By admin 
The 2026 NFL season has kicked off with a bang, leaving fans and analysts alike buzzing about the offensive explosion witnessed in Week 1. The sheer volume of points scored, a record-tying 791 across the league, signals a potential shift in offensive philosophies and defensive strategies. As teams settle into the rhythm of the new season, several key storylines have emerged, highlighting the strategic battles unfolding on the field and the innovative approaches being employed by coaches.
One of the most anticipated matchups of Week 1 pitted the Minnesota Vikings’ aggressive defense, orchestrated by defensive coordinator Brian Flores, against the Chicago Bears’ potent offense, led by head coach Ben Johnson. Flores has built a reputation for his complex six-man pressure schemes and exotic coverage concepts, designed to befuddle opposing quarterbacks. His defensive unit thrives on creating chaos, utilizing intricate pressure paths and varied zone coverages that test the patience and discipline of signal-callers. However, Johnson has historically held the upper hand in their head-to-head matchups, boasting a 5-1 record as playcallers. Johnson’s strategy revolves around a multiple offense, employing bunch formations, pre-snap shifts, and misdirection to neutralize Minnesota’s aggressive pass rush. Crucially, he plans to leverage the Bears’ formidable running game, featuring the explosive duo of D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai. By controlling the tempo and forcing the Vikings to commit to stopping the run, Johnson aims to create opportunities for quarterback Caleb Williams and the passing game. The threat of the Bears exceeding 200 rushing yards on a variety of inside and perimeter runs, exploiting potential weaknesses in the Vikings’ scheme, cannot be overstated.
Flores, ever the astute chess master, is expected to counter by employing static zone defenses that allow his defenders to play with a "see ball, get ball" mentality, pursuing plays at a breakneck pace. He is willing to put the game on Williams’ shoulders, daring him to play efficiently without critical mistakes. While Williams has demonstrated his ability as an improvisational playmaker with a big-play mentality, he has also shown a tendency to force throws into coverage when under duress. Furthermore, he can become undisciplined against softer coverage, settling for checkdowns when he desires to push the ball downfield. This marquee game, predicted to be a nail-biter decided in the final minutes, will likely come down to the strategic gambits that neither playcaller revealed in Week 1. Given their historical success, Johnson appears to have a slight edge in this evolving defensive and offensive showdown.
In Baltimore, the Ravens’ new offensive coordinator, Declan Doyle, wasted no time in unlocking the explosive potential of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. The dynamic duo proved to be an unstoppable force in Week 1, torching an overmatched Indianapolis Colts defense. Jackson, the two-time MVP, delivered a stellar performance, throwing for 324 yards and a touchdown while adding 40 rushing yards and another score, contributing to the Ravens’ staggering 500-plus yards of offense in a dominant 41-23 road victory. Henry, the two-time NFL rushing champion, was equally impressive, amassing 144 yards and three touchdowns as he physically imposed his will on the Colts’ defense, testing their toughness, physicality, and discipline with his signature downhill runs. The Ravens’ offensive firepower was further amplified by Zay Flowers, who recorded 150 receiving yards in just two quarters of play. This electrifying performance has the football world abuzz with anticipation for what Doyle’s offense can achieve under his guidance in his first year as a playcaller.
A deep dive into the All-22 game tape reveals much to admire about Doyle’s offensive scheme. The synergy between Jackson and Henry was palpable, with the quarterback and running back taking turns punishing the Colts’ defense. Jackson, in particular, was exceptionally sharp from the pocket, completing 17 of 25 passes for an impressive 12.96 yards per attempt. The three-time All-Pro settled into a rhythm quickly, expertly directing an offense that artfully blended traditional drop-back passes, bootlegs, and option routes with the read-pass options (RPOs) that have defined his nearly decade-long reign as one of the league’s most dangerous playmakers.
Henry also reaped the rewards of Doyle’s creative scheming on the ground. The Ravens utilized various motions from their tight end/H-back position to create advantageous creases at the point of attack. This deceptive use of the tight end/H-back as a lead blocker on the move is a tactic that will undoubtedly keep defensive coordinators awake at night, struggling to account for the extra hat in the running game. Considering Henry still possesses the raw strength and power to run through defenders in tight spaces, the Ravens’ multifaceted running game is poised to be a significant challenge for opposing defenses moving forward. Their next opponent, the New Orleans Saints, are still reeling from allowing the Detroit Lions’ Jahmyr Gibbs to run for 156 yards in Week 1, suggesting they may be ill-equipped to handle Baltimore’s ground attack.
The San Francisco 49ers’ defense is also poised for a resurgence under new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. After observing a more straightforward approach under Robert Saleh last season, particularly with a banged-up roster, opponents in 2026 should prepare for a significantly more dynamic scheme. Morris has evidently enhanced the 49ers’ vaunted defensive system by incorporating more pre-snap disguise, five-man fronts, and simulated pressures into their playbook. He has also streamlined the coverage structure, allowing the defensive backs to play faster and with greater confidence in the secondary.
These strategic adjustments were clearly evident in their Week 1 performance against the Los Angeles Rams, where the 49ers suffocated one of the league’s top offenses for the entire game. Their ability to stuff the run with five-man fronts that overpowered the Rams’ blockers, coupled with creative pre-snap movement and shifts that morphed five-man fronts into four-down structures with linemen dropping into coverage, created a chaotic defensive front that forced Matthew Stafford and his offense into a state of hesitation. The 49ers’ linebackers and defensive backs benefited immensely from this simplified approach, prioritizing execution and instinct over complexity. While the 49ers employed more pre-snap disguise to create uncertainty for Stafford, their coverage schemes themselves were easy to understand and execute, allowing their defenders to play with speed and aggression. This emphasis on speed and instinct, embodying a "see ball, get ball" mentality, proved too much for the Rams to overcome, as they struggled with the sheer speed and physicality of a defense designed to attack from all angles.
The statistical evidence backs up these tactical changes. Stafford was held to under 200 passing yards, and Puka Nacua and Davante Adams combined for a mere eight catches and 100 receiving yards. The Rams managed only one play exceeding 16 yards throughout the entire game. Furthermore, San Francisco’s defense generated a pair of crucial turnovers and a pivotal goal-line stand that ultimately swung the momentum of the game in their favor. With key players like Fred Warner embracing these defensive enhancements with evident enthusiasm, the NFC should be on high alert as a revitalized 49ers defense could very well be the spark that ignites a championship run in the Bay Area.
In the ever-evolving landscape of the NFL, where coaches are notorious for adapting and implementing successful concepts from their peers, veteran coach Andy Reid has a unique talent for drawing inspiration from old-school playbooks to fuel the Kansas City Chiefs’ scoring prowess. Against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football, the three-time Super Bowl champion once again showcased his penchant for innovative, yet historically rooted, play-calling. In the fourth quarter, Reid dusted off a play popularized by the legendary Glen "Pop" Warner in the early 1900s to engineer a walk-in touchdown for running back Kenneth Walker III.
Aligning in an unbalanced Single Wing formation with Walker positioned as a wingback on the left, the Chiefs executed a flawless counter-shovel pass. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes sprinted to his left before underhand tossing the ball to his star running back, who was sweeping back to the right behind a formidable convoy of blockers. The overload alignment and misdirection proved to be a masterstroke, catching the Broncos’ defense completely off guard and allowing Walker to scoot through a gaping crease into the end zone. This audacious throwback play, deployed in a high-profile game, immediately ignited social media, with football historians and old-school enthusiasts instantly recognizing its roots.
Further investigation revealed that the Single Wing formation has been a staple in the Chiefs’ short-yardage and goal-line package for years. In 2023, wide receiver Rashee Rice scored against the New England Patriots on an identical play, with then-backup quarterback Jerick McKinnon flipping the touchdown pass to Rice, who lined up as the wingback on an inside reverse/counter. Digging even deeper into the Chiefs’ history of creative play-calling, it was discovered that they employed a similar "toy" from an old Notre Dame playbook in Super Bowl LIV against the 49ers, nearly scoring a touchdown with running back Damien Williams. In that instance, the Chiefs lined up in a full-house backfield before shifting to an unbalanced Single Wing formation to the right. This deceptive pre-snap shift successfully diverted the defense’s attention, allowing Williams to field a direct snap and plunge between the tackles for a significant gain on a fullback dive from the overload formation. Although the Chiefs did not score on that particular play, this creative utilization of a throwback-era tactic serves as another compelling example of Reid’s willingness to draw from football’s rich history to put points on the board. With Single Wing aficionados eagerly anticipating Reid’s latest iteration of this legendary formation, the Chiefs’ short-yardage and goal-line package has undeniably become must-see television.
The NFL operates in distinct cycles, with teams periodically revisiting old-school tactics as a means of revitalizing their strategies every few seasons. The current trend appears to be a significant return to traditional football, with teams increasingly embracing under-center formations and heavy personnel groupings to ignite their offenses. A primary rationale behind this shift is to create a more favorable environment for the quarterback by utilizing the running game and play-action passes to neutralize aggressive defensive fronts that are intent on attacking gaps with a variety of pressures, stunts, and games. Moreover, the resurgence of under-center play is part of a broader strategic objective to force opponents out of the prevalent two-high safety defensive shells, which have historically limited explosive plays from quarterbacks targeting speedy receivers on vertical routes.
As defensive coordinators increasingly opt to position their safeties deep in the secondary with split-field structures and deploy more defensive backs in exotic sub-packages, offensive coordinators are countering these softer coverages with run-based game plans, often from tight end-heavy formations. Last season, teams like the Rams achieved considerable success by employing "13" personnel (one running back, three tight ends), which created a significant physical advantage on the field. The presence of two or even three tight ends aligned together generates additional running lanes and exposes smaller, sub-package defenders who may struggle to cope with the physicality required to defend the run.
In conjunction with traditional drop-back or play-action passes executed from under center on five- and seven-step drops, offensive playcallers are effectively luring second-level defenders towards the line of scrimmage. This strategic maneuver creates open space in the intermediate areas of the field, leaving vulnerabilities for crossing routes and dig routes on play-action concepts. Given the substantial "chunk" plays that can be generated from run-action plays, it is hardly surprising that more teams are seeking to enhance their offensive output by incorporating old-school formations and run-pass concepts.
The statistical data from Week 1 underscores this burgeoning trend. The league-wide percentage of under-center plays stood at 23.3%, indicating a stronger commitment to this throwback approach compared to the entirety of the 2025 season, which saw an average of 17.6% under-center snaps. Considering the offensive fireworks that characterized the season’s opening week – with a record-tying 791 points scored – it is reasonable to anticipate that an increasing number of teams will adopt various under-center concepts to invigorate their offenses. As running backs continue to find traction by plunging between the tackles on downhill concepts – evidenced by the six 100-yard rushers in Week 1 – the potent threat of the run and the successful execution of these concepts are poised to make the game significantly easier for quarterbacks and playcallers throughout the season.
