Packers Film Room: Dashing for a dagger

Last week, we talked about the Green Bay Packers’ use of Dash motion and how they used the Vikings defensive tendencies to hit a play behind it. Today, we’re looking at that same motion and a play the Packers hit off of it in Week 2 against the New York Jets.

Before we get started, let’s talk about the type of motion. “Dash” motion is something we’ve been seeing quite a bit of around the league this year. It’s a type of slow motion that arcs behind the line, then run towards the line at the snap for a block.

Over the first two weeks of this season, the Packers have used this motion 10 times. They have run on 8 of those for an average gain of 6.5 yards, and they have run the same power concept on every one of those runs. The Dash motion man kicks out the EMOL (End Man on Line), the right guard pulls and works as a lead, the rest of the line blocks down. (I have the pullers in blue to make it easier to see.)

Last week, the Packers hit a backside slant late, as the Vikings were blitzing the backside every time the Packers showed that motion. This week, they had the backside WR run a Bubble.

That Bubble tag was on the backside of every one of these plays this week. Last week the only time we saw a route run on the backside of one of these plays was the slant to Matthew Golden that we covered last week.

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The Jets played this route a couple different ways. When they aligned a man tight to Golden, that defender aligned outside and shadowed the bubble. (Bottom of the screen on the next clip.)

When the Jets were in off coverage, the safety over Golden would shadow the bubble motion. (Top of the screen on the next clip.)

Now, to the last play.

After stopping the Jets on their first possession of overtime, the Packers drove down the field. With 5:47 remaining in overtime, they were facing 1st & 10 at the Jets’ 22 yard line. With the Jets already having had a possession, a field goal would win it, but you want to drive a little closer. Trey Smack had been a perfect 3/3 on field goals and extra points up until that point (due in some part to a great snap-and-hold operation), but you want to make this a little easier on him.

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The Packers come out in 12 personnel (1 RB, 2 TE, 2 WR) in a completely balanced set: one wide receiver split to each side, an in-line tight end to each side, and a single back behind the QB. Matthew Golden [0] is split wide to the left and Christian Watson [9] is wide to the right. The cornerback over Golden is shaded to the inside shoulder and the safety is playing on the hash. This is important.

Before the snap, Mark Redman [86] starts his Dash motion, triggering the play. At the snap, Golden bubbles out. Instead of handing it off – or throwing to Golden on the Bubble – Love throws a lollipop up the field. The cornerback is blitzing off the edge to try to stop the run from the backside, so he’s in no position to make a play on this ball. The safety playing so far inside is also in no position to make a play on this. By throwing it over the top, Love avoids any opportunity for the defender to that side to make a play.

A couple interesting things here. The Jets did not really blitz their cornerbacks in this game. They blitzed on 31.25% of their defensive snaps (per SumerSports), but, unless I missed some, this was the only time they blitzed a cornerback in this game.

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More than anything, I think the alignment of the cornerback and safety is what informed the decision to throw this. If the cornerback was playing on Golden’s outside shoulder, I think Love hands the ball off. If the Jets are in off coverage and the safety is over the top, I think Love throws this to Golden on the bubble.

With the cornerback playing the inside shoulder and the safety playing on the hash, Love makes the decision to throw to Golden, but throw further outside and up-field than simply throwing the Bubble (since the cornerback could have a chance to knock down a throw to the flat). And, since Golden is running a Bubble, Love puts enough air under this ball to allow Golden to adjust as the ball is in the air. The cornerback blitzing makes this more open than it would have been, but even if that cornerback simply played how he had been playing this – a soft mirror on the Bubble – he still would not have been in a great position to defend this.

I love the call in this moment (it was the best run concept on the day for the Packers), but I love seeing the recognition from Love at the line and the adjustment from Golden to be able to make this catch and pick up yards afterwards.

By the time the dust had settled, it was a 14 yard gain, setting up a 26 yard field goal, which Smack knocked through.