How the Packers Ended the Cowboys' 2023 Season with Split Zone
Adding split-flow action to zone runs can have a number of effects on a defense. It can force hesitation in second-level defenders. It can help create cut-back lanes. If a defense is in man coverage, it can remove defenders from the front side of the run. It can also cut off or impede an athletic defensive end who is chasing down plays from the backside and stopping them before they get started.
One of the best examples of a team having success with this tactic occurred during the 2023 NFC Wild Card Playoffs. Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur called split zone relentlessly on the way to a 48-32 drubbing of the Cowboys.
Specifically, the split-flow action seemed to target the Cowboys’ most dynamic defensive player, Micah Parsons.
On this first example, Green Bay came out in “12” personnel with tight ends aligned to both sides of the formation. This would be a wide-zone run to the right with tight end Tucker Kraft slicing back to the left where Micah Parsons was aligned (That’s the split-flow):
You can see the effect this had on Parsons. He wasn’t able to be a factor in the play:
Also notice how that block targeted Parsons’ lower body. That was likely intentional. The Packers didn’t want him feeling comfortable planting his feet in the ground and going 100 miles per hour all afternoon. They wanted him wary of the potential for blocks like these all day. They wanted him hesitating.
On this next example, the Packers would run the same play to the left with Parsons aligned on the right: