FILM ROOM: Tyler's Play of the Week - NFL Week 1, 2024

By Tyler Arthur

Welcome to the first instalment of my Play of the Week series. I am going to deep dive one snap from every week of the NFL season, to try and bring you an inside look at what happened on my favourite play of that weekend’s games.

There is no set formula for what would make a play the best; it could be fascinating from an X’s and O’s perspective, it could be an exceptional piece of play design or just amazing execution from an individual player. 

The one thing that every play will have in common, however – it will be awesome. 

Let’s take a look at my Play of the Week for Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season.

Alec Pierce, 60-yard TD Reception - Colts vs Texans

If you have any presence on NFL social media whatsoever, it’s incredibly likely that you’ve already seen that highlight. The Colts finished their second drive in emphatic fashion as Anthony Richardson launched this missile to Alec Pierce for a sixty-yard Touchdown.

While it’s easy to point out the fact that the second-year quarterback only completed 9 passes,  1: This is my play of the week, not performance of the week; and, 2: If you can turn just 9 completions into 212 yards and 2 TD’s, that’s a pretty solid effort.

The X's & O's

Let’s take a look at the play call which Indianapolis dialled up to land this huge play.

Gun Tight Wing Weak Right - PA Post Shot

This is the definition of a shot play. 

The Colts lined up in a condensed formation in 12 personnel, with one tight end in a two-point stance off the left tackle, and the other tight end lined up in a wing back position, leaving just one single wide receiver on each side of the formation, both lined up in the slot. This heavy look is symmetrical in strength, allowing them to run near enough any type of play to either side of the field. 

The design they opt for is a play-action shot play, with a 7-man protection. This is a pretty good way to catch the defense off-guard on 1st and 10, hoping to surprise them early in the game. Jonathan Taylor released into a flat route after the play fake and then Alec Pierce and Ashton Dulin were headed downfield on deep routes. Dulin had a 15-yard out route, starting with an inside release, and Pierce had the backbreaking Post route over the top. 

Against the pre-snap Cover 3 look from the Texans defense, this play doesn’t look like it’s going to be particularly dangerous, but it puts pressure on the secondary and gives Richardson a shot if he likes what he sees. 

Cover 4 Quarters

In reality, Houston wasn’t really in Cover 3, they were set up in a Cover 4 Quarters look, with the strong safety starting to walk backwards as the QB finishes his cadence. 

The three linebackers in this 4-3 front have a whole lot of space underneath to protect, but the deep parts of the field should be covered. The four defensive backs are all set up to drop back, and through pattern-matching principles, they can take away both inside and outside-breaking routes from the two receivers, as well as any vertical routes from the two tight ends.

However, you can beat any defensive coverage on any play if you just burn them and catch them flat-footed.

Execution

And that’s exactly what happens, as Alec Pierce scorches both of the defenders who attempt to pick him up.

As Pierce runs his post route, he flashes his speed and with a fairly simple corner-post move at the break, he streaks between Jimmie Ward who is playing strong safety and star cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. The nod to the outside keeps Stingley honest, and Ward gets caught too shallow to gain depth when the route breaks inside giving the Colts wideout plenty of green grass to run into. 

The throw isn’t automatic, though, despite the poor coverage, as Anthony Richardson loses his footing in the pocket. When he goes to take his hitch step, he slips, throwing off his timing and giving him a bad platform to throw the ball while moving to his left to avoid pressure and getting his base back under him at the same time.

Watch the ridiculousness of this throw from the other angle to fully appreciate how impressive this play really was.

This angle highlights how uncomfortable and awkward of a throw this was for Richardson and yet he effortlessly unleashed a rocket for the 60-yard touchdown. The ball finds a wide-open Pierce just as he enters the endzone to start off Indianapolis’ season with a bang. 

Richardson may not have had the best performance overall, but this snap demonstrated perfectly the raw arm talent that he possesses, which should excite any Colts fan. Combine that ridiculous throw with Pierce’s downfield speed, and you’ve got yourself my Play of the Week.

Tyler Arthur

Tyler Arthur

NFL Film and Prospect Analyst

Tyler discovered American Football when he went to university and became obsessed with it. Since then he has played, watched and written about it, while on a mission to attain as much knowledge (and win as many fantasy football championships) as possible.

He currently plays Wide Receiver for the Northants Knights.

Tyler loves nothing more than watching the All-22 to break down the film and teach people about the sport he loves.

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