Playbooks

Curl Combo

Shotgun·Split Slot Open·20
CurlPass Play
Play diagram for Curl Combo from Shotgun Split Slot Open in Madden 27

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

In 6 playbooks

Air Raid Classic OffenseOffenseBalanced OffenseOffenseSuperstar HB AgileSuperstar HB BruiserSuperstar HB ReceivingTwo Back OffenseOffense

Breakdown

Curl Combo out of Shotgun Split Slot Open shows a five man route concept with two vertical stem curls sitting down at roughly 12 to 14 yards on each side of the field, bracketed by a shallow drag underneath from the inside receiver and an out breaking flat route on the right side from the number 1 receiver. The two X marks in the backfield area release into short crossing routes underneath the curls, giving the quarterback a layered read from shallow to deep. This is a zone beater at its core since the curls sit down in soft spots against zone drops, but the flat and drag combo give you answers against man coverage too, with the primary read starting on the boundary curl and working back to the drag underneath if the window closes.

Defensive Reads

Watch linebacker depth at the snap, if they sink hard into the underneath curl windows the drag route becomes the emergency valve. Key the safeties post snap, if they stay high and deep this confirms zone coverage and the curls will settle into open grass around the 12 to 14 yard range. Look for a user controlled defender flashing into the middle of the field as a lurk threat, this is the biggest risk to the drag and crossing routes on this concept. Cover 3 with a hard flat defender squatting on the boundary route can take away the flat read early, forcing the quarterback to work the curl to drag progression instead. Man coverage with press corners on the outside receivers can disrupt route timing, so watch for a jam at the line before committing to the deep curl read.

Usage Tips

Identify the coverage shell pre-snap by checking safety depth, if you see two high safeties sitting deep the curls will have a soft window to work with against Cover 2 or Cover 4 zone drops.

Against man coverage, hot route the drag route into a quick option or speed it up since it becomes your best man beater underneath if the corner sinks with the curl.

Use this play on second and medium to long yardage situations where the defense is likely to sit in zone coverage and give up the intermediate window.

Pair this play with Y Cross or 46 Y Cross from the same set to attack the same zone landmarks with a different timing and angle, keeping the defense guessing on shell rotation.

If the defense shows heavy blitz looks pre-snap, check into Shovel Option or HB Slip Screen from the same formation to punish aggressive fronts.

Other Plays in Split Slot Open