Sean Payton’s plan for short-yardage situations revealed, exploiting a quirky rule

The Philadelphia Eagles rode a unique quarterback, quirky rule and smart gameplan to find an edge this season en route to a Super Bowl appearance.

The Eagles used young, powerful and speedy hurler Jalen Hurts to plow through short-yardage piles with the help of a traffic awesome offensive line and a few teammates pushing him from behind. Thanks to a rule that has only allowed this type of play since 2005 in the NFL and 2013 in college, the Eagles turned third and fourth and short situations into a game of Rugby.

Here’s one of those quarterback sneaks from Sunday’s Super Bowl, where the Eagles scored the game’s first points:

.@JalenHurts with the QB sneak!@Eagles on the board first! #FlyEaglesFly

📺: #SBLVII on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/d8gBDzRt2m pic.twitter.com/jfgnU4xfS8

— NFL (@NFL) February 12, 2023

New Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton watched the game get broadcasted on the network he just worked at. And Payton sees something he could take advantage of apparently, telling former NFL official and current rules analyst Dean Blandino that the Broncos will run the rugby form of the quarterback sneak every game in 2023.

“I was talking to (Broncos coach) Sean Payton during Sunday’s game, and he said we’re going to do this every time next season if they don’t take it out,” Blandino said to 33rd Team in a story about the play possibly being out-lawed next year.

“It amounts to a rugby scrum. The NFL wants to showcase the athleticism and skill of our athletes. This is just not a skillful play,” he continued. “This is just a tactic that is not an aesthetically pleasing play, and I think the competition committee is going to take a look at it.’”

The Eagles were top five in the league on both third and fourth-down conversation rates this past season. And per NFL.com, the Eagles gained 31 first downs on quarterback sneaks in the 2022 season, including in the playoffs heading into the Super Bowl. According to Pro Football Focus data, no other offense has gained 20 first downs on quarterback sneaks in a season over the last decade-and-a-half.

Hurts had 10 first downs on the ground during the 38-35 Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Six of them came on quarterback sneaks with all of those featuring players behind Hurts pushing the signal caller.

The question is: why is Payton letting the cat out of the bag? Does he hope that the play gets banned?

Could the veteran Russell Wilson be capable of running this play at least 17 times and taking those hits? Or if the Broncos really do run it would they go wildcat or bring in a specialty quarterback like possible Saints free agent Taysom Hill?

The game plan revelation may lead to more questions than it answers at this moment but it does show Payton is learned and grown in his year hiatus rather than becoming a fossil like other coaches-turned-broadcaster-turned-back-again-to-coach.

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