-New England Patriots matchup with Gronkowski running the inside-seam route. Great catch by the tight end, but where is the reroute to impact the release?
The Packers can use a linebacker to “chuck” Gronkowski with Hyde playing from an off-alignment. That’s how I would game-plan the Patriots (especially on third downs) to take Gronkowski out of the route concept. If Tom Brady wants to target Julian Edelman, Tim Wright or Brandon LaFell, then it’s on the Packers secondary to win matchups. But don’t let Gronkowski off the line to gash the middle of the field.
3. Broncos’ “Pin” Route vs. Chiefs’ "Quarters" Coverage
If you watch the film from Week 2 (and in 2013), you know the “pin” route is on the top of the call sheet for Peyton Manning and the Broncos offense versus the Kansas City Chiefs' Cover 4 defense.
A route designed specifically to beat “Quarters,” the “pin” (post-in combination) forces the safety (responsible for No. 2 vertical) to jump the dig route, while leaving the cornerback (playing from an outside-leverage position) with no immediate help versus the post. Here’s a look at the route from that Week 2 matchup with the safety driving the tight end on the dig route and the cornerback stuck in a one-on-one versus Emmanuel Sanders.
The result is a big play for the Broncos with the safety removed and Sanders creating some separation on the “dino” stem (widens the cornerback).
How do you stop it? The Chiefs cornerbacks can’t expect help. These safeties are going to play any route from No. 2 past a depth of 12 yards. It’s on the cornerbacks to stay on top of the post (upfield shoulder). Keep an eye on the Broncos offense when it aligns in a 2x2 formation. That’s when the “pin” route shows up.
4. Vernon Davis’ Impact in the 49ers’ Game Plan
There are plenty of angles to look at in the Seattle Seahawks-San Francisco 49ers matchup on Thanksgiving night, but I want to see Jim Harbaugh’s team utilize Davis in the passing game versus Seattle’s Cover 3 looks.
Where is that impact from Davis? He should be a matchup weapon for Colin Kaepernick on the seam, 7 (corner) and dig. Plus, he can be removed from the core of the formation to work the intermediate throwing lanes versus Pete Carroll’s defense.
I don’t know if the 49ers want to be a power-football team, a spread team or a zone-read team. Their lack of identify on offense this season is amazing from my perspective. But in a game they need to stay in the playoff discussion, why not get the ball to Davis?
5. Kyle Long vs. Ndamukong Suh
I want to see Long match up versus Suh in both the run and the pass game in the early kickoff on Thanksgiving. That’s good football with two players who want to compete and aren’t afraid to get a little nasty.
In the run game, I would use the inside-trap schemes in the Chicago Bears offense to invite Suh up the field while Long pulls to kick out the defensive tackle. Those are ear-hole shots on the interior of the offensive line that create a quick, inside running lane for Matt Forte.
When the Bears do run their five-step and play-action passing concepts, Long will get some help inside. But there will be plenty of situations where the offensive guard has to lean on his technique and power to win a one-on-one matchup. Suh might be the best defensive tackle in the game, but I wouldn’t count out Long just yet. Let’s see how he does in this matchup on the national stage.
6. Focus on Odell Beckham Jr.
I broke down the tape on the New York Giants' rookie wide receiver this week because I wanted to study his overall game outside of the one-handed grab made on Sunday night versus the Dallas Cowboys.
The tape is impressive when looking at Beckham’s route-running ability, catch radius and the quickness he displays when coming out of his breaks. The rookie from LSU plays the game with an aggressive style, and he wants to compete.
I know the Giants-Jaguars matchup Sunday isn’t going to drive ratings, but if you get a chance, turn it on just to watch Beckham play with a focus on his skill set. He is an exciting player.
7. Le’Veon Bell vs. Saints’ “Secondary” Run Support
What’s one of the major issues with Rob Ryan’s defense? The “secondary” run support. This is where we often see the Saints exposed as a poor tackling unit. Look at this example from the Monday night game with Ravens running back Justin Forsett cutting back to the closed side of the formation on the zone/stretch scheme.
This is a nice read from safety Kenny Vaccaro (flat-foot initial run/pass key), but the Saints safety stops his feet in the hole and fails to get his head across on the tackle. That’s a play Vaccaro has to make. Instead, this turns into an explosive gain for the Ravens because of a missed tackle.
On Sunday in Pittsburgh, it’s not going to get any easier for Ryan’s defense when it matches up versus Bell and the Steelers' zone/power run game. I think Bell is in the discussion as the top overall back in the league this year because of his patience with the ball, acceleration through the hole and the power to finish runs. And if the Saints don’t tackle, Bell is going to fill up the box score in a Steelers win.
8. More Josh Gordon
Gordon had 16 targets in his first game back during the win over the Falcons, and he finished with eight receptions for 120 yards. That’s what you expect from a true, No. 1 wide receiver.
We saw the tunnel screen, shallow drive route, deep dig, corner route, etc., to create opportunities for Brian Hoyer to get the ball to his No. 1 guy. Here’s an example of the “dagger” combination (clear-out seam/dig) in the game-winning drive with the Browns clearing out the middle of the field versus three-deep coverage.
On Sunday, I want to see how much man coverage the Buffalo Bills play versus the Cleveland Browns and if they rotate a safety over the top to give Gordon some “cloud” looks at the line of scrimmage (think of a rolled-up cornerback with Cover 2 technique). The tape from Week 12 is out there, and Gordon is going to be the focus of the Browns' passing game. Now let’s find out how opposing defenses game-plan to limit his production.
9. Ryan Mathews’ Production vs. Ravens
I do like the matchup of Philip Rivers versus this Ravens secondary, but can the San Diego Chargers keep the pocket clean for their quarterback given the edge-rushers in Baltimore?
That’s why I’m focused on Mathews in the nickel run game. One-back schemes (zone, power, draw) that allow San Diego to target some soft run boxes (six- or seven-man fronts). Mathews ran for 105 yards on just 12 carries in the win over the St. Louis Rams this past Sunday and also scored a touchdown on the inside-draw scheme.
With the combination of Mathews and Branden Oliver, I like the idea of using the nickel runs to balance the Chargers' game plan on the road. That creates opportunities for the Chargers to produce when they have the numbers up front.
10. Does Anyone Want to Stop the “Yankee” Route?
The “Yankee” route (deep post-crossing route combination) shows up every week when I turn on the tape, and defenses have consistently failed to shut it down in Cover 3. The problem in Cover 3? The free safety jumps the crosser and vacates the middle of the field. That means the backside cornerback has to replace in order to protect the post.
This past week, the “Yankee” route was on display in the Ravens-Saints matchup with Drew Brees throwing the ball over the top of the defense for an explosive gain. Have a plan as a defense, give out the pre-snap alerts (wide receivers aligned inside of the numbers) and communicate in the secondary.
10 Quick Takeaways from the Week 12 Film
1. When are defensive backs going to learn that you can’t stop your feet in the open field versus Jamaal Charles? He is too talented to give him space to work with.
2. James Jones ran a great route for the game-winning score versus the Chiefs. That’s called a “shake” route. A quick, double-move. Sell the out cut and then get back up the field in the red zone.
3. On Tony Romo’s game-winning touchdown pass to Dez Bryant, left tackle Tyron Smith knocked Jason Pierre-Paul to the ground twice. That’s how much time Romo had in the pocket.
4. I’m still trying to figure out the plan from Ravens safety Terrence Brooks on the deep-seam route to Marques Colston for a touchdown. Brooks waited for the ball to fall in his lap. That’s not going to work. Go make a play.
5. Redskins left tackle Morgan Moses opened the door for 49ers defensive end Justin Smith to sack Robert Griffin III at the end of the game. No technique, no power, no footwork at the point of attack.
6. Do the Patriots have the best secondary in the NFL right now? I love watching defensive backs that line up in man coverage and challenge every route. They played like a top-tier unit versus the Detroit Lions.
7. Byron Maxwell’s interception off Drew Stanton is a great example of a defensive back identifying the route concept. With the Arizona Cardinals running a three-level concept, Maxwell came off the underneath smash route to step into the throwing lane.
8. Check out Demaryius Thomas’ touchdown on the slant route versus Brent Grimes. The Broncos wide receiver forced Grimes to step in the bucket at the top of the route. That was smooth.
9. Bucs quarterback Josh McCown didn’t have a good feel for the pocket in the loss to the Bears. Mel Tucker’s defense used a variety of twist stunts to get home, and that forced McCown into making some poor decisions with the ball.
10. Is Blake Bortles showing positive signs of development in Jacksonville? And is the arrow pointing up on the rookie quarterback? Something to think about after the number of reps he has seen this season.
Seven-year NFL veteran Matt Bowen is an NFL National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Post-June 1 Trade Candidates ☎️")
.JPG?w=600 "TO Talks Cowboys Relationship")
.jpg?w=600 "Taylor Heinicke Retiring")
.jpg?w=600 "49ers OC Hypes Mike Evans 🤩")