Cover 3 Beaters: 6 Pass Concepts That Work

Cover 3 is the most common coverage you will see at every level of football. It keeps the ball in front, puts an eighth defender near the box, and asks little of the secondary. It also leaves the same holes on every snap.

This post covers how Cover 3 is built and six pass concepts that attack it: Four Verts, Flood, Curl-Flat, Dagger, Levels and Y-Cross. Each one comes with the QB read and when to call it.

How Cover 3 works

Three defenders split the deep part of the field into thirds: two corners and a free safety. Four defenders play underneath. In most versions that is the strong safety or nickel as a curl-flat defender on one side, a linebacker or outside backer as the curl-flat defender on the other, and two hook defenders in the middle.

4-2-5 front, Cover 3 shell against a 2x2 spread look.

The weak spots follow from that structure. Four verticals stretch three deep defenders. The flat defender has to cover two levels on his side, so you can put him in conflict. The seams between the deep thirds and the area behind the hook defenders are open against quick drops.

Four vertical stretch: three deep defenders against four deep routes.
Flat defender conflict: one man responsible for the flat and the curl.
Hook-curl windows: 12 to 18 yards over the linebackers, under the safety.

Four Verts

Four Verts from 2x2: outside go routes, inside seams, back on a check.

Both outside receivers run go routes and both slots run seams. Against Cover 3 the free safety cannot cover two seams at once, so one of them is open. Call it on early downs or after you have hit underneath throws and the flat defenders start to sit.

QB read: eyes on the free safety. If he drifts to one seam, throw the other. If he stays in the middle, the seams split him and the ball goes to the side with the better leverage. Teach the slots to stay on the hash and not drift toward the sideline, or they run into the corner's third.

Flood

Flood vs Cover 3: go, sail at 12 to 15 yards, back to the flat, backside drag.

Flood puts three receivers on three levels to one side. The outside receiver runs vertical and takes the corner deep. The slot runs a sail, a corner-type route that settles at 12 to 15 yards toward the sideline. The back leaks out of the backfield to the flat. The backside receiver runs a drag underneath as the outlet if the QB is pressured.

It works because one defender, the curl-flat player, has to choose between the sail and the flat. The corner is carried deep by the vertical, so the sail lands in open grass if the flat defender comes up.

QB read: the flat defender. If he sinks under the sail, throw the flat. If he jumps the back, throw the sail. Call it on second and medium or as a boot-side answer when the defense rolls to your strength.

Curl-Flat

Curl-Flat from 2x2: outside curls, slots to the flat.

The outside receiver runs a curl at 10 to 12 yards and the inside receiver runs to the flat. This is the short version of the same flat defender conflict. It is a reliable completion on second and long and a good first read for a young quarterback.

QB read: the flat defender again. Widen with the flat, throw the curl. Stay on the curl, throw the flat. Coach the curl to work back toward the ball and away from the hook defender, who will wall it from the inside.

Dagger

Dagger pairs a seam from the slot with a dig from the outside receiver, usually at 15 to 18 yards. The seam pulls the free safety and holds the hook defender. The dig comes in behind the linebackers and under the deep third.

QB read: the seam first if the safety does not get there, then the dig. Call it on third and long when you need 15 yards and the defense is sitting in a three-deep shell. The menu does not draw Dagger yet; draw the seam and dig by hand in the designer.

Levels

Levels stacks two in-breaking routes at different depths, usually a 5-yard in and a 10 to 12-yard dig, with the outside receiver clearing on a go. The hook defender cannot cover both. If he drops, the short in is open. If he jumps the in, the dig opens behind him.

QB read: the hook-curl defender to the side of the concept. Call it on third and medium against a defense that runs a lot of three-deep zone. There is no menu template for Levels, so draw the routes by hand in the designer.

Y-Cross

Y-Cross vs Cover 3: deep crosser behind the hook defenders.

The inside receiver runs a deep crosser at about 15 yards to the far side of the field. The post on the other side holds the free safety, and the shallow route underneath holds the linebackers down. Against Cover 3 the crosser runs into the space between the hook defenders and the deep third.

QB read: post to cross to the underneath route. Call it from play action or on a bootleg look when linebackers are flowing hard to the run. Tell the crosser to throttle down in open space rather than run into the sideline corner.

Draw these Cover 3 beaters in Atlas Chalk and print them on a play sheet, free.Draw it free

FAQ

How do you beat Cover 3?

Stretch the three deep defenders with four verticals, or put the curl-flat defender in conflict with two routes on his side. Flood, Curl-Flat and Four Verts are the most common answers.

What is the best pass play against Cover 3?

There is no single best one. Four Verts attacks the deep thirds, Flood and Curl-Flat attack the flat defender, and Dagger and Y-Cross attack the hole behind the linebackers.

What is the QB read on Flood against Cover 3?

Read the curl-flat defender on the flood side. If he sinks, throw the flat; if he jumps the flat, throw the sail.