The Carolina Panthers were nearly unstoppable moving the football through the air against the Atlanta Falcons’ defense last Sunday. A huge part of their success was due to the fantastic play designs specifically created to attack the Falcons’ Cover 3 zone defense. One particular formation the Panthers used to attack the Falcons’ zone defense was the 3x1 formation out of 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR).
The 3x1 formation has been one of the Panthers’ most popular passing formations over the past five years because of its versatility. The 3x1 formation floods one side of the field with a trips (three receiver) set, which often forces opposing defenses to over-commit to that side of the formation, leaving the weak-side vulnerable in the run game and passing game.