As I said in Beating the Blitz Part 1, there is no better answer for the blitz than a quarterback who knows what he’s doing, and more importantly, knows what the defense is doing.
In this breakdown, I’ll talk about Baker Mayfield’s 28-yard completion to Emeka Egbuka that set up the Buccaneers’ game-winning field goal against the Jets in Week 3 last season.
His ability to decipher the blitz and set the protection accordingly are what made this play possible.
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This was a 2nd-and-10 with just 1:36 remaining and Tampa trailing 27-26. The Buccaneers started in a 3x1 but shifted to a 2x2 well before the snap:
Notice the Jets’ defensive look. They had 6 men on the line of scrimmage, including two linebackers in the A-gaps. And they had a slot-corner over Tampa’s #2 inside receiver to the right. He was also a potential blitz threat:
That clearly triggered something in Mayfield’s mind.
In fact, earlier in the game, the Jets had shown a similar look in another obvious passing situation (a 3rd-and-9). Notice the linebackers in both A-gaps and 6 men on the line of scrimmage on that play as well:
The Jets would bring pressure with the slot corner blitzing and the A-Gap linebacker to his side dropping out:
The Bucs protected this as illustrated below with the slot corner unaccounted for. Baker would have to throw hot off of him:
Mayfield’s hot throw was taken away by the coverage. Not to mention, the blitzing slot-corner was in his face, obstructing the throw. The Jets would drop Mayfield for a sack as a result:
Fast forward to that 2nd-and-10 on the Buccaneers’ final drive. The pressure look was similar, but it appeared the slot blitz would be coming from Mayfield’s right this time (note the safety’s position over him as a tell):