Playbooks

Curl Combo

Shotgun·Normal Y Off·11
CurlPass Play
Play diagram for Curl Combo from Shotgun Normal Y Off in Madden 27

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

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Breakdown

Curl Combo out of Shotgun Normal Y Off (11 personnel) shows a five man protection look with a two man route combo to the boundary and a wide receiver running a deep vertical to the numbered side. To the left, one receiver breaks off a curl at roughly ten yards while the other runs an out and up the sideline underneath that curl, creating a natural high low stretch on the flat defender or curl zone defender. On the right, the lone WR runs a go route straight up the numbers to occupy the deep safety and cornerback. The RB releases out of the backfield on a swing/flare route underneath, giving the QB a checkdown or flat beater against blitz. This is primarily a zone beater built around the curl and flat combo, with the vertical serving as a clear out to hold coverage deep.

Defensive Reads

Read the flat defender first. If he sinks with the underneath out and up route, the curl behind him should have a window to settle in. Watch the deep safety over the vertical route. If he bites down on the curl, the go route on the opposite side becomes the priority throw. Identify Cover 3 buzz or Cover 4 match zones since this play is designed to attack the seams between the underneath and deep zones. Against man coverage look for a user lurking underneath, since the curl route can be jumped by a rat defender sitting in the shallow window. If the defense shows blitz with a linebacker crashing off the edge, expect the RB swing to be the fastest outlet before the protection breaks down.

Usage Tips

Use this play on second and medium to long when defenses are likely to sit in zone shells like Cover 3 or Cover 4.

Pre-snap, check the safety alignment. Two high safeties invite the curl combo since the underneath zones will be softer.

If you see man coverage indicators like tight press alignment on the outside WR, hot route the curl into a slant or dig to beat the trail technique.

Use the RB swing as your answer versus any late blitz look off the edge, it is a built in checkdown that keeps the play alive.

Pair this play with Curl Flats or Curls Lead Swing in your play-calling sequence to keep defenders guessing between similar route concepts with different combo depths.

Other Plays in Normal Y Off