play-action pass

noun

play-ac·​tion pass

: a pass play in football in which the quarterback fakes a handoff before passing the ball

called also play-action

Examples of play-action pass in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One of their few tendencies was playing from a five-man front on early downs and playing man coverage behind it, a way to force an overmatched O-line to block 1-on-1 and combat the Texans' bootleg play-action passes. —Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 20 Jan. 2026

The 49ers opened the game with a quick-strike touchdown drive, scoring when Purdy’s play-action pass found Demarcus Robinson over the middle for a 2-yard touchdown, only three snaps after Purdy and Robinson hooked up for a 61-yard catch-and-run to the Eagles’ 16 on the second play from scrimmage. —Cam Inman, Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2026

The Jets under Engstrand focus on a physical, aggressive style that likes quarterbacks to use a blend of RPOs, zone reads and play-action passes. —Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 8 Jan. 2026

Under-center play-action passes. —Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for play-action pass

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• alas
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• crabgrass
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