The Eagles are among the league’s worst red zone teams, ranking 30th in touchdown percentage (38.7%), and dead last with 6 red zone turnovers.

In three of Tampa’s last four outings, Doug Martin has rushed for over 100 yards; this week the 25th ranked run defense travels from Atlanta to stop this trend.

Charger QB Phillip Rivers is 2nd in the NFL in interceptions this season with 14. This doesn’t bode well when visiting an opportunistic Raven defense who is the AFC’s 2nd leading pass intercepting defense (11).

The San Francisco 49ers host the Chicago Bears in a highly anticipated matchup among two of the league’s best teams. Both teams are coming off of disappointing performances in their prior outing; San Francisco is coming off of a frustrating tie against St. Louis, and Chicago lost a sloppy 13-6 slugfest against Houston. With Alex Smith out, it becomes especially important that the 49ers gets their ground game on track to make things easier on second-year QB Colin Kaepernick as he makes his first NFL start. Behind Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter, the 49ers lead the NFL averaging 170.2 rushing yards per game on a staggering 5.61 yards per carry, and look to exploit a Bears defense that has had […]

The Miami Dolphins take on the Buffalo Bills on “Thursday Night Football” to attempt to snap their two-game slide. To do so, the Dolphins have to take advantage of the Bills’ league-worst rushing defense, which surrenders an average of 163.7 yards per game. Coming off a game in which rookie QB Ryan Tannehill threw three interceptions, it becomes especially critical that the Dolphins get the ground game going and protect their young signal caller. The Bills’ linebackers have struggled playing in space all year, which works right into the Dolphins’ favor with their zone-running scheme spearheaded by talented RB Reggie Bush. The “Playbook” crew breaks down Miami’s use of the stretch play. To stop this stretch attack, the Bills’ linebackers […]

NFL Network analyst LaDanian Tomlinson made a point a few weeks ago on First On the Field saying that Matt Hasselbeck puts Chris Johnson in better positions to succeed in the pre snap phase of the game.

The Chargers defense has played a single high coverage 76% (104/170) of the opponents drop backs. They will also be forced to stack the box due to RB Doug Martin’s presence.

The Indianapolis Colts are looking to make a playoff push as they begin the second half of the season in Jacksonville on “Thursday Night Football.” Andrew Luck will make his primetime debut, four days after his rookie-record 433 yards passing in a comeback win over the Miami Dolphins. While the Colts’ passing proficiency has been remarkable, when you go inside the numbers the true key to their 5-3 start has been their ability to convert on third down. The Colts are a league-best 42.1 percent converting on third downs of six yards or more. Their talented group of receivers, led by veteran Reggie Wayne, has been able to shred zone coverages and Luck has made opposing defenses pay with his […]

After being shredded for 377 yards and 4 TDs through the air, the Bucs’ defense is eager to rebound against Adrian Peterson and a run heavy Vikings offense.

Of Brees’ 37 pass attempts, 11 were playaction, accounting for 30% of their passing plays. Brees completed 10 of those 11 for 171 yards and 2 TDs.

The San Francisco 49ers play host to the Seattle Seahawks tonight in a matchup that has huge implications for the NFC West picture.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have revamped their passing attack this year courtesy of Offensive Coordinator Todd Haley.

ATL/WAS
• WAS 2 RUSH ATTACKS
o COLLEGE STYLE – ZONE READ
o STRAIGHT ZONE
• ATL IS LIGHTER YET FASTER FRONT
o DOUBLE TEAMS AT POINT OF ATTACK CRUCIAL
• ATL WILL BE CHALLENGED BY MAN TO MAN COVERAGE
• WAS DC JIM HASLETT ONE OF THE BEST ON CAPITIALIZING ON DEFICIENCIES
• ATL OFFENSE LAST WEEK v. CAR
o 7 SACKS ALLOWED
o 12 QB HITS
• ATL WANTS TO PUSH BALL DOWNFIELD WITH SPEED

Expect a heavy dose of pressure with press man behind it tonight once again from Arizona’s defense. The Cardinals’ corners typically press the outside receivers, while bringing pressure up the middle.

During the Baltimore Ravens’ 23-16 victory over the Cleveland Browns on “Thursday Night Football,” several key moments of the game left a lasting impression on the “Playbook” team.