Red alert

The pressure is on when offenses reach the red zone. PFW takes a look at what each NFL team does inside the opponent’s 20

As published in print Dec. 6, 1999

Titans RB Eddie George

Some teams call it the red zone. Others call it the green zone. But regardless of the colorful terminology, when an offense crosses the opponent’s 20-yard-line, sirens go off. It’s do-or-die time.

A good play call or individual effort in the red zone can lead to six points in a hurry. Throwing an interception is like giving the defense a gift of at least three points. And because there’s only so much room to work with, everyone on the field is compressed into such a small area that every little thing is seen and magnified.

And just like there’s no wrong way to eat a Reese’s, there’s no wrong way to run an offense in the red zone — as long as you score. Whether a team uses a three-TE formation with a 330-pound offensive lineman as a fullback or a five-WR, shotgun set, it doesn’t matter as long as six points go up on the board.

Since there are so many approaches in the red zone, Pro Football Weekly decided to take a look at what each team does in that critical area. We look at some of the stud performers and dud performers, as well as some of the more effective schemes used around the league.

We hope you can read it over the sirens.

AFC East | AFC Central | AFC West
NFC East | NFC Central | NFC West

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1999 - 2000 Season