The Dallas Cowboys just saved their season. The Chicago Bears are surviving without Caleb Williams. The Jacksonville Jaguars are the biggest surprise in the AFC. And the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks have picked up right they left off last year.
Each week, I dive into the All-22 coaches' film before offering a few insights to watch. Here are four developments that could be long-term storylines involving some of the best teams and players in the NFL.
If you enjoy watching a chess match on artificial turf, you might want to tune in when the San Francisco 49ers take on the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET on FOX) for the battle of wits between Kyle Shanahan and Mike Macdonald. As brilliant schemers with voluminous playbooks loaded with creative play designs from various personnel groupings, the whiteboard matchup will showcase the imagination and innovative tactics of two of the league’s best coaches.
The 46-year-old Shanahan has revolutionized football with variations of a zone-based scheme popularized by his legendary (and Super Bowl-winning) father, Mike. The 49ers' run-heavy formations are built on off-tackle plays perfectly complemented by exotic pre-snap shifts, motions and condensed alignments. With the constant movement and misdirection leaving defenders dazed and confused, San Francisco routinely generates explosive plays on blown assignments and misalignments.
The 39-year-old Macdonald, though, has often neutralized the Niners by featuring two-high safeties, light boxes and various sub-package personnel with five or six defensive backs on the field. Additionally, Seattle varies its adjustments to motions to give the quarterbacks false keys on whether the coverage is man or zone based on defensive backs running across the formation. The Seahawks will occasionally run their defenders across the field, shadowing the motion man before dropping into zone coverage. They will also "rock-and-roll" defenders and meet the motion man on the other side in man coverage.
The ever-changing tactics and intricate pre-snap disguises prevent the 49ers from exploiting the "tells" opponents give away with their alignments. With the Seahawks stockpiling interchangeable, versatile defensive backs, light boxes let the "Dark Side" use the speed and quickness of their hybrid defenders to contain the run while staying over the top of play-action passes.
To accomplish this, the Seahawks rely heavily on their imposing defensive line to control the point of attack, with Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy II and Jarran Reed whipping blockers with their individual and collective athleticism and physicality. The trio's explosiveness clogs interior gaps and forces the 49ers to the edges against a group of fast defensive backs who excel at one-on-one tackles in space.
As Macdonald preaches a "12 as one" mentality throughout his team, the Seahawks’ defense takes the mantra a step further by playing like an extra defender is on the field through their effort and physicality between the lines. Against the 49ers, the Seahawks rely on that energy and flawless execution to match up with an offensive juggernaut that features blue-chip players at every marquee position, including quarterback (Brock Purdy), running back (Christian McCaffrey), wide receiver (Mike Evans), tight end (George Kittle) and left tackle (Trent Williams).
The 49ers’ offense has been rolling with its stars and veteran role players (see: Deebo Samuel and Kyle Juszczyk), making key plays in pivotal moments in a scheme that puts defenders in a mental and physical grinder. The complex shifts, motions, and condensed alignments force quick adjustments, while the downhill running game and "catch-and-run" aerial attack test every defender's open-field tackling skills and overall physicality.
While Macdonald has typically gotten the upper hand against Shanahan — his defenses have held the Niners to less than 20 points in five of six meetings, including without a touchdown in their past two encounters — the first edition of their 2026 heavyweight battle will feature a few new tricks and tactics that keep the defensive guru running to the tablet to see how the offensive wizard is creating extra gaps in the running game and free access for his playmakers on passing plays.
Given Shanahan’s attention to detail in crafting a game plan that meshes an ultra-physical rushing attack with a razzle-dazzle passing game, Macdonald will need to come up with another masterpiece to cool off the league’s hottest team.
While there is no disputing George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb as the most dynamic pass-catching duo in football, No. 88 is making a run at the NFL’s top spot overall. He's strung together three 100-yard games, putting him atop the league's leaderboard in receptions (37) and receiving yards (498) through four games. He is also tied for second in big plays (receptions of 20-plus yards) with seven.
Such numbers are even more impressive when considering Lamb is in a playmaker-by-committee situation with Pickens roaming the opposite side of the field. Lamb is coming off his best game yet, collecting 17 catches for 189 yards and a jaw-dropping go-ahead touchdown against the Texans that showcased his spectacular route-running skills.
Although the three-time All-Pro is an unstoppable force on the perimeter, the Cowboys’ coaching staff has set him up for success by putting him in motion to give him free access to his routes. Per Next Gen Stats, Lamb has been targeted on 46.2% of his routes this season when put in motion, the fourth-highest rate among wide receivers with at least 10 such routes. Additionally, Lamb has generated the third-most yards after the catch (164), while tying for the fourth-most missed tackles among wide receivers.
As a former punt returner with exceptional balance and body control, Lamb can elude and evade defenders in space, making him nearly impossible to contain in a scheme that keeps him moving from various alignments. With an emerging superstar on the opposite side commanding double coverage, the Cowboys have found creative ways to get Lamb his touches without disrupting the offensive flow.
Moreover, they've put one of the league’s premier playmakers in a prime position to dominate the game and re-emerge as WR1 in a league loaded with blue-chip pass catchers. With Lamb on pace to notch his sixth straight 1,000-yard season and remaining a model of consistency on the perimeter, he might be primed to claim the crown as the league’s top playmaker.
Bears head coach Ben Johnson has been celebrated as an offensive wizard since building Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions into a juggernaut during his tenure as OC, but the innovative playcaller deserves Bill Walsh-like treatment for transforming the Bears into a ground-and-pound machine that can light up scoreboards with or without Caleb Williams on the field.
While Johnson is properly recognized for his work as a quarterback-friendly schemer who can help former No. 1 overall picks maximize their talent and potential, he has quietly crafted some of the league’s most explosive rushing attacks with creative playcalls and exotic formations. After terrorizing opponents with an uptempo, three-receiver offensive package in Detroit that featured multiple running backs and wide receivers shuttling in and out of the game, he has crafted an electric offense in the Windy City that use deception, misdirection and creative personnel deployment to befuddle defensive coordinators around the league.
The Bears are among the league leaders in "12" (one running back, two tight ends and two wide receivers) and "13" (one running back, three tight ends and one wide receiver) usage, with tight ends Cole Kmet, Colston Loveland, and Sam Roush taking turns threatening the defense with their dual-threat capabilities as dynamic pass catchers and rugged in-line blockers. Although the Bears like to use the illusion of run-heavy formations to create explosive opportunities in the passing game, their heavy use of multi-tight end sets is part of a shell game that keeps defensive coordinators guessing when running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai are on the field.
The duo has helped the Bears lead the NFL in rushing (196.3 rush yards per game), while doing most of their damage from spread formations against light boxes. Despite featuring run-heavy formations prominently in their game plans, the explosive plays and spectacular runs are coming on wide-zone plays with one tight end or fewer on the field. Additionally, the Bears have used more under-center formations, particularly with Williams on the sidelines, to enhance their potent running game with a complementary bootleg and play-action package.
With backside defenders unable to aggressively chase off-tackle runs to the opposite side of the field, Swift and Monangai have found plenty of creases and seams on impromptu cutback runs.
As carefully scripted game plans mix under-center formations, multiple tight-end groupings and perimeter runs, the Bears’ superior talent and tactics are producing explosive runs and time-consuming drives. For a team that loves to dominate opponents with physicality and pizzazz, the Bears’ high-powered offense has old-school football fans singing Johnson’s praises as an offensive guru with a throwback call sheet.
If you are scratching your head and wondering how the Jaguars have quickly emerged as title contenders under Liam Coen, you should take a long, hard look at a turnover-obsessed defense that specializes in stopping the run and taking the ball away.
Since the start of the 2025 season, Jacksonville has forced 39 turnovers (tied with the Bears for the most during that time) while registering 13 multiple-takeaway games. Given the impact of turnovers on game outcomes, the Jags’ success in knocking the ball loose or picking off passes is directly tied to their ability to win. They led the league in points off takeaways in 2025 — 110 points off 31 turnovers — and they have continued to take advantage of the extra possessions and prime field position this season.
Part of the Jaguars' success comes from their ability to stop the run and force opponents into long-yardage situations. Defensive linemen DaVon Hamilton, Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker, along with linebackers Foye Oluokun and Ventrell Miller, clog the holes at the point of attack, creating more opportunities to attack the quarterback in obvious passing situations.
Jacksonville is stout against the run because of its discipline and physicality in the trenches. The front line avoids "hero" plays that leave open gaps when defenders chase the ball instead of squatting in the hole and waiting for the runner to come back to them. As a result of its disciplined approach, Jacksonville has not allowed even a 75-yard rusher in 21 straight games — the fourth-longest streak in the Super Bowl era.
Studying the All-22 coaches’ footage, the Jaguars’ eye discipline and violent hands show up in every clip, with 11 defenders attacking blockers on the way to the ball. The organized approach and "hustle-hard" mentality that demands defenders finish at the ball carrier create a swarming unit that rarely concedes big plays on the ground.
In pass coverage, Jacksonville's reliance on zone-based concepts lets second- and third-level defenders keep their eyes on the quarterback, leading to more aggressive breaks on the ball. Additionally, the "vision-and-break" philosophy provides defenders with more chances to snag interceptions off tipped passes or overthrown balls in their areas. With ball-hawking defenders such as Travis Hunter, Jourdan Lewis, Antonio Johnson and Jarrian Jones able to convert errant passes into turnovers, the Jaguars have snagged six interceptions, including three in the red zone.
Although the Jaguars’ vision-and-break tactics and "bend but don’t break" philosophy have frustrated some fans who prefer man coverage and a more aggressive approach, their disciplined defenders continue to come up with timely takeaways when the field shrinks and pressure from a persistent pass rush ramps up in pivotal moments.
With the umbrella coverage also limiting the "explosives" (passes over 20 yards) that directly lead to points or scoring chances, the Jaguars have kept points off the board — they rank second in scoring defense (13.25 points per game) — and produced the turnovers needed to beat title contenders. As the defense continues to follow second-year defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile’s teachings, the Jaguars are quietly becoming a championship-caliber unit that can spark a title run.
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