SINCE 1828
play-action pass
noun
play-ac·tion pass
Definition of play-action 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
Expecting Miami to load up to defend the run, Mullen called for a play-action pass, thinking touchdown. — Edgar Thompson, orlandosentinel.com, "UF coach Dan Mullen addresses criticism of play-calling, Gators QB Feleipe Franks," 28 Aug. 2019 Early in the season, the Patriots offense may look a lot like last year’s — a lot of running and play-action passes out of heavy formations, quick passes to Edelman, White, and Burkhead, and the occasional deep crosser to Gordon. — Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, "Patriots offense has questions, but is there any doubt they’ll figure it out?," 2 Sep. 2019 The T formation’s array of fakes, men in motion, traps, pulls, misdirection plays and play-action passes confused defenses for years. — Will Larkin, chicagotribune.com, "Ranking the 100 best Bears players ever: No. 5, Sid Luckman," 29 Aug. 2019 Carolina’s offense begins here, with 30-plus rushes a week and a downfield play-action passing game built off their convoluted run looks. — Andy Benoit, SI.com, "The Panthers Have Questions, Beginning With Cam Newton's Health," 1 Aug. 2019 Murray showed his lightning quick release on a beautiful play-action pass, faking a handoff to David Johnson, and hitting Larry Fitzgerald in stride for a huge gain. — Bob Mcmanaman, azcentral, "Kyler Murray daily report: Cardinals quarterback gives up pick-six, but finishes strong," 31 July 2019 The Broncos’ ideal modus operandi offensively is run to set up the play-action pass. — Ryan O'halloran, The Denver Post, "Lessons learned: Broncos’ Courtland Sutton intends to apply rookie year experience to become elite in 2019," 21 July 2019 On play-action passes last season, Herbert was 78 of 122 for 1,050 yards with 13 touchdowns and two interceptions, according to Pro Football Focus. — oregonlive.com, "Justin Herbert: Oregon offense has ‘altered and changed’ this offseason," 29 June 2019 Under Stefanski and Kubiak, the Vikings are looking for the running game to set up more play-action passes for quarterback Kirk Cousins. — Chris Tomasson, Twin Cities, "Dalvin Cook says new Vikings offense ‘set up for us to be great’ … and it starts with him," 13 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'play-action pass.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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