Playbooks

RPO Alert Bubble

Shotgun·Bunch Open TE·11

RPO Pass Play Run Play

Likely unavailable in the playbook builder

This play belongs to no NFL team or scheme playbook, so it may not appear in the in-game builder.

Play diagram for RPO Alert Bubble from Shotgun Bunch Open TE in Madden 27

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

SetBunch Open TE

Personnel

111 RB · 1 TE · 3 WR

Breakdown

RPO Alert Bubble is a run pass option out of Shotgun Bunch Open TE that pairs an inside zone hand off with a bubble screen to the bunch side. The offensive line and TE block the interior zone run while the bunch receiver closest to the formation runs a shallow bubble route as the read key, with the outside receiver pushing vertical to hold the corner deep. The QB reads the alley defender or slot corner: if that defender crashes toward the run fit, pull and throw the bubble, if he sits or widens, hand the ball off and let the zone run develop. Primary progression is run key first, then bubble, with the vertical route serving purely as a clear out rather than a true first read.

Defensive Reads

Watch the alley defender or slot corner over the bunch before the snap, his depth and leverage tells you whether the offense is likely to throw or hand off. Man coverage with a corner tight on the bubble receiver and no help underneath is the biggest counter, since it lets that defender squat and jump the screen the instant it is thrown. Zone coverage with a linebacker sitting in the flat or a cloud corner reading run/pass keys is equally dangerous for the offense because it takes away the bubble read cleanly. On the run side, stacked boxes with 8 defenders and a downhill linebacker blitzing the A or B gap kill the zone run element, forcing the QB into the bubble every time. As a defender, resist the urge to fully commit to either the run fit or the bubble jump pre-snap, stay disciplined with your run/pass key and use a user linebacker to sit on the bubble while your defensive line eats up the zone run lanes.

Usage Tips

Pre-snap, identify the alley defender or slot corner over the bunch, since his run/pass leverage is the entire trigger for this RPO. If the defense shows a heavy box with 8 in the box or a linebacker crashing down hard, favor the bubble throw immediately after the snap. If you see a single high safety with the corner sitting deep off the bunch, that same defender is often late to react to run fits, making the handoff the better call. Use this play on early downs (1st and 10, 2nd and short to medium) to keep the defense honest and set up explosive plays later in the drive. Pair it in your play calling sequence with RPO Zone Alert Bubble and RPO Peek WR Screen from the same set so the defense cannot key on one bubble tag, then hit them with HB Slip Screen or HB Draw once they start selling hard on the perimeter throw. Against user controlled defenders who jump the bubble route with a user linebacker, immediately go back to the zone run since that defender has vacated the box.