Playbooks

Levels

Pistol·Trips Open·10
LevelsPass PlayCover 2 BeaterInSpeed Out
Play diagram for Levels from Pistol Trips Open in Madden 27

Quick Reference

FormationPistol

In 3 playbooks

Run And Shoot OffenseOffenseSim Multirolepersonnel Ba OffenseOffenseSim Multirolepersonnel Rn OffenseOffense

Receiver routes

Depth-chart slots are shown as they line up in the base package for this set.

See this play with a team's players
PlayerSideRoute
HB1MiddlePass Block
WR3RightIn
WR1LeftSpeed Out
WR2RightShort In
WR4RightSpeed In

Read progression

  1. WR1 left, Speed Out
  2. WR3 right, In or WR2 right, Short In or WR4 right, Speed In

Breakdown

Levels out of Pistol Trips Open is a classic full-slide pass concept built to stack horizontal reads at different depths on the trips side while HB1 stays home to protect. WR1 runs a Speed Out on the backside, isolating a single defender in a quick man or zone beater window, while WR3, WR2, and WR4 stack In, Short In, and Speed In routes at staggered depths to create natural picks and rubs against zone drops. With all five linemen and the running back in max protect, this is a well-protected dropback pass designed to stress both Cover 2 flat defenders and man coverage that struggles with the natural rub concepts.

Defensive Reads

Pre-snap, identify if the defense is showing two-high or single-high safety help, since Cover 2 shells are the primary weakness this concept exploits. Watch the flat defender on the trips side, if he widens too far to take away WR4 Speed In, the Short In and In routes behind him will sit in soft spots. Against man coverage, key on whether the defense uses banjo or switch technique on the stacked receivers, poor communication there leads to easy separation. Post-snap, look for a user lurk defender sitting in the middle hook zone, since that player can undercut the In routes if the quarterback stares them down too long. This play struggles against aggressive Cover 3 sky or fire zone blitzes that get quick pressure through max protect and force an early checkdown before the levels routes develop.

Usage Tips

Check pre-snap for two-high shells, this concept is built specifically to stress Cover 2 defenders who have to choose between the flat and the levels stack.

If the defense shows man coverage, prioritize the trips side stack since the natural spacing of the In routes creates rubs that spring receivers open against tight man technique.

Use this on early downs or third and medium since the routes need a beat to develop and the max protect scheme buys extra time.

Pair this with Double Out or Z Spot from the same set to keep defenses guessing between quick flat concepts and the deeper levels stack.

If the defense starts jumping the underneath routes, sequence in Verticals or PA Deep In to hit them over the top once they sell out on the shorter routes.

Other Plays in Trips Open