Acme Packing Company
Taking some plays from the AFC Championship Game and giving them to the Packers
Last week, we took a look at a cool play the Lions ran in their loss to the Commanders and stole it. This week, we’re digging into the AFC Championship Game and seeing what we can steal for the Green Bay Packers’ 2025 offense. This time, we’re stealing a handful of plays that all fit into the same bucket: post-snap RPOs.
Let’s set us up real quick so we’re all on the same page. When we say “post-snap RPO,” what are we talking about?
As I’m sure you’re aware, RPO stands for “Run/Pass Option.” It’s a called run play, with a passing concept tagged onto it and the QB makes a decision whether to hand the ball off or throw it. When bucketing the different types of RPOs, I think of it in terms of when the QB makes the decision on when to throw.
On a Pre-Snap RPO, the decision is made before the ball is snapped. It’s a numbers game to one side of the field. It’s typically a horizontal play — Bubble, Flat, etc. — and the QB is looking to see if he has a numbers advantage on the throw side. If the offense has more players on that side than the defense, the QB will throw. If the numbers are even or worse, the QB will hand it off. You’ve seen a thousand of these over the past couple years from the Packers.
A Post-Snap RPO is when the QB determines whether to throw the ball or not based on a post-snap read. These are vertical routes - Glance, Slant, etc. - where the QB is reading a defender (the Conflict Defender). The QB will put the ball into the stomach of the RB and read the defender. If he comes up to play the run, the QB will pull the ball and fire to the receiver in the spot the defender just vacated. If the defender stays in place, the QB will hand the ball off.
The idea is to make the defense wrong no matter what they do. If they’ve got numbers to the pass, they’re light in the box. If they’re in the box to stop the run, they’ve got air in the pass game.
Pre-snap RPOs are a safer bet, since you typically know what you’re getting before the ball is snapped. However, since they’re based around horizontal routes, the passing game has a limit to how explosive it could be. You’re basically looking for it to be a more effective play than handing the ball off, so we’re talking about 5.2 YPA being a good RPO call.
Post-snap RPOs can be a little riskier (the ball has to come out quickly, and a small change in the defense to that side could derail it), but there are more opportunities for big plays.
The Packers very much live in the world of pre-snap RPOs. In the 2024...
