Greg Cosell's Week 3 analysis: Examining Seattle vs. Denver

There were a lot of great plays in the Seattle Seahawks' great overtime win against the Denver Broncos, and it was interesting to break down the coaching tape of this game.

So let’s get right to looking in depth at the contest:

Russell Wilson's TD to Ricardo Lockette

Russell Wilson’s 39-yard touchdown pass to Ricardo Lockette was a great throw, obviously, but a subtle move the QB made was key to the play.

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With cornerback Aqib Talib looking in the backfield, Wilson had a slight shoulder roll that froze Talib for just a beat. That allowed Lockette to get on top of Talib.

That’s an example of Wilson’s poise, composure, awareness and understanding. If he doesn’t do that slight shoulder roll. Talib doesn’t pause. And the throw was there by a foot, not 5 yards. Sometimes in the NFL, a foot means a lot.

Wes Welker's crossing routes

The Broncos did not work the middle of the field with crossing routes as a featured part of the game plan, as they tried to do in last season’s Super Bowl. They did have some success working the outside in the first half, with Peyton Manning’s anticipation throws. When the score dictated it, the Broncos used more “11” personnel (one back, one tight end) with Wes Welker playing a lot of snaps, and they did find success with the crossing routes late. And unlike the Super Bowl, they neutralized strong safety Kam Chancellor, who was lurking to lay some big hits on those crossing routes when the Broncos and Seahawks last met.

On two plays late in the game, Welker ran a crossing route and Julius Thomas crossed from the other side, and timed it to block Chancellor as Welker made the catch. Both plays gained first downs. It was a great concept.

If Thomas just ran a route, Chancellor is right there and he lays out Welker on both receptions. Just like what happened in the Super Bowl.

Kam Chancellor's interception

Chancellor’s interception with less than three minutes left was a great example of how the Seahawks play 3 x 1 sets (with three receivers to one side of the formation and one receiver to the other side). They play pure man to the side with one receiver (“x iso”) and then zone on the three-receiver side, with Earl Thomas as the single high safety sliding over the top.

On this third-and-11, middle linebacker Bobby Wagner was aligned much deeper than he normally would have been, because of down, distance and the game situation. So when Emmanuel Sanders stemmed inside on his release, Chancellor didn’t move. I don't think Manning anticipated that.

My sense of it from watching the tape is that Manning pre-determined he was going to throw to Welker, figuring Chancellor would work inside with Sanders. When Chancellor didn’t go with Sanders, he was right there for the interception.

Broncos hit two big passes late

The Broncos’ two big plays on their last drive were basically the same play, with different players running them. What they ran was a classic Cover 3 beater.

On Sanders’ 42-yard catch, Demaryius Thomas ran a deep post from the outside with Sanders running an out-and-up from the slot. Byron Maxwell was the outside cover and he ran to the post with Thomas, vacating his outside third responsibility. There was nobody to play Sanders. The route concept distorted Maxwell’s coverage responsibility.

Then the Broncos ran the same concept on Jacob Tamme’s 26-yard touchdown, with the deep post by Thomas to Maxwell’s side and the out-and-up route from Tamme for the score.

You might ask why the Broncos didn’t call more of these plays earlier. They take a lot of time to develop, and Manning never had that time. Manning was sacked only once but he took more hits than I can remember in any game in recent years. It was part of Denver's game-planning to get the ball out of Manning's hands quick. A play like this requires a seven-step drop, at least 2.5 seconds in the pocket, and the Seahawks’ pass rush doesn’t allow that. With less than a minute left in regulation the Broncos had to get the ball downfield no matter the risk, and it paid off with two big plays.

Wilson beats Denver with his legs

The Broncos ran a lot of “man free lurk” behind a four-man rush (that’s basically what Seattle used in the Super Bowl to shut down Denver), and the lurk defender could spy on Wilson. The Broncos didn’t blitz much, just nine times in 44 drop backs (that’s a low percentage for Denver defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio). But Wilson still made plays late in the downs either throwing or running. That’s one of his greatest strengths.

Wilson made plays running in overtime, and part of that is the design of his offense. The Seahawks do an excellent job running basic plays out of different formations and movements. Then Wilson’s running, and sometimes just the threat of him running, stresses defenses. That’s what makes it a hard offense to defend. It certainly was during Seattle’s game-winning drive. Here's one of the bigger plays:

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NFL analyst and NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell watches as much NFL game film as anyone. Throughout the season, Cosell will join Shutdown Corner to share his observations on the teams, schemes and personnel from around the league.