Why NFL offenses are going under center more often in 2026

Key Points:

• NFL teams are increasingly shifting back to taking snaps from under center, with Week 1 of the 2026 season showing the highest under-center rate (42.5%) since 2013, reversing a decade-long trend favoring shotgun and pistol formations.
• The move under center aims to diversify and make the run game less predictable, enhancing zone run concepts and enabling more effective play-action passes, which have higher efficiency against the prevalent zone coverages defenses now employ.
• This trend comes with trade-offs, notably a significant reduction in designed quarterback runs, as teams seek to protect their expensive QBs from injury and because modern defenses have become more effective at countering QB run plays.
• Teams like the Ravens and Giants demonstrated early success with under-center offenses in Week 1, while others like the Commanders showed more modest results, indicating that the effectiveness of this shift may vary by team and execution.
• While the under-center approach is gaining traction, it is unlikely to completely replace shotgun/pistol formations or designed QB runs; instead, teams will likely blend these strategies based on personnel and game situations as the 2026 season progresses.