Acme Packing Company
The stage is set for a high-stakes divisional battle as the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers clash for the third time this season in a pivotal Wild Card playoff match-up on Saturday night at Soldier Field in Chicago. This will be the third time the two teams have met in the postseason, the last time being in 2010 (Packers won 21-14) and the first time coming in 1941 (Bears won 33-14).
While the season series stands tied at 1-1, a deeper look at the tape reveals that the Packers held a distinct advantage in both contests, which we’ve covered here. The Bears’ sole victory came under duress, secured only in overtime back in Week 16.
The Bears under Ben Johnson have a unique passing attack that takes advantage of Caleb Williams’ arm talent and athleticism. Today, we’ll look at how one of their downfield passing concepts takes advantage of that.
In Week 16, the Bears offense aligns in a one-by-three formation, placing three eligible receivers to one side of the field, with quarterback Williams operating out of the shotgun.
The defense counters with a common pass defense shell: a cover-3 zone shell, characterized by three deep defenders and four underneath defenders.
The offense’s play call is a classic, high-leverage route combination known as the dagger concept. This is an intermediate-to-vertical passing play designed to create a void in the intermediate zone of the defense.
It features two deep routes—typically a post or go route—run to push the deep coverage (the corners and free safety) upfield, and a crucial dig route (a route that breaks toward the middle of the field at 10-15 yards) run into the newly created space.
The play works because of the route distribution. Tight end Colston Loveland runs a shallow crossing route on the backside of the formation. The primary function of this route is not to catch a pass, but to serve as a decoy, keeping the underneath linebackers and flat defenders occupied.
This route distribution prevents them from dropping into the throwing lane intended for the dig route. As the two primary deep routes successfully push the deep coverage back, the underneath safety—forced to honor Loveland’s movement—is drawn away from the center of the field.
This creates a void for the dig route run by wide receiver Moore into the deep middle of the field. With the defense’s attention and spacing compromised, Williams, showcasing his exceptional arm talent, delivers a powerful, accurate throw, even while facing immediate pressure in the pocket. The result is a significant gain, exploiting a fundamental weakness in the cover-3 zone defense.
The 2×2 version of this dagger route is also good against quarters as well.
The short drag route from the right side holds the underneath coverage low to the route, while the dagger comes in downfield behind it into the open void.
The creativity of the Bears’ offensive staff was on display in Week 17 when they executed a similar concept for an explosive passing touchdown...
