Playbooks

Curl Combo

Shotgun·Doubles HB Wk·11

Curl Pass Play

Play diagram for Curl Combo from Shotgun Doubles HB Wk in Madden 27

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

SetDoubles HB Wk

Personnel

111 RB · 1 TE · 3 WR

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Breakdown

Curl Combo out of Shotgun Doubles HB Wk lines up with two receivers left, a TE and receiver stacked on the right side, and the HB releasing to the flat. The backside outside receiver runs a vertical seam that breaks off into a curl, the inside slot receiver runs a quick out and up shielding route (drawn as a sharp corner style breakoff), and the TE clears vertically before hooking into a curl of his own on the right. The HB releases out of the backfield on a scoop route into the boundary, giving you a built in checkdown and flat option against underneath zone defenders. This is a zone beating curl combo with stacked curls on both hashes designed to sit down in the soft spots of a Cover 3 or Cover 2 shell, with the primary read starting on the TE curl to the right and working back to the backside curl if the zone flows away.

Defensive Reads

Read the safety depth pre-snap, since two deep safeties sitting at ten to twelve yards signals Cover 2 or Cover 4 and tells you the curls will have a soft window underneath. Watch the linebackers at the snap, if they sink hard into the curl zones and get depth quickly, look to the HB flat route as the outlet instead of forcing the ball into a covered curl. This play struggles against aggressive man coverage or Cover 0 blitz packages since there is no immediate answer to beat press man quickly, so hot route a slot receiver into a quick out or slant if you see man alignment. Key the flow of the middle linebacker after the snap, a lurking user controlled linebacker can jump the TE curl route, so be ready to reset your eyes to the backside curl if you see that user movement. Against Cover 3, attack the seams between the curl and the deep zone defenders, since the corner routes underneath will naturally stress the flat and curl to hook zone conflict for the defender.

Usage Tips

Use this play on second and medium to second and long when you expect zone shells like Cover 3 or Cover 2 since the curls are designed to settle in the soft spots between levels.

Pre-snap, identify if the defense is showing two high safeties or a single high look, because a single high shell tells you the curls will have more room to sit against underneath defenders sucking down.

If you see man coverage or press alignment on the outside, hot route the backside curl into a corner or dig to attack the leverage instead of sitting down against a trailing corner.

Progress read the TE curl first since it is often matched up on a linebacker in zone drops, then work to the backside curl, and check down to the HB in the flat if both are covered.

Pair this play with Y Cross or Double Cross in your play calling sequence so that if the defense adjusts to jump the curls, you can hit the crossing routes behind them for an explosive gain.