Last week we finished up with the down & distance sections of our call sheet, but we still have a few more sections to fill out. This one feels a bit unnecessary to the idea of the call sheet itself, but it gave me a good excuse to review how the Packers generated explosives in 2022, specifically in the passing game. 

The Packers generated 78 passing explosive plays in 2022, for an explosive rate of 12.8%. That’s slightly higher than 2019 (11.8%), slightly lower than 2020 (13.5%) and a decent amount lower than 2021 (14.2%). That found them sitting dead in the middle of the league (16th) in terms of explosive rate in the passing game. That put them just a shade below the Falcons (12.9%) and - surprisingly - a shade above the Bengals (12.4%). Not too shabby, seeing as how they had traded away their top WR and had a bunch of young guys learning on the fly. There’s room to improve, of course, but they had a surprisingly respectable showing in 2022.

What I wanted to do with this section is to find an explosive play for each down. Basically, if the offense is feeling a little stagnant and I need a play to jumpstart it a bit, what’s my go-to for that down? (I excluded 4th down from this, because there’s such a small sample size of explosives on 4th down.)

Let's get started.

1st Down

Strike (9 explosives, 28.1 YPA)

The Packers generated 22 explosive passes on 1st down in 2022, and 9 of them (40.9%) were on this concept. That feels as close to a slam dunk as you can get.

The reasoning behind this makes sense. This concept is a constraint play designed to work off of the core Wide Zone rushing concept. When you’re in a neutral down and distance like 1st & 10, teams have to account for both a run and pass. This concept is built around drawing the linebackers up with a playfake, then attacking the space behind them. It’s been a lethal concept for the Packers in 2022, and I expect that to continue in 2023.

If you're looking for a #Packers concept from 2022 that you could count on for the most explosive plays on 1st down, look no further than PA Bang Dig/Strike. pic.twitter.com/aTV9DqOg13

— Dusty (@DustyEvely) June 14, 2023

2nd Down

Dagger (2 explosives, 25.0 YPA)

The Packers have a handful of variations on this concept that they’ll trot out, so this is kind of an all-encompassing Dagger placeholder. It’s a simple yet powerful two-man concept that can work well with a lot of speed on the field, so I’m hoping for big things for this concept in 2023.

A couple different versions of Dagger in the #Packers arsenal. This one fits into the Cross-Country mold, with a switch at the line. Off the right side, you get a deep crossing route, paired with the dig route to replace it. pic.twitter.com/9rDMTxA18z

— Dusty (@DustyEvely) June 14, 2023

3rd Down

Verts (4 explosives, 23.0 YPA)

This is a play that relies on good chemistry between QB and WR to work, as it needs both of those positions to see the defense in the same way and react accordingly. It has the ability to be an extremely powerful concept when everyone is on the same page. And, while it can certainly lead to some high-difficulty throws, it’s also a concept that can be helped if you have a stable of receivers who are either fast, can separate at the line, or both. 

We know the Packers have speed at the receiver position now, so here’s to hoping a couple of those guys expanded their release package over the offseason.

Running Verts can lead to some high-difficulty-but-also-extremely-beautiful plays. pic.twitter.com/EXLwqdBQ6c

— Dusty (@DustyEvely) June 14, 2023

We've only got a couple of installments remaining in this series. I hope you've enjoyed reading it half as much as I have loved putting it together. If you want to read the rest of them, you're in luck! I've got all the links below.

Introduction
1st & 10
2nd & long
2nd & medium
2nd & short
3rd & long
3rd & medium
3rd & short
4th & short

Albums listened to: Lanterns on the Lake - Versions Of Us; Jenny Lewis - Joy'All; Pixies - Surfer Rosa; The Aces - I’ve Loved You For So Long; Bob Dylan - Shadow Kingdom