Playbooks

Whips HB Wheel

Shotgun·Trey Y-Flex·11

Wheel Pass Play Whip

Play diagram for Whips HB Wheel from Shotgun Trey Y-Flex in Madden 27

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

SetTrey Y-Flex

Personnel

111 RB · 1 TE · 3 WR

In 2 playbooks

Bills OffenseOffense NFL Live Bills OffenseOffense

Breakdown

Whips HB Wheel lines up from Trey Y-Flex with three receivers bunched to the left and the TE tight to the formation, sending the HB out of the backfield on a wheel route up the sideline as the lone vertical threat. The left side runs a whip concept with two receivers crossing underneath and one working back outside, while the inside slot receiver runs a short out to hold underneath defenders, creating natural traffic for man coverage. This is a man beater built around the HB wheel exploiting a linebacker or safety in isolation, with the whip routes on the backside acting as the secondary progression if the wheel is capped. Primary read is the HB wheel first, working back to the whip/out combination on the left if the deep sideline is taken away.

Defensive Reads

Watch for a linebacker walking out over the HB pre-snap, since that indicates man coverage that the wheel route is designed to beat with a vertical speed mismatch. Identify if the defense is playing a Cover 3 or Cover 4 shell with a flat defender sinking under the wheel, as a disciplined zone drop can take away the route entirely. Key the strong safety depth and leverage before the snap, because if he is shaded to the trips side he can rob the whip concept underneath while a corner blitzes off the edge. Post-snap, track any user-controlled defender who abandons a shallow crosser to jump the wheel route late, which signals a lurk threat that can bait a bad throw. If the linebacker responsible for the HB gets a clean, unblocked release and stays attached through the release point, the wheel is dead and the quarterback should reset to the whip/out combo immediately.

Usage Tips

Check pre-snap for man coverage indicators like a linebacker or safety shading over the HB, since the wheel route is designed to isolate that defender deep down the sideline.

If the defense shows two high safeties or a clear zone shell, look to the whip concept on the left instead of forcing the wheel into a deep zone defender who can sink underneath it.

Use motion or a quick glance at the slot defender before the snap to confirm if a linebacker is responsible for the HB out of the backfield, as that is the matchup you want to exploit.

Pair this play with HB Draw or HB Pump Draw earlier in a drive so the defense respects run action out of this backfield look, making the wheel route hit even faster against aggressive run fits.

Best called on early downs or in play-action heavy sequences where the defense has not yet seen the HB attack vertically, since it is less effective once defenders start sitting on the wheel in short yardage.