Keys to Victory: Previewing the 2015 NFC Championship

The 2015 NFC Championship features a rematch from Week 1, with the Green Bay Packers visiting the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks won handily in September, but the NFC championship will have different key players, schemes, and match ups:

WHEN GREEN BAY HAS THE BALL:

Green Bay cut the field in half when they chose not to attack the right side of the field to avoid Richard Sherman Week 1; Green Bay aligned #11 Jarrett Boykin to the right on the vast majority of snaps. The Packers must attack all parts of the field in order to be successful this week.  While the Packers will almost certainly line up #87 Jordy Nelson to the right more often, the emergence of rookie #17 Davonte Adams gives Green Bay a viable threat even when Jordy Nelson is on the left side of the field. However, attacking the right side of the field doesn’t necessarily mean attacking Sherman 1 on 1. Look for Green Bay to manipulate formations to move Sherman away from the outside most Receiver. Dallas was able to do this from a Trips tight formation, with the TE as the lone eligible receiver to the left, and 3 Wideouts to the right:

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Sherman moves with Dez Bryant to the slot

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Romo’s Pocket Presence and the Scramble Drill lead Dallas to Victory in Seattle

While DeMarco Murray sealed the win at Seattle with a great run, an incredible 3rd and 20 completion from Tony Romo to Terrance Williams allowed the game winning drive to continue. Romo showed great pocket awareness to escape pressure and the Cowboys Wide Receivers executed a “Scramble Drill” to set up the Romo-Williams connection. Below is the look pre-snap with the route combinations. There’s not many play calls for 3rd and 20, so Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley are running to the First Down marker and curling up, while Dez Bryant is trying to stretch the field vertically. DeMarco Murray and Jason Witten each “chip” a pass rusher to help the offensive line before getting into their routes. Take note of 3 key elements to this play: Wide Receiver Terrance Williams, Quarterback Tony Romo, and circled Seahawk defender Bruce Irvin:

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