Every week I'm excited to see what the Packers have done the previous week. First they were setting up tendencies. Then they were opening up the playbook to run variations off of those tendencies. Now they're running some of the original tendencies to great effect, since teams are playing the variations. All the while they're setting up new tendencies to exploit down the line. The Packers are 6-1, Rodgers ended the day with a perfect 158.3 QB Rating, and I still don't think they have reached their final form. It's a good time to be a Packers fan.

Let's look at what they did this past week.

Play 1: 1st & 10, 7:06 remaining in the 1st quarter, Packers leading 7-3

I wrote about The Cheese Wheel after the Week 5 win over the Cowboys, going through how the Packers had used the threat of Danny Vitale [45] running a vertical route from the backfield to help open things up underneath. They did that, they had fun with it, and now they're back to hitting Vitale down the field.

We can see how the play action is instrumental in this play by holding the linebackers in place in the middle of the field, but let's talk about the nature of this play action. It's no secret that play action can be more effective when run from under center than from shotgun. The main reason behind this is very simple: there is more room between the quarterback and the running back when the quarterback is lined up under center, thus giving him more room to fake the hand off. Watch how long Aaron Rodgers [12] sells the play action here. The linebackers are frozen the entire time he is selling it, because they'll have to play the run if it is a handoff. By the time Rodgers pulls the ball back, Vitale is already clear of the line of scrimmage and angling towards the sideline and away from the linebackers.

The first Cheese Wheel - way back in Week 3 - was successful in large part because the Packers had sold Vitale hitting the line as a blocker so many times that the Broncos just expected it. This time it's successful because of the play action and the blitzing defensive back. He is blitzing through the exact gap Vitale is releasing through. 

Aaron Jones [33] picks up the blitzing Karl Joseph [42] in the hole (with a tremendous block), which gives Rodgers all the time and comfort he needs to hit Vitale down the field. 

The perfect play at the perfect time picks up an easy 22 yards.

Play 2: 1st & 10, 14:06 remaining in the 3rd quarter, Packers leading 21-10

Apparently the Packers started this play in The Shimmer. 

We just looked at the Packers hitting Vitale on the vertical, so now let's look at the defense looking for The Cheese Wheel and the Packers hit something underneath.

Rodgers is in shotgun, flanked by Vitale on the right and Jones on the left. 

If you look at this screenshot, you'll see an obvious alley being set up, attacking the safety to that side. Marcedes Lewis [89] walls off the middle while Allen Lazard [13] walls off the outside, leaving the safety to pick up Vitale out of the backfield. They've seen the Packers run this - and were hit with it earlier this very game - so they're mindful of it.

A linebacker from the inside drops to take away Vitale, but the safety still has to react, since the linebacker doesn't start out with good position. Vitale is picked up and the linebackers in the middle drop with Lewis, leaving a ton of room for Jones. Jones simply follows Vitale under the formation and breaks off for a checkdown pass in space.

Jones slips and only picks up 4 yards, but it's a really nice idea off of something they have shown they love to run.

Do you know what else this could potentially open up? Aaron Jones running a delayed wheel behind Vitale. It's coming at some point and I'm already preparing to lose my mind.

Play 3: 3rd & 10, 5:55 remaining in the 1st quarter, Packers leading 7-3

Nice little dig behind the post to try to convert a 3rd & long. They're trying to get the defender camping in the middle to fade back with the post route, which would open space for the dig behind it. The Raiders play this well and he stays put. Pressure gets home and Rodgers takes a sack.

Last season I talked a lot about depth of routes. Route combinations themselves aren't enough: they have to be run with the right personnel at a depth that forces the defense into some hard choices. I like the depth of these routes. The dig is deep enough to where it could give the safety pause as it is pushing up the field, while the post is deep enough to clear room and cross into the defender's zone to force him to think about dropping back under the route. If the Packers had slightly more speed on the post, it puts the defender in more of a bind, and forces the deep safety to consider crashing on the post earlier, which could open up the go route.

As it is, the deep safety is able to fade back over the top of the go route and the post, and the defender stays home to take away the dig. Good concept, good use of personnel and nice depth of routes.

Play 4: 1st & 10, 5:12 remaining in the 2nd quarter, Packers trailing 7-10

Another take on everyone's favorite concept: Mesh! (If you want a deeper dive into the Mesh concept, I covered it on Play 6 in Week 5). It's a delayed mesh, with Aaron Jones releasing from the backfield, but the action is still there, and it does what it is supposed to do.

Like we've seen a lot of, the Packers run a mesh, then run a dig route over the mesh point to try to open up that route over the confusion caused in the middle of the field.

As the mesh is starting, the dig is rounding in the middle of the field, giving Rodgers a chance to read three receivers with a single look down the middle of the field. Unfortunately, that is also the time a rusher springs loose in the middle of the field and directly in Rodgers face. He is able to escape and finds Allen Lazard [13] for 9 yards.

At this point, we're seeing somewhere between 1-3 mesh concepts run every week, and I'm very happy about that.

Play 5: 3rd & 5, 0:31 remaining in the 2nd quarter, Packers leading 14-10

There's nothing overly complicated about this. The Packers are facing 3rd & 5 and have seen the Lions linebackers drop straight back into coverage. The Packers clear out the right side with a couple routes - including one that works as a natural rub - then cross Geronimo Allison [81] across the formation. The boundary is cleared out and Allison finds himself with plenty of room to move. Easy pitch-and-catch that picks up the 1st down and keeps the drive alive.

Two plays later, Rodgers threw a touchdown to Jake Kumerow [16] and the Packers took a 21-10 lead going into the half.

Oooooooooo yeah. That's the stuff. pic.twitter.com/NSSH8tmfkE

— Dusty (@DustyEvely) October 22, 2019

Play 6: 1st & 10, 4:30 remaining in the 3rd quarter, Packers leading 28-17

We're going to talk about this play but also not really talk about this play. Doesn't that sound fun?

Jamaal Williams [30] has a nice run after the catch to pick up 8 yards, but that's pretty much irrelevant to the larger point. He could have been tackled after a 2 yard gain and the point would remain.

And what is the point? You don't have to be successful in these plays for them to influence the defense. Much like play action, you don't have to be successful in the play itself to force the defense to react to it: you simply have to show a willingness to go to that option. The idea of this route is to spread the defense out wide and pinch towards the line in order to create holes behind them. Simply running an action over and over and never going to that option eventually gets a defense to stop reacting to it in the way you want them to. By throwing this pass - even if only for a minimal gain - you have put on tape a willingness to throw it. That gets in a defense's mind. They can't simply discount that movement, and that makes them vulnerable elsewhere.

If you're going to show a willingness to throw this pass, might as well do it on 1st and 10 while up 11 points in the 3rd quarter.

Play 7: 1st & 10, 2:58 remaining in the 3rd quarter, Packers leading 28-17

I covered Four Verts back in Week 5, so check that out if you want a little bit more of a primer. It's an Air Raid concept that still gets a lot of love, and with good reason. It's a powerful, flexible concept that can stress the defense at all levels.

On this play, the Raiders show a single deep safety, and he's not on Lazard's side. At the snap, the defense falls back into zone. Lazard runs through the voids and Rodgers sees it. One defender falls back towards the middle to give a two-high safety look, while the other defender looks back to the flat. The vertical route from Jimmy Graham [80] off the left side ties up the safety that just fell back. That allows Lazard to work the sideline without a safety. Rodgers throws the ball high and outside, preventing the safety from being able to make a play. Nice throw from Rodgers and a great adjustment by Lazard. Kind of reminds me of an old Rodgers-to-Nelson connection.

Hey! That's 50+ yards (on a line, while on the run) away from the safety. pic.twitter.com/u1ESm50Dgz

— Dusty (@DustyEvely) July 10, 2018

Albums listened to: Jimmy Eat World - Surviving; Tegan & Sara - The Con; Cursive - Get Fixed; Newmoon - Nothing Hurts Forever; Sigur Ros - Kveikur; Christelle Bofale - Swim Team; Elbow - Giants of All Sizes