Analyzing Michael Pittman Jr's Touchdown vs Texans: Film Room
The Indianapolis Colts were getting blown out by the Houston Texans towards the end of the third quarter this past Sunday. Luckily, the team clawed it's way back and avoided complete disaster by pulling out a tie in the end.
While the result is less than satisfying, the team did show some resolve by being able to come back in the fourth quarter. This comeback effort was capped off by an impressive 15 yard touchdown reception by Michael Pittman Jr in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter.
In today's film room, I dive into the details that went into this play succeeding like it did on Sunday.
Establish the Run to Set Up the RPO
The Colts' got the ball back with under four minutes to play in the fourth quarter down by seven points. Most coaches would come out pass-heavy in this situation, but Frank Reich decided to put the ball in his superstar's hands. On the four plays prior to the aforementioned pass to Pittman Jr, running back Jonathan Taylor had four rushes for a total of 49 yards.
So, when the Colts did attempt to pass the ball in the redzone, the throwing lanes were made easier by the defense selling out for the run. As you can see pre-snap, the Texans' defense is keying the run all the way on this play:
RPO Pulls the Defense Up
As the play begins, the Colts are selling the run all the way. The two guards are selling like they are moving to the second level and center Ryan Kelly is pulling like it is a natural sweep call. While all of this is happening, Matt Ryan is watching Pittman Jr on the outside.
Pittman Jr is one on one with the cornerback playing well off the line of scrimmage. Ryan recognizes this and realizes that Pittman Jr, his hot read, is going to be open underneath. The run was never really an option on this play with the slot corner biting up and the outside corner sitting so far off of the line.
The Route
The route that Pittman Jr runs is a fairly simple alert call. Pittman Jr is reading the leverage of the cornerback on this play. Since the corner is playing off-man, Pittman Jr is going to sell vertical and then use a speed cut to get to his landmark quicker.
A speed cut is what you see when a receiver rounds off their routes. I know that we were all taught as kids to be precise and straight with our cuts in our routes, but speed cuts are useful in situations like this. Pittman Jr is able to get to his desired landmark before the corner has a chance to work back downhill.
Perfect Placement
The last element of this play that makes it work is the placement by Matt Ryan. Ryan could have easily thrown this ball in front of Pittman Jr and let his star receiver make a catch along the sidelines, but he wanted to give his guy a chance to turn back up the field.
Ryan places this pass back towards the inside, which allows Pittman Jr to stop and come back to middle of the field to score after the catch. This is where placement vs accuracy is a major talking point with quarterbacks.
Good accuracy would be putting this pass anywhere that his receiver can make a catch. Good placement is what allows Pittman Jr to turn this five yard alert catch into a score.
The Finished Product
In the end, this play was called at the perfect time in the game. The Texans were selling out HARD for the run, and the Colts' offense was able to make them pay. The pass is also indicative of the chemistry between Matt Ryan and Michael Pittman Jr this early in the season.
Pittman Jr got to his correct landmarks at the right time for the alert pass and Ryan recognized where he had to put it to give his receiver a chance to run after the catch. It may be a simple play, but this is what you want to see out of two of your top players early in the year.
Need your fill on daily Colts' content? Head over to the Locked On Colts' YouTube channel where Jake Arthur and myself hit on all the major topics surrounding this team. Hit that subscribe button while you are there!
Follow Zach on Twitter @ZachHicks2.
