Florham Park – As some like to say, “Football is chess on grass.”
And you saw a perfect example of terrific football chess playing in the second quarter of the Jets-Steelers game by offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand.
In the second quarter, the Jets scored a TD on an 8-yard run up he middle by Braelon Allen.
On the play before that, Justin Fields burned the Steelers defense with a read option off right tackle, gaining 15 yards, going from the 23 to the 8. He faked a handoff to Allen to the left side, and he went off right tackle for a nice gain.
On the next play, the Jets ran another read-option, but this time, instead of taking off to the right with the ball, Fields handed the ball to Allen, who went up the middle for a touchdown.
“[The Steelers] paused because they thought Justin Fields was going to keep the ball again,” said Steelers radio analyst Max Starks, a former NFL offensive lineman.
Terrific job by Engstrand juxtaposing these two calls back to back, and great execution by Fields and Allen.
Clearly, the first call set up the second one.
*****
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