Playbooks

HB Punch

Shotgun·Doubles Offset·11

Run Play Power Run Dive Power

Play diagram for HB Punch from Shotgun Doubles Offset in Madden 27

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

SetDoubles Offset

Personnel

111 RB · 1 TE · 3 WR

In 5 playbooks

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Breakdown

HB Punch is a Power Run out of Shotgun Doubles Offset that hands the ball off to the HB on a downhill Dive path directly behind the QB, with the offensive line executing a Power blocking scheme to seal the interior gaps and pull a blocker to lead through the hole. The diagram shows four wide receivers occupying the perimeter with no route assignments to speak of, meaning the play is fully committed to the run with no built-in pass option or RPO tag. Your primary read is the frontside gap created by the Power scheme: follow your pulling blocker and press the hole between the guard and tackle before making your cut off the second-level defender.

Defensive Reads

Watch for a stacked box with eight or more defenders inside the tackles, since that alignment is built to stop Power runs like HB Punch before the puller gets outside. Key the play side linebacker's first step, if he flows hard toward the pulling guard's path he is reading run correctly and will likely fill the hole. Look for a user-controlled defender crashing down off the edge, this is the most common way HB Punch gets blown up since the puller cannot account for an unblocked crasher. Safety alignment matters less here since there is no pass component, but a safety creeping into the box pre-snap signals the defense anticipates the run and will bring extra numbers. Nickel and dime packages with lighter boxes are where this play hits hardest, since the reduced defensive front cannot match the double team and pulling blocker combination.

Usage Tips

Run this out of 11 personnel when you see base 4-3 or 3-4 fronts with linebackers stacked tight to the box, since the numbers favor the run.

Check the middle linebacker depth pre-snap, if he is sitting at five yards or shallower he can beat the pulling blocker to the hole, so consider audibling to Inside Zone or HB Draw instead.

Use this as a base run early in drives to set up RPO Alert Bus or RPO Zone Alert Bus later, since the defense will start keying the run gap and open up the alert receiver.

Best deployed on early downs (1st and 10, 2nd and short) when you want positive yardage without exposing empty backfield tendencies.

Pair with Buck Sweep and Counter Trey in the same set to keep defenders guessing on which gap the play is designed to hit, since all three show similar Shotgun alignment but attack different lanes.