How the Falcons’ Foundation Beat the Bills

Three plays, one concept, and a lesson in how mastering your core wins at any level.

If you chart the Falcons’ offense this year, one theme jumps off the screen: they live in Wide Zone.

It’s the backbone of Zac Robinson’s system, and against Buffalo, it quietly took over the game.

They dressed it up, tight ends shifting, motions crossing, receivers trading sides, but no matter how it started, it ended the same way: Wide Zone weak, slicing through the defense.

For someone like me who’s obsessed with this play, this game put everything I love about Wide Zone on display.

The NFL can look complex, but when you strip it down, the great offenses all master one thing and build from it.

The Falcons did exactly that.

In three different drives, they used motion, formation variety, and spacing to arrive at the same destination: Wide Zone weak from a 3x1 spread look. Let’s take a closer look at how they did it.

Wide Zone Weak 1

Atlanta started with a simple two-back personnel grouping.

Bijan Robinson was split out just wide enough to make the formation look like a balanced 2x2 spread. Before the snap he motioned across the formation, flipping the picture into a 3x1 look.

That motion wasn’t just window dressing. It set up a pre-snap RPO: a quick screen to Bijan to the right, paired with Wide Zone weak to the left.

The motion and screen threat pulled four defenders out of the box, leaving a clean box to run in.

From there, it was pure execution. The offensive line reached and climbed perfectly, and the back hit the crease.

Wide Zone Weak 2

The Falcons came back to the same concept, but this time dressed it up differently. They lined up in a 3x1 bunch set with Bijan Robinson in the backfield.

Just before the snap, the tight end motioned out, signaling the same pre-snap screen look.

Buffalo adjusted, but not enough. The defense committed only three defenders to the screen, yet with the free safety sitting deep, the box count still favored Atlanta.

Bijan pressed the front side, then hammered the crease through the B-gap, almost identical to the touchdown from the first example. It didn’t score this time, but it ripped off another explosive and set the Falcons up with first and goal.

Same play, new presentation.

Keep reading with a paid subscription to Coaching Football Insights and unlock the full breakdown, including how the Falcons’ 81-yard touchdown and their Wide Zone discipline illustrate the foundation every offense needs.