Breaking down Charlie Jones’ kickoff return touchdown

Charlie to the crib.

The most exciting play of the Cincinnati Bengals’ win over the Cleveland Browns was the first play.

Charlie Jones took the penning kickoff 100 yards for a score. This was the third kickoff return touchdown in the NFL under the new kickoff rules and the longest so far. It also earned him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

Let’s take a look.

All the talk in the offseason was about how the new kickoff rule was going to turn kickoff returns into an outside zone play, but this was something different.

Take a look at the play below.

This is an iso insert play.

Like a traditional iso play, it features a double team at the point of attack and a lead blocker isolating the Mike linebacker.

If you look at this closeup of the Jones touchdown, you’ll see the same thing.

Watch the two Browns players between the hashes.

The player on the left is double-teamed, and the player on the right is left alone to be isolated by the lead blocker.

In this case, you actually get a second double team on the player just outside of the hash to the left.

On the kicking team’s left, Ogbo Okoronkwo (54) runs straight into Tanner Hudson, essentially bull-rushing him. This might be a problem if Akeem Davis-Gaither does not come into support. Okoronokwo’s momentum and Davis-Gaither’s block combine to bring Hudson and Okoronokwo to the ground, making for an effective double team.

To the kicking team’s right, we have a double team from Jordan Battle and Erick All.

Winston Reid (59) tries to dart between them, but Battle hinges and patiently waits while All shuffles into position. Battle and All stop him cold and keep him locked on the hash.

This, combined with Davis-Gaither’s and Hudson’s double team, opens a big lane in the middle of the field for only one man to defend.

Everything else is set. Now it comes down to Drew Sample vs Tony Brown II (38), mano a mano.

Sample does an excellent job of squaring Brown up and giving Jones a clear cut to make.

And Jones does the rest,

There were still Browns players in pursuit, who Jones could not outrun, but he did an impressive job of finishing the run.

After high-stepping past D’Anthony Bell (37), Jones sees that Brown (38, the guy that Sample blocked) has come back in pursuit. He leans back away from the sideline and puts his shoulder into Brown, preventing himself from being pushed out of bounds.

Brown doesn’t make the tackle, but Jones finds himself a bit off balance and juggles the ball briefly, He ends up landing an awkward two-foot jump on the four-yard line. While his feet are static, his momentum keeps him moving and leaning out he falls into the end zone for the score.

Here is a look at the whole thing one more time.

You can’t really see it in this clip or on the broadcast, for that matter, but it was reported that Drew Sample shifted back late. That makes sense, because generally, there are two kick-returners back there, not a returner and a de facto fullback. Certainly, no one wanted Sample fielding the kick.

You can see that the double teams by Davis-Gaither and Hudson on the left and Battle and All on the right open up a gap of about twenty feet of grass for one Browns player to defend,

Sample makes the block. Jones makes the cut. The kicker makes no effort to actually make the tackle. Then Jones’ heroics finish it off.

Fantastic play!