Play Sequencing with the Commanders Offense

Kliff Kingsbury is back in the NFL calling plays and scheming up defenses. In Saturday's game, the Commanders demonstrated their offensive creativity by incorporating a play that might surprise some—trap. It's not the first thing that comes to mind when people think of the Air Raid offense, but it proved effective.

During their second offensive series, the Commanders lined up in 11 personnel, with a 2x2 formation, and executed a long trap play to the tight end. The result? An 11-yard gain and a fresh set of downs. The Dolphins' defensive alignment featured just six men in the box, with the nickel positioned on the field side to the twins. This light box gave the Commanders the perfect opportunity to exploit the numbers advantage, leading to a significant gain on the ground.

On the very next play, following a false start, the Commanders lined up in the same formation and saw the Dolphins respond with the exact same defensive alignment. Kliff Kingsbury didn't hesitate—he dialed up the long trap play once more, and it delivered yet again, resulting in another 11-yard gain. If it works, why change it?

Three plays later, with the drive in full swing, Kliff reached back into his playbook, this time pulling out a trap play action with a pop pass to the tight end. Having seen the trap run twice already on this drive, the linebacker was keyed in on defeating the block. The tight end initially took an angle as if to block, but then slipped up the seam, catching the defense off guard for a smooth completion.

While these are just three plays in the context of an entire game, they perfectly illustrate the concept of building plays on top of each other to gain a strategic edge over the defense. It's a great example of sequencing and setting up the opposition. I'm excited to see how Kingsbury continues to bring this level of creativity to the Commanders' offense throughout the season.