Mesh Traffic Pass Concept
4 Examples of How to Score Using Mesh Traffic
The Mesh pass concept has been a staple of the Air Raid system since its inception. The origins of the Air Raid trace back to LaVell Edwards' pass-heavy approach at BYU and Bill Walsh's West Coast offense in the NFL. However, Mumme and Leach took these concepts further by simplifying the playbook, reducing the number of plays while increasing repetitions in practice to ensure near-perfect execution.
The Mesh Pass concept features crossing routes with options attached to each route. Typically the running back is also released on a route and is part of the progression. On the Mesh Traffic concept the running back becomes the intent. This concept has become incredibly popular in the low red zone when defenses feature a heavy dose of man coverage. The crossing routes create picks or traffic for the defense to try and run through while the running back leaks to the flats, often times crossing the formation, ideally wide open for a walk in touchdown.
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Here are a few examples of what this concept looks like in action.
2024 Virginia Tech running a Mesh Traffic on 3rd and Goal on the 11 yard line. The Hokies line up with a condensed set, but not nearly as tight as the next examples we will see. Vanderbilt is bringing pressure which opens the back up right away. The quarterback dumps it off in a rush and the running back is able to walk in untouched.
The NFL loves Mesh Traffic in the red zone and this example here shows the 2021 Green Bay Packers where Aaron Rodgers and Aaron Jones hooking up for their third touchdown of the game. The Packers go with a condensed set to make defenders run through a lot of interference which opens up Jones for the walk in touchdown.
Another NFL example on this clip as the Miami Dolphins add a wrinkle to the Mesh Traffic concept. They run a flip motion where the running back goes in motion to the opposite side, making it seem like he is going to leave the backfield before coming back underneath the quarterback. One common thing that you see on most of these clips is that the running back goes inside the offensive tackle who is pass setting deep, which helps him get lost in the scheme.
The final example was one that help lead Michigan to a National Championship over Alabama. As with most of our examples the ball starts on a hash. The running back fakes to the right before coming back underneath to the left. He inserts between the left guard and the center which keeps him out of the eyes of the defense for longer. When he crosses the line of scrimmage he finds himself wide open for a walk in touchdown. Bobby Peters has broken down the entire 2023 Dolphin’s offense and it’s an excellent piece of work. If you haven’t checked it out yet, I highly suggest it here!
There are many more examples you can find of teams running mesh traffic and we will add more as we keep updating our catalog. Leave us a comment of what concept you'd like to see featured next!