Missed Tackles
Two of the big problems this team is dealing with are dropped passes and missed tackles. Dropped passes were covered last week, this week we’ll look at two plays in which missed tackles were the difference between a small gain and a huge play. These are the types of fundamental skill mistakes that great teams simply don’t make. Luckily, these things are correctable. If Oakland wants to be a force into this league, these are the mistakes they’ll have to eliminate entirely.
Credit: NFL Game Rewind
Oakland runs Cover 6 (1/2 deep field covered by one safety, other 1/2 deep field split into fourths and covered by a deep corner and a safety with zone coverage underneath) out of their nickel package (3 DLs, 3 LBs, 5 DBs). Arizona uses 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WRs) from an empty shotgun formation with a 3×2 look. Of the left side of the field (bottom of image) Arizona runs a levels concept and on the right side of the field they run a hook-flat combination. QB Carson Palmer likes the look he sees in the pre-snap read with CB TJ Carrie playing 7-8 yards off the line of scrimmage and looks to go to RB Andre Ellington immediately in the flat route. TJ Carrie, LB Miles Burris, and S Usama Young all miss their tackles and Ellington gets 37 yards downfield before S Charles Woodson can stop him. This play should have been a 3 yard gain, but missed tackles made it huge and put Arizona in position to get their first score of the game.
Credit: NFL Game Rewind
On this goal line play Arizona runs play action out of 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WRs) to fake the fly-sweep (similar to the jet sweep Khalil Mack and Charles Woodson stopped) and execute a textbook flat-7 concept on the right side for the TD. Oakland blitzes CB Carlos Rogers from their goal line nickel and confusion occurs as S Charles Woodson is left to cover both WR Larry Fitzgerald on the 7/corner route and RB Stefan Taylor on the flat route. Palmer should have thrown to Fitzgerald, who was wide open in the end zone, but opts to dump it to Taylor as he feels the pressure closing in. Woodson actually makes an incredible break on the ball and delivers a solid hit, but he doesn’t wrap up which allows Taylor to stay on his feet just long enough to stretch out for the score. Surely there’s no way to have known that Taylor would stay on his feet but a veteran like Woodson knows to wrap up when there’s no help behind him and he’s at the goal line.