The Colts “Put Away Play” Breakdown: Duo Wrap

When the Colts need it the most, Shane Steichen calls one of their most lethal run plays.

Even if you watch the Colts casually on Sundays, there’s one play that the Colts run often that everyone can sort of picture in their head.

It’s normally late in the game and in a situation where the Colts need to move the chains. The formations usually are condensed and with multiple TE’s. It feels like the Colts are going to run a dive play— but when the ball is snapped— the RB runs to the sideline instead. But the most notable and memorable part of the play is Quenton Nelson pulling as a lead blocker down the sidelines looking to absolutely destroy any DB in his way.

This is the Colts put away play or go-to run call to spark the offense. It’s a tone setter as well as a knockout punch. It’s called Duo Wrap.

In 2023 Duo Wrap was the put away play. It was most notably ran late in a critical December game vs. Pittsburgh in 2023. Jonathan Taylor was hurt, Zack Moss was hurt, and Michael Pittman Jr. was hurt. They were up a score late in the game and needed to ice it.

They ran it earlier that year vs. the Bucs to ice the game as well.

In 2024 the play evolved into a change up call to spark the offense. They ran it multiple times in 2024, notably vs. the Texans, Bills, Broncos.

Duo Wrap is a varation of Duo. What is Duo? Duo is a strong side (ran to the TE side) gap scheme run that is essentially a blend of inside zone and power. It is also referred to as “power without a puller”.

The OL, as you can see in this diagram, are creating vertical double teams to the near backer backside. In a zone scheme (like inside zone) those combos would be play side combos, meaning the OL would all be working in the direction of the RB’s path. In Duo they are backside—meaning they are combing to a linebacker away from the direction of the RB’s path. It’s identical to a power scheme but without a puller.

That is Duo at its core.

So now let’s talk about Duo Wrap—which does have a puller (football is a simple game made complicated by coaches).

In those diagrams, notice how the play side corner is unblocked? Well smart offensive coaches noticed that too— and that’s how Duo Wrap came to be. Instead of a downhill penetrating run, coaches wanted to create a wrinkle that forced that corner to have to make a play in the run game.

Teams when they defend Duo want to get their linebackers downhill and relieve their lineman from the vertical double teams Duo creates—which are effectively 600+lb blocks. To exploit that, Duo Wrap changes the point of attack of the run in order to punish defenses for getting downhill—while also forcing that unblocked corner to take on a key block from a human steamroller.

In Duo Wrap, the offensive line will block just like Duo, expect the backside guard will wrap for that unblocked corner. The running back has an automatic bounce read, meaning he will bounce the run to the outside and follow the wrapper to daylight. It is essentially “power bounce” where instead of pulling for the play side inside linebacker in power, he is wrapping for that unblocked corner.

Watch the QB on these runs. He’s using a “windback” ball handling technique to create misdirection for the linebackers and prevent them from scraping over the top and leveraging the ball carrier.

The Colts found a way to add a “read” element to the play from the pistol. Instead of Big Q pulling, a WR serves as the wrapper. The TE blocks down, so that Richardson can read that DE. If he can tackle the RB, Richardson will pull it and follow Pittman to daylight. If the DE expands then he hands it off and it’s ran like normal Duo.

We also saw Daniel Jones run this play as well.

Duo Wrap will be a changeup call in plenty of gameplans in 2025. It’s a great way to punish linebackers and force corners to make a virtually impossible play. One thing to watch next year— teams know that the Colts will only run this play to the right. They want Quenton Nelson as the pulling guard because he is a generational athlete at 330LBs and a player that no DB wants any part of. But with Matt Goncalves kicking inside to guard, it will be interesting if the Colts run this play to the left considering they like to get him on the move as a puller as well.