Green Bay Packers Run Game - Using Motions to Your Advantage in the Run and Play Action Game
The Rams, Lions, 49ers and Packers are my favorite teams to study, especially when it comes to shifts and motions and creating angles in the run game!
Matt LaFleur and the Green Bay offensive staff are very strong in their ability to use motions to their advantage in the run game and also in their play action/RPO game. Like the 49ers offense they use shifts, motions, and orbit arounds (post snap) to gain an advantage. There are three reasons why you would want to use motion in the run game:
1. Gain a numbers advantage at the point of attack.
2. Gain an angles advantage for your TE or OL blocking by reaction to the motion.
3. Make a support player (safety or corner) loosen his alignment and not trigger so quickly.
The Packers use all three of these in their run game to gain an advantage.
Some motion concepts they use and plays:
#1 Orbit-toss, toss play action, lead swing
#2 3x1 Tight Bunch Jet- Jet Sweep, Wide Zone Slice RPO, Play Action
#3 Stack'-Jet Motion
Stack Jet Motion
In the first example, they run motion and displace the alley/edge defender as he runs with motion. This causes a nice running lane in their wide zone run game.
3x1 Jet Zone Slice
Here in the red zone, they come out in 3x1. They motion the outside man across and the safety adjusts. They then run zone slice with it and it displaces the SS #20 Reid and allows for the hole and nice gain.
The Mike overruns it and the SS bends back inside and saves a walk in touchdown.
Reid #20 goes with the motion and isn’t there to make the play. #22 saves a touchdown.
film.
Another Clip of the Same Play!
2 other plays off the motion Wide Zone RPO
Orbit- SEC Toss
They Block down with the TE and the WR and toss the ball on the perimeter. They get the H back in orbit to lead it!
film
Play Action Off the Orbit Motion
Y Cross
Film
Older Clips from 20-21 season
Jet Sweep
The next play is an example of a fly sweep fake softening the down safety causing him to hesitate. This makes the block for the WR much easier. Condensed formations help with this block as well. This play was Week 12 vs CHI.
You can see the WR getting to the Safety because of the hesitation of the safety.
Film
The next play is one of my favorite’s , a Toss Windback play in Week 2 2023 vs DET. The TE motions from the furthest alignment to a hip position. The hip position often gives the H back angles on different running plays. Here, this alignment allows him to execute and create inside/out blocking angle on the OLB which is critical to the play.
The final play is a Duo play with Jab Footwork by the RB. This play was Week 9 vs SF. There are 2 motions on this play. The motions help the OL and the Slot WR with blocking angles. This is creative run game design!!!
Just like the 49ers and Rams, Green Bay is on the cutting edge of shifts and motions to gain run game advantages. More teams should implement these concepts to simply slow run defenses down. What is the next concept or step they will take?