49ers Film Room: Garoppolo to Goodwin fake ghost reverse swing pass

We break down San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan’s fake ghost reverse swing pass, executed by QB Jimmy Garoppolo and WR Marquise Goodwin in Week 17.

 

In the San Francisco 49ers’ final game of the 2017 season, head coach Kyle Shanahan pulled out all the stops as the Niners beat the playoff-bound Los Angeles Rams 34-13.

Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s first touchdown pass of the day came on a trick play that should have been familiar to Los Angeles, as they ran a similar play — with similar results — earlier in the season.

The 49ers have a 2nd-and-3 at the Rams’ 8-yard line. San Francisco is lined up with 12 personnel in a compressed formation — with two tight ends on the boundary side of the field, and two wide receivers nearly stacked in a tight split on the field side.

The Rams have their base personnel in a single-high look, with two cornerbacks across from the 49ers’ two receivers, and strong safety John Johnson threatening a blitz on the opposite side of the formation:

The 49ers run a play-action pass, with both tight ends and running back Carlos Hyde staying in to block. Louis Murphy is the only receiver to initially run a pattern — a clear-out route. Marquise Goodwin fakes a “ghost” reverse — a fake reverse in itself —  before pivoting, and running a swing route out of the backfield:

San Francisco’s play is designed for man coverage, and the Rams are playing the best kind of man coverage for the play — Cover 0. In addition to rushing their four down linemen, Los Angeles blitzes off both edges, and then sends another linebacker when tight end George Kittle stays in to block Johnson. The Rams’ corners — Troy Hill and Kevin Peterson  — are in “Banjo coverage,” meaning Hill will play man coverage on the receiver who breaks or stays inside, and Peterson will cover the receiver who breaks or stays outside:

The ball is snapped, and Garoppolo fakes the handoff to Hyde, as Goodwin heads toward his quarterback on the fake reverse. Peterson and Hill switch off, with Peterson covering Murphy, and Hill crossing the formation in case Garoppolo hands the ball off to Goodwin:

As Goodwin pivots and changes direction, Hill has overcommitted, and is caught on the other side of the formation:

By the time Hill realizes the fake, Goodwin is already into his route on the opposite side of the field. Meanwhile, the Rams’ other defenders are keyed on their respective receivers:

As Garoppolo releases the pass to Goodwin, the Rams’ defenders have too much ground to cover to catch up to the speedy receiver:

Goodwin catches the pass, with nothing but clear field between him and the end zone:

Goodwin glides into the end zone for the Niners’ first touchdown of the day:

Here’s the play from both the sideline and end-zone angles:

The Rams are certainly familiar with this play concept — in Week 10, the Rams ran a similar play with wide receiver Robert Woods. Although the play wasn’t designed as well, Woods was able to avoid a tackle on his way to the end zone for the score:

Trick plays like these keep defenses honest, and when defenses are kept honest, they’re easier to consistently attack. With Garoppolo’s full understanding of the playbook, expect Shanahan to toss in his share of trick plays in 2018.

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