Under center 42.5% of the time? The NFL is abandoning the shotgun formation -- and it's working — SkimNews
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- NFL offenses ran 42.5% of Week 1 snaps under center in 2026, the highest rate since 2012 (42.2%) and a sharp reversal from the 29% under-center low in 2023.
- Teams averaged 24.7 points per game in Week 1, tying 2012 for the highest-scoring opening week since the 1970 merger, per the source.
- The Commanders, Eagles, and Ravens each hired new offensive coordinators (David Blough, Sean Mannion, Declan Doyle) who come from offensive trees built around under-center play, while the Vikings signed Kyler Murray and worked on his under-center drops in training camp.
- The Eagles' zone run rate rose to 56% in Week 1 under Mannion and new run game coordinator Ryan Mahaffey, up from 47% during their 2024 Super Bowl lead-up, while the Commanders' zone concept usage jumped from 37% in their 2024 season to 59% in Week 1.
- Vic Fangio, now the Eagles' defensive coordinator, rolled out the 6-1 front he originally used to slow zone-rushing offenses with the Bears, deploying it against Washington's attack in Week 1.
- The Vikings' under-center plans were disrupted when Kyler Murray suffered a first-quarter concussion in Week 1, forcing a pivot from their offseason blueprint.
- Under-center, offenses can run more diverse concepts — inside zone, outside zone, power, counter, and duo — without telegraphing direction by the running back's alignment, unlike shotgun sets which the source notes were limited to mostly counter runs.
Why it matters: Three franchises made institutional bets that the shotgun era was capping offensive efficiency, hiring OCs from under-center trees and posting immediate results, with the Eagles (56%) and Commanders (59%) leaning heavily into zone runs. The Week 1 scoring surge to 24.7 points per game — tied for the highest-scoring opener since 1970 — suggests defenses haven't yet caught up, though Fangio's deployment of the 6-1 front signals the counter-adjustment is already underway.
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