“13” means there is 1 running back and 3 tight ends on the field for a particular play. This generally forces the defense to match up with base personnel of 3 linebackers and 4 defensive backs because the bigger offensive bodies would have an easy time bull dozing smaller DBs on any run play. The problems begin for the defense when all of these big guys can also catch when called upon.
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With the quality in the Rams’ TE room, Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford will be shredding defenses all season.
How it works
On this particular play, you can see the host of options Stafford has. The Rams could run Williams to the overloaded side or set up a screen there. They could send any number of TEs out on pass routes. If Stafford likes his WRs’ chances in a one-on-one situation out to his left, he can go there, or, in this case, they had Terrance Ferguson motion left and had a post wheel called.
Most defenses have been built to rely on ‘nickel’ defensive schemes, or five defensive backs, to keep up with the speed and lighter personnel packages that offenses normally deploy. They don’t have the depth at linebacker to put three quality guys on the field at once, and in this case, with Fred Warner injured and out, the Niners had their 3rd- and 4th-string LBs from their depth chart on the field for the majority of the game. Needless to say, the Rams feasted.
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The options don’t end there. The Rams also run “13” out of formations typically used in “11” packages as well, with two or three TE’s split out. When you add the pre or at the snap motion motion McVay uses on almost every play, the defenses are really just left guessing.
Looking back at the box score from this game, what jumps out is the fact that all four TE’s caught passes for 144 yards in total. Also, eight different players caught passes, and the duo of Williams and Corum ran for 129 yards. With 36 pass attempts and 30 rushes, this was about as balanced an offense as you could ask for.
Why it works
You’ve seen it a thousand times. A short yardage situation and the offense brings out the heavy package. The defense sees this and counters with their own heavy guys, as mentioned, their base defense. But what does the defensive coordinator do when the heavy package for the offense is out there most of the time?
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Kyle Shanahan kept his base on the field for the better part of the day, and Stafford shredded them over the middle. Another team may opt to stay with nickel. The big bodies will simply steamroll them while Kyren Williams and Blake Corum run all day. In either scenario, there will always be an area or a weak spot that Stafford can exploit, and if McVay loves the player matchups on the field, he can go to a loose hurry-up, leaving no time for defensive personnel changes.
With McVay’s play-calling and Stafford’s ability to read defenses, the sky’s the limit for this offense. I went back and watched the Jacksonville game last year as it was the first time they used “13” more than a handful of times, and the Jaguars had no answer for it. Stafford hit seven different receivers in the first quarter alone, and the Rams rolled. The scary part? The game plan was cobbled together that week because Puka Nacua was hurt and would miss the game.
Stafford points out in the clip that they’d had zero snaps in the preseason using “13”, that they basically changed their offensive philosophy, mid season!
With a full offseason for McVay to create new terrors for defensive coordinators, I’m really looking forward to what’s to come.
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