The zone-read option blew up across the league after Robert Griffin III's rookie year in 2012. Two-high safety coverage has swept through the NFL in the last few years limiting big passing plays. Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay ushered in a new era of pre-snap motion.
The Eagles' Tush Push repopularized the QB sneak. Teams are going for it on fourth down more than ever before and last year kickers were making kicks from longer range than ever. Rule changes, generational players and brilliant minds continue to push the game forward resulting in new trends that explode across the league.
The 2026 season will be no different as teams will be lining up to copy scheme lords Mike Macdonald and Sean McVay after the Seahawks and Rams were the two most dominant teams last season. Here's three trends that could blow up this season: Leave it to McVay to reinvent himself again. The Rams used 13 personnel (1 RB, 1 WR, 3 TE) at by far the highest rate in the league (30.5%; next-highest was 13.2%) last season to unlock an MVP season from Matthew Stafford.
Just five years ago, the Rams used 11 personnel (1 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE) more than any team in 2021 when they won the Super Bowl. It all started in Week 6 when Puka Nacua was hurt. The Rams used this look over 40% of the time for the remainder of the year.
This personnel worked because it forced defenses into a bind. If you play nickel (or dime) defense vs. 13 personnel then the offense will have the advantage in the run game against lighter boxes. If you play base defense then the tight ends (the Rams used Colby Parkinson, Tyler Higbee and Terrance Ferguson) will be matchup problems for linebackers and safeties.
These groupings worked wonders for Stafford and the Rams' passing game. Stafford's success rate in 13 personnel (63.0%) was significantly higher than all other groupings (50.7%) last year, mostly because he faced base defense 78% of the time in 13 looks vs. 9% in all other looks. Stafford ended up with 20 touchdown passes and zero interceptions in these spots as they leaned on it heavily near the goal line, too.
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