Playbooks

Bench Dig Curl

Shotgun·Deuce Close·12

Curl Dig Pass Play Bench

Play diagram for Bench Dig Curl from Shotgun Deuce Close in Madden 27

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

SetDeuce Close

Personnel

121 RB · 2 TE · 2 WR

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Breakdown

Bench Dig Curl out of Shotgun Deuce Close (12 personnel) shows a five man route concept with the backfield RB running a wheel/flat route to the boundary. The backside X runs a deep bench route breaking hard to the sideline while the TE underneath him works a shallow crossing route to the opposite flat. On the play side, the outside receiver runs a deep dig across the middle while the inside slot TE runs a curl route sitting down in the intermediate zone. This is a zone beater designed to attack the middle of the field, with the primary read progression starting on the dig, working down to the curl, and using the RB flat route as a checkdown against blitz pressure.

Defensive Reads

Key the middle linebacker depth at the snap since a shallow drop signals Cover 3 and opens the dig route, while a deep drop into the curl window tells you to reset your progression to the RB flat. Watch the strong safety alignment pre-snap because if he is shaded toward the dig side the quarterback should expect a jump on that throw and needs to look off before committing. This play struggles against Cover 4 or Cover 6 shells where the deep half safety can sink onto the dig route and the flat defender can widen with the RB wheel, taking away both primary options. Man coverage with underneath lurk defenders can undercut the curl route, so identify man alignment pre-snap by checking if defenders are lined up across from receivers instead of in zone drops. Blitz packages that bring extra pressure off the edge force an early checkdown to the RB, so recognize overload fronts pre-snap and be ready to get the ball out on the flat route quickly.

Usage Tips

Look for two high safety shells pre-snap since the dig route needs a soft spot in the middle of the field to sit down in against zone coverage.

Use the curl route as your first read against Cover 3 sink zones because linebackers dropping late will open a throwing lane for the intermediate sit route.

Hot route the RB wheel to a checkdown flat route if you diagnose man coverage across the board since the wheel takes longer to develop and can get jumped by a spying linebacker.

Pair this play with Bench and Bench Swap in your play calling sequence to keep the defense guessing on which route combo will hit first, since the formation and backfield action look identical pre-snap.

Best used on second and medium to third and long situations where the defense is more likely to sit in zone shells and give up the intermediate window for the dig and curl.