All In A Rush
Given the Texans are in a five-man protection and the Panthers brought five pass rushers, it would logically follow that the Panthers were left rushing one-on-one across the board, but the Panthers were able to generate a pair of free rushers on this particular play, showing the upside of the multiple fronts that we’ve been talking about ever since it was announced this was what the Panthers were moving to.
The Panthers rush plan can be seen best in the following form:
If you look at it by the numbers, the Panthers have a defender in each gap, and while Poe shifting to the left of the center pre-snap moves the numbers somewhat, it’s not clear that the Panthers have an overload pre-snap so the Texans protections are all shifted to the strong side of the formation to account for the blitz. This overload is what leads to Reid coming as a free rusher, as the tackle blocks the end with Butler initially occupying the guard – so there is nobody left to block Reid once the tight end and running back flow to the sidelines. This is also what leads to Haynes getting double-teamed as he essentially is tasked with making sure that Watson isn’t able to break the pocket. This can be seen midway through the play:
What can also be seen on the above image is how the second free rusher was beginning to be generated. Rather than trying to generate pressure himself, Poe has looked to shoot the gap between the center and the guard, and while Butler initially looked to rush outside, he has now started to loop back around inside to take advantage of the gap right down the middle of the field. While both the center and the left guard look to cut him off, neither of them were able to get there in time and Butler was able to run right to the quarterback:
All of what has happened to this point is a result of the play design and execution – but the fumble and recovery are all down to the players in question. Butler does a great job of not allowing Watson to escape the sack and then knocking the ball loose with his other hand. Reid then does a great job of following the football and is able to secure the turnover.
Defensive coaching is always something of a battle against the inevitable – the defense is unable to really react to what’s in front of them mid-play in terms of adjusting coverages and so is left trying to play the percentages and hope that the offense isn’t able to string enough good plays together to score points.
Here, the Panthers took a risk and it paid off. This play also demonstrates the advantage of the new multiple front, as it was the ability to use Shaq Thompson as a rush threat who can then drop into coverage that led to Watson’s hesitation – along with some excellent press coverage by Bradberry – and ultimately, the sack. The Panthers will face better offensive lines than the Texans as the season goes on, but on Sunday, they were able to get pressure and the turnover when it mattered most.
