Playbooks

Spot Smash

Shotgun·Doubles·11
SmashSpotPass PlayCover 2 BeaterCover 3 Beater
Play diagram for Spot Smash from Shotgun Doubles in Madden 27

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

In 3 playbooks

Fix OffenseOffenseElites OffenseOffenseWest Coast OffenseOffense

Breakdown

Spot Smash lines up in Shotgun Doubles with 11 personnel and shows a true smash concept to the right paired with a spot concept underneath. To the boundary, the outside receiver runs a corner route while the inside slot receiver runs a quick hitch, stacking the smash combo high low on that side of the field. To the play side, the outside receiver runs a deep corner while the TE releases from the backfield area on an angle route that flattens into the flat, and the slot receiver runs a hard flat breaking route. This is a Cover 2 and Cover 3 beater built to attack the flat to corner window, with the primary read starting on the smash side flat defender to determine whether to throw the flat route underneath or work the corner route over the top.

Defensive Reads

Against Cover 3, the deep corner route sits in the void behind the flat defender and in front of the deep third safety, so throw it as soon as the flat defender commits underneath. Against Cover 2, watch the corner rotate over the top since the smash corner route is designed to work behind the flat defender and in front of the deep half safety. Man coverage with a single high safety is a green light for the corner route on an isolated matchup, but check for a lurking linebacker sitting in the throwing lane on the angle route. Blitz looks with the slot defender crashing off the edge should trigger an immediate check to the hitch or flat route since the underneath zone will be vacated. If the defense shows Cover 4 or quarters with the corner sinking hard and the safety cheating outside, this play tightens up, so be ready to check into a play with an inside breaking route instead.

Usage Tips

Pre snap, identify whether the corner is playing off or bailing into a deep third, since that dictates if the corner route or the underneath flat route will be open first.

Use this on second and medium to third and short since the quick flat and hitch routes give you a safe underneath answer against zone drops.

If you see two deep safeties pre snap, key the flat defender first because Cover 2 corners will jam and sink, opening the smash corner route behind them.

Pair this with Angle Smash or Smash Post later in a series so the defense has to respect both the flat to corner stretch and a double move off the same look.

Hot route the backside slot into a deeper crossing route if you expect man coverage, since the base hitch can get jumped by an aggressive nickel defender.

Other Plays in Doubles