How Kyle Shanahan dissected Seattle’s protection within the NFL playoffs

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was masterful on Saturday.

Throughout the 49ers’ 41-23 win over the Seattle Seahawks, the coach discovered methods to emphasize the Seattle protection each on the bottom, and thru the air. Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, beginning his first playoff sport, posted strong numbers as he accomplished 18 of 30 passes for 332 yards and three touchdowns, numbers that topped the playoff debuts from a pair of San Francisco greats: Joe Montana and Steve Young.

San Francisco gained 505 yards of complete offense within the victory, and averaged 7.9 yards per play.

Diving into the efficiency a bit of extra, take a look at how environment friendly Purdy was on Saturday afternoon:

Purdy averaged 0.72 Expected Points Added per Play on Saturday, with an Average Depth of Target of practically 12 yards. The offense as an entire impressed, notably when throwing on early downs:

Data offered by RBSDM.com.

Turning to how this appeared on the sphere, Shanahan hit the Seahawks with an virtually dizzying array of presnap motion and movement, discovering alternative ways to place San Francisco’s spectacular offensive expertise in advantageous positions.

Take this play from early within the sport, the place Purdy connects with Brandon Aiyuk on a bottom dig route:

Think about the whole lot the Seahawks needed to decipher earlier than the snap. San Francisco breaks the huddle with “21 offensive personnel,” with two working backs, two large receivers, and a good finish.

However, the quotes round 21 offensive personnel are there as a result of listed here are the gamers in that group: Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Kyle Juszczyk, George Kittle, and Brandon Aiyuk. You might simply as simply name that 31 offensive personnel, and designate Samuel as a working again, or 12 offensive personnel, with Juszczyk as a good finish.

The personnel alone poses an issue.

They align initially with Purdy within the shotgun, each Samuel and Juszczyk on the fitting, Kittle and Aiyuk on the left, and McCaffrey within the backfield. But then, they begin to transfer. Kittle shifts throughout the formation to the fitting. Samuel then shifts into the backfield, flanking the QB together with McCaffrey. But then McCaffrey shifts again exterior to the fitting, aligning in a bunch with Kittle and Juszczyk.

This is the formation when the ball is snapped, giving the 49ers 4 threats to 1 facet of the sphere.

So after all Purdy throws a bottom did to Aiyuk on the opposite facet of the formation.

Shanahan additionally discovered a number of alternative ways to emphasize Seattle’s single-high zone protection schemes, usually via dig routes. On this completion from Purdy to Aiyuk late within the second half, Shanahan dials up a variation of his Burner idea, which is a play-action design pairing a deep nook route with a dig route. Here, the 49ers don’t use play-action, however the deep nook route from the speedy Danny Gray occupies the post-safety, together with the cornerback to his facet of the sphere. Samuel, aligned in a wing on the left, chips on the sting defender earlier than working a sit route over the soccer. Kittle and McCaffrey launch to the flats:

The consequence? The routes create area for the dig route from Aiyuk, who’s large open over the center:

Shanahan additionally used vertical routes, and the specter of the downfield passing sport, to create area for receivers working beneath. On this play from early within the second quarter, the 49ers dial up 4 vertical routes, together with McCaffrey out of the backfield. Again, the Seahawks are in single-high protection, and this vertical idea is an issue for these protection constructions.

So too is Kittle beneath on a shallow route:

Perhaps one of many meanest designs that Shanahan dialed up got here firstly of the fourth quarter. With the 49ers holding a 23-17 lead, and going through a 2nd and 11 in Seattle territory, Shanahan known as for a play-action design utilizing exterior zone because the bait. Purdy targets Jauan Jennings on a wheel route:

Why is that this simply flat-out imply? A couple of causes. First, the scenario. With San Francisco going through a 2nd and 11, Seattle would possibly anticipate run, with the 49ers aiming to get right into a manageable third-down scenario. You can see that within the defensive alignment, because the Seahawks name man protection and have ten defenders inside 5 yards of the ball.

Second, they present exterior zone into the boundary, to the left facet of the formation. Throwing a wheel route out of an outdoor look is one thing the 49ers have achieved earlier than, however normally to the fitting facet of the formation, the place it’s a better throw for the quarterback. Here, Purdy must execute the pretend, shortly flip his hips, and set the hallway for a throw downfield. It’s not what you’re anticipating from the offense.

Which are all the explanation why it really works.

But maybe the most effective instance of how spectacular Shanahan was Saturday afternoon comes via two performs. First, this run from the primary quarter, a toss play to Samuel:

Again, you see a number of the presnap motion mentioned earlier. The 49ers break the huddle with 21 offensive personnel: Aiyuk, Kittle, McCaffrey, Juszczyk, and Samuel. McCaffrey, Juszczyk, and Aiyuk begin the play on the fitting, with Kittle aligned on the left and Samuel within the backfield. But Juszczyk then shifts right into a fullback’s alignment, in entrance of Samuel within the backfield, whereas Aiyuk shifts throughout the formation, into a good alignment on the left.

Samuel will get the pitch and goals for the left edge, with Juszczyk main him to the skin. It goes for a 22-yard achieve, with the important thing block maybe coming from Juszczyk, as he meets security Ryan Neal within the alley.

Early within the second quarter, the 49ers present the Seahawks the identical fundamental look — with the identical presnap motion — however promote the Seahawks on the pitch earlier than the snap, as Juszczyk slides in movement in the direction of the left facet of the offense. Only, no pitch is coming. Instead, Purdy fakes the pitch, and throws a slant path to McCaffrey on the fitting facet of the offense. As this play unfolds, watch how the Seattle protection reacts to the specter of the pitch, and the way that response creates area for the slant route:

Masterful.

Purdy is actually grabbing the headlines, and with good motive. His rise from “Mr. Irrelevant” to playoff-winning quarterback is a improbable story, and the rookie QB is enjoying very nicely.

But the job of a coach is to place his gamers in the most effective place to achieve success, and that’s precisely what Shanahan is doing with this offense. With the unimaginable expertise he has in place — together with a number of totally different gamers who can thrive in varied roles on offense — Shanahan is stressing defenses, and creating alternatives for his rookie quarterback to succeed.

So as we reward Purdy for his meteoric rise this season, we must also take a while to reward Shanahan, who’s discovering alternative ways every sport, every quarter, and even every drive, to emphasize defenses.

Putting Purdy ready to succeed.