As the AFC Championship game draws near, let’s take a look back at the Week 11 game between the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. In that game, the Patriots won going away 42-20 in large part thanks to RB Jonas Gray whom ran for over 200 yards. With the Colts’ run struggles continuing into week 17, I fully expect the Patriots to again gameplan aggressively towards a downhill running attack and here’s a sneak peek at what to possibly expect on Sunday.
On Gray’s first carry, he takes the ball for a rather simple 7 yard gain. The Patriots line up in a 2 TE formation (with Cam Fleming reporting as receiving eligible as a 6th OL) with the strength on the left side thanks to the 2 WRs split out. The RG pulls into the open hole and chips the DT while also taking out the LB as the Patriots simply power block going man on man. Nothing fancy to this as New England simply overpowers the Colts here. The LG peels off the double team block and takes on the right ILB while the pulling RG takes on the left ILB.
Later in that drive, the Patriots pull out a staple running play that Bill Belichick had used since his days as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns in the early 1990’s. Shane Vereen is lined up next to Brady in Shotgun formation. Patriots line up in 4 wide with the left slot WR very briefly motioning prior to the snap. He comes back across the formation to pick up the edge defender on the right side. The RT heads to the second level to seal off the right ILB. Gronkowski takes up the left OLB and the Center/RG take on the interior DT. Vereen simply takes the ball up the middle between the hole created by the WR and RT.
The very next play, a run for 16 yards by Jonas Gray, the Patriots run virtually the same play that they ran for 7 yards earlier except with an added wrinkle of the Fullback blocking as well. Once again, Cam Fleming reports as an eligible receiver and gives the Patriots a 6th OL in a 2 TE formation. The OL and Gronkowski instantly zone block, aiming their defenders away from the run by pushing them towards the right side in a simple man on man design. The RG again pulls, picking up the scraping defender while the FB seals off the left OLB leaving Gray to take on a DB in a 1-1 match up.
Later in the first quarter, Jonas Gray rips off a 20 yard run to the right side as the Patriots continue with their dominant 2 TE formation with an I-Formation look and Cam Fleming serving as a 6th OL. The Patriots do a great job of sealing their defenders in man on man. The “2nd” TE seals off the right ILB while the FB comes downhill to pick up the DB and create a wide open lane for Gray to run through. The Patriots ignore the backside left OLB because he is not fast enough to catch Gray from behind and the left ILB gets caught up in the wash at the line of scrimmage.
In the 3rd quarter, Jonas Gray manages a 14 yard run as the Patriots continue dominating on the ground courtesy of their 2 TE (with Cam Fleming as an eligible receiver) look. In this play, the WRs take on the defensive backs playing deep off them. The C and the RT both head up to take on the 2nd level linebackers and clear them out of the picture. Fleming, serving as the 6th OL, seals off the right OLB. The other plays take out the defenders directly opposite them. Gray hits the hole opened up by the RT/”TE”, breaks a tackle, and rumbles downhill for a big gain.
With the success of the power downhill running game in Week 11 for New England, expect them to try and attack the Indianapolis Colts much in the same way. Watch for the Patriots to utilize a 6th OL as a 2nd TE along with a FB in the backfield as the Patriots try to win the strength advantage and take on the 2nd level defenders.
Credit to NFL.com and NFL for Game Rewind footage. Worth any single dollar.
Credit to Bleacher Report, NFL, and New England Patriots for feature image.
David Hunter
