That Bo Melton drop in the first quarter of the Packers’ Week 4 win against the Buccaneers? Yeah, it’s still haunting. On a play that was practically textbook, Green Bay had a massive opportunity early, and it slipped right through their hands.
The Play That Was Almost Perfect
Seriously, this was an absolute beauty of a call, right up until the ball hit the ground. It was 3rd & 2, just over ten minutes left in the first quarter. The Packers rolled out 11 personnel, lining up MarShawn Lloyd in the Sniffer role, with a 2×2 spread. Pre-snap, the Bucs looked aggressive, showing two-high safeties and a mugged-up A gap, with a slot defender over Matthew Golden inching up, screaming blitz. But then Melton short-motions, and suddenly he’s uncovered off the line, releasing out of the slot.
Jordan Love, eyeing the vertical routes, with Melton tearing right down the middle, knew exactly where he was going. Post-snap, that slot defender bails into a hook zone, letting Melton fly. The safeties stay deep, and a mugging linebacker drops into a zone, trying to pick up the vertical from the slot. Melton breaks, the linebacker turns to run with him, and the safeties split the deep halves. It looked like a Tampa 2, with that linebacker covering the deep middle third.
So, what did we have? Melton one-on-one with a linebacker who just dropped from the line. Love checks the safeties, clocks the drops underneath, and fires a shot to what was a ridiculously favorable matchup. It was a nice throw, honestly. Everything, from the call to the read to the throw, was spot-on. Then Melton just couldn’t hang on. What a gut punch. It was a fun call, an exciting design, but man, you just wish that outcome was different.
Finding Explosive Runs
Now, not everything was a heartbreaker. The run game has been a grind for Green Bay through the early weeks of the season, but they managed to bust off a couple of explosive runs against the Bucs. What’s interesting is both of those big runs came out of 13 personnel, meaning one running back, three tight ends, and just one wide receiver. It was the heaviest use of 13 personnel we’ve seen from them, and it clearly paid off in making some noise on the ground.
These kinds of “fun things” are exactly what we need to see more of. Even with the tough sledding, finding ways to hit those explosive plays in the run game, and getting such a great look on that almost-perfect deep shot, shows what this Green Bay team can do.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Acme Packing Company.
Leave a Reply