Ezekiel Elliott shines, Paxton Lynch proves NFL is hard

The 2016 rookie class looks good, with Ezekiel Elliott leading the way. But not everyone is playing at an elite level. Paxton Lynch showed the need to grow in his first start.

The Dallas Cowboys took Ohio State running back Ezekiell Elliott with the fourth-overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft this April. The pick was met with equal parts excitement and eye rolling, with many feeling owner Jerry Jones should have taken Jalen Ramsey, a superstar defensive back from Florida State.

Jones is getting the last laugh to this point. Elliott is leading the NFL with 546 rushing yards, 85 more than DeMarco Murray in second place. He’s averaging 5.0 yards per carry and has five runs of at least 20 yards, tops in the league.

So how is Elliott tearing up the NFL in his rookie campaign? Let’s look at two of his runs against the Cincinnati Bengals to understand his undeniable talents.

Run #1

This is a very basic look from both teams pre-snap on a 1st and 10 in the first quarter. The Cowboys are in their 11 personnel with tight end Jason Witten in-line on the left side. Dallas has a three-wide look with the slot receiver to the right. Elliott is the lone deep back.

Cincinnati is in the nickel personnel grouping. The Bengals have three corners in man coverage and a pair of safeties. In this picture, Dak Prescott has to be thinking run. The Cowboys have six blockers and only see six men in the box from Cincinnati.

Just before the snap, safety Shawne Williams comes down into the box. He’s going to play Witten in man coverage if it’s a pass and provides support against the run. It’s a Cover 1 all day long with the lone deep safety.

Dallas is running a counter to the left side, with both guards about to pull. The rest of this play is a perfect illustration as to why the Cowboys are lethal on the ground.

Notice Bengals defensive end Michael Johnson (41-yard line), who has beaten his blocker and has the angle on Elliott. Also take note of how well Dallas’ guards get into space and lock onto their men, creating a seal on the back side.

Elliott has to beat Johnson and get up the field. The entire play is dependent on the rookie’s ability to get the edge against one of the better and more athletic defensive ends in football.

It’s not a contest. Elliott plants his foot in the ground and bends around the edge, leaving Johnson to tickle his shirttail. Look at another snapshot a moment later. Elliott has gotten his hips back to square and has his power back, heading downfield. Also, note the blocking. Perfect.

The play went for 17 yards and a first down to the Bengals 22-yard line.

Run #2

This time, we see Cincinnati in its base 3-4 defense. You can see the man-coverage on the outside with the four down linemen and three linebackers behind them. Dallas is going with its 12 personnel, balancing out the line with a tight end on either side.

Sometimes, the easiest analysis is the correct one. This is again looking at perfect blocking with a surreal combination of size and speed.

The Cowboys are once again using misdirection as a weapon. When you have this caliber of an offensive line, defenses has to react immediately or get bulldozed, and the Bengals have exactly that happen to them.

Dallas gets the single block by Tyron Smith (No. 77), the double on Domata Peko by Ronald Leary (No. 65) and Travis Frederick (No. 72) and a beautiful single by Zack Martin (No. 70). Elliott steps left and Prescott turns that way, making this look like a run that way. Look at the play-side linebackers. They are filling gaps to the left.

Also, note reserve tight end Geoff Swaim coming across the formation to get the most important block of the play on Carlos Dunlap.

This is the whole play. Elliott has to hit the gap between these Frederick and Swain’s blocks. Frederick shows immense strength here by shoving Geno Atkins toward the sideline while Swaim does a phenomenal job of getting between Dunlap and Elliott.

Doug Free (No. 68) is sealing off pursuit at the top of the screen, taking on any linebackers that might come across the field.

Free gets that final block, sealing off Rey Maualuga. From there, it’s a foot race between Elliott and defensive backs that are woefully out of position. It ends up as a 60-yard touchdown, one of two Elliott would score on the day.

Paxton Lynch

Alright, so Lynch got his first start against the Atlanta Falcons this weekend. The appearance resulted in a 23-16 loss for the Denver Broncos, their first defeat of the year.

Lynch’s numbers were decent enough on the surface. He completed 23-of-35 throws for 222 yards with a touchdown and an interception. However, his QBR (on a scale from 1-100) was 11.1. This is significant because QBR takes into account how a quarterback played before the outcome was virtually decided, and after (Denver trailed 23-6 late). While these stats are mostly goofy, it encapsulated what the film said.

Let’s look at both the interception and an incompletion Lynch would love to have back..

Pass #1

It’s 3rd and 9 from the Falcons’ 17-yard line. Atlanta is in quarters defense, which simply means a defensive back is responsible for a quarter of the field. Yes, it’s that easy. Atlanta is in a 4-3 base alignment, with the linebackers off the line of scrimmage to drop into underneath zones. The Falcons are only bringing four.

Meanwhile, Denver has trips to the left side and Lynch in the shotgun formation with a single back set. Lynch knows he should have ample time, with five blockers to stop four rushers. On the play, Emmanuel Sanders will run down the seam, looking for six points.

Lynch looks right for Demaryius Thomas, but he’s double-covered. Meanwhile, Sanders is going down the seam with single coverage. However, Atlanta’s first-round pick, Keanu Neal, is in perfect position for the route. Neither are going to work.

At this point, Lynch has to check down. He still has quality protection and a dump-off here likely equals a first down. Instead, Lynch tries to force the ball to Sanders.

The throw is high and into an invisible window. It ends up incomplete and brings on the field goal unit. This is where Lynch’s inexperience hurts him. The checkdown was the right move.

Pass #2

It’s 1st and 10 from the 1-yard line for Denver, trailing 13-3 early in the third quarter. The Broncos are in 21 personnel with a running back, fullback and tight end. Atlanta is in a very basic look out of its 4-3 base. the Falcons are playing Cover 3 all the way, with four men in zone coverage underneath.

This play is both on Lynch and the offensive line. Even though he’s a rookie, Lynch has to see the gaping hole between the linebackers and defensive backs down the seam. This is an easy 15-yard gain. He also has some underneath routes breaking open.

However, pressure is coming. The Falcons are getting post (orange arrow) right in Lynch’s throwing lane. Instead of either hitting one of the open receivers or throwing the ball away, he panics.

This throw has no chance. Thomas has Desmond Trufant draped all over him with Robenson Therezie coming over to help. Lynch made a choice based on pressure.

The result is his first interception in the NFL. The throw was a poor idea and again, the result of Lynch trying to make a much bigger play than he needs to. The checkdown was there. When Lynch sees Cover 3, he has to understand where the holes in the coverage are. Down the sideline, deep, is not one of them.