Playbooks

Z Under

Shotgun·Trey Open·11

Pass Play Slant Flat Out Go Curl Seam Slant Flat Quick Pass Man Beater

Play diagram for Z Under from Shotgun Trey Open in Madden 27

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

SetTrey Open

Personnel

111 RB · 1 TE · 3 WR

In 5 playbooks

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Breakdown

Z Under out of Shotgun Trey Open lines up with three receivers to the right and one isolated to the left. The lone receiver runs a slant into the middle of the field, while the trips side stacks a flat route underneath, a deep go route straight up the seam, and an out breaking route toward the sideline, with a shallow crosser dragging across the formation from right to left. This is a man beater built on the slant flat combo and the crosser creating natural rub traffic against man defenders, and the primary read progression starts with the flat and slant combo underneath before working to the crosser and go route if the shot play opens up downfield.

Defensive Reads

Watch the safety alignment before the snap, since a single high safety often signals man coverage underneath that the slant and flat combo can exploit immediately. If the corner on the isolated receiver is playing tight man, expect the slant to win quickly off the release, so get the ball out on time. Key the flat defender post-snap: if he sinks with the shallow crosser, the flat route will be wide open for an easy pitch and catch. Against zone coverage, look for a hole between the underneath zone and deep half, since the go route can stress a cornerback in zone if the safety cheats toward the crosser. Be wary of user linebackers sitting in the shallow crossing lane, since a well-timed user blitz or lurk can undercut the drag route and bait a costly interception.

Usage Tips

Presnap, identify if the corner over the isolated receiver is playing off man or bailing into a zone drop, since the slant wins fast against off coverage. Use the flat route as your check down against blitz looks when the shallow crosser gets picked up in traffic. Hot route the flat defender into a quick out if you see a linebacker sitting low to jump the flat, giving you an easier throwing lane. This play works best on early down and medium distance since it has both a quick underneath answer and a vertical shot with the go route. Pair Z Under with Curls or Double Ins from the same set so the defense has to respect both the underneath crossing routes and the deep shots, keeping your play-calling balanced and unpredictable.