Playbooks

PA Cheat Divide Wheels

Shotgun·Bunch·11

Play Action Motion Pass Play Wheel

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 PA Cheat Divide Wheels from Shotgun Bunch in Madden 27

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

SetBunch

Personnel

111 RB · 1 TE · 3 WR

Breakdown

PA Cheat Divide Wheels is a play-action deep shot out of the Shotgun Bunch formation that sends both outside receivers vertically while attacking the seams from the bunch alignment. Off the play fake, the bunch releases with the inside receiver running a wheel route out to the flat and up the sideline while the two outermost receivers stem into deep verticals up each boundary, dividing the coverage and forcing zone defenders to pick a side. The primary read progression starts with the wheel route working matchups against linebackers or slot corners on the underneath break, then climbs to the field side vertical if the safety bites on the fake or the wheel gets picked up in coverage.

Defensive Reads

Check safety depth before the snap, a single high safety alignment signals Cover 3 or Cover 1 and tells you the wheel route will likely draw a linebacker in man or zone drop. Watch the flat defender on the bunch side immediately after the snap, if he sinks under the wheel too early there is a natural window forming behind him for the vertical. Man coverage with inside linebackers matched up on the bunch is the biggest liability for defenses against this concept, the wheel route wins on speed almost every time. Cover 4 or Cover 2 shells with disciplined deep defenders can shut this down since two safeties can help divide both verticals while underneath defenders squeeze the wheel. Watch for a delayed blitz or lurk defender sitting in the middle of the field, since the play action fake can bait a user controlled defender into vacating the throwing lane the wheel route needs.

Usage Tips

Use the play action fake to freeze linebackers before checking the safety rotation, since a hard bite on the run fake opens the wheel route immediately.

Look for two high safeties pre-snap, this play stresses split safety shells because both verticals threaten to overload one deep half while the wheel attacks the void underneath.

If the defense shows man coverage with a linebacker matched on the bunch, prioritize the wheel route since linebackers rarely have the speed to stay on top of it.

Pair this call with HB Base or Inside Zone earlier in a series so the defense respects the run action, which sets up bigger explosive plays when you come back to this shot play.

Save this for down and distance situations where you can afford a longer developing play, third and long or first down shot opportunities work best since the verticals take time to fully develop.