Nick Foles was coy about his previous success against the Cover-3 defensive scheme the Falcons employ but left a clue why he seems to be comfortable with the concept.
"You know what they're going to do," Foles said Wednesday.
"What they're saying is, 'Hey, we're going to show you what we're doing.' That's their mentality. And us, we're going to say, 'Alright, we're going to go play, we're going to be aggressive and we're going to go at you.'"
The Cover-3 is one of the most common zone looks in the NFL, though only a handful of teams use it as a base defense. It was popularized by the Seahawks in the last decade under Pete Carroll, and as his assistants have moved on, its use has spread. Hired as coach of the Falcons in 2015, Dan Quinn - a former Carroll disciple - brought the system with him.
The Seahawks won a Super Bowl using the Cover-3 and reached another, and the Falcons got to the big game last season, too. The scheme works.
Yet, any time Foles has faced a Cover-3 defense, he's done some of his best work.
Foles is 3-0 vs. Cover-3 teams, completing 61.9 percent of his passes for 8.0 yards per attempt with five touchdowns and one interception. He amassed those numbers in three different seasons while playing for three different teams. And though two of his three wins were against a hapless Jaguars franchise that went 14-48 under former coach Gus Bradley, Foles also knocked off the Seahawks in 2015 while with the Rams.
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"Any time there's success in a game, it's where you're comfortable," Foles said. "You're in a rhythm, you're in the zone, and you're just seeing your progressions. You have protection up front, your guys are running crisp routes. That's the big reason any time with a Cover-3 defense you have success."
As for why Foles feels so comfortable with this particular brand of defense, the answer may have something to do with the scheme's simplicity.
"You know where they are going to be," Doug Pederson said.
"It's fast flow and they are not going to pull any punches. They are not going to try to trick you or do anything to get in your head or anything like that. It's just line up and try to beat us."
Cover-3 refers to a zone in which three defensive backs are each responsible for covering one-third of the field. Typically, two cornerbacks are responsible for the perimeters, with a single-high free safety in the center of the field. The rest of the coverage - linebackers and defensive backs - fill in the areas underneath.
Every team has Cover-3 in the playbook, but the Falcons will run it for most of the game when they show up at the Linc Saturday.
"This team's not a big blitz team," Pederson said. "They will bring one extra, rush five quite a bit."
For Foles, who has appeared indecisive and perhaps a little gun shy in recent weeks, knowing what's coming could prove advantageous.
"With defenses like this, it's always going through progressions," Foles said. "Someone is going to be open. You can't cover everyone.
"It comes down to execution, going through reads, playing smart, and then when you step up in the pocket or get out of the pocket, make something happen."
Therein lies the hard part. Foles has struggled in his last two starts, completing 46.9 percent of his passes for 4.1 yards per attempt with one touchdown and two interceptions. Some of his issues can be traced to a dialed-back practice schedule and game plan, but concerns over his confidence and overall ability are rampant.
Plus, knowing what the Falcons want to do is one thing. Beating it is quite another.
The Falcons' defense ranked eighth in the NFL in scoring and ninth in total yards. The unit has held four of its last six opponents to 17 points or fewer, including a 26-13 victory over the Rams in the wild-card playoff game.
"This defense, it's much improved over the course of the season," Pederson said. "They are fast. They are flying to the football. Secondary is aggressive. Guys know how to cover.
"They are going to challenge our receivers and that's what you're seeing on tape."
Foles knows it as well as anybody. But he also knows the Cover-3 defense can be exposed, and he has experience doing it.
"We have to stay ahead of the chains," Foles said. "Do all those little things, and when the big plays happen, we let them come to us.
"And there will be big plays."
