Cover 2 in football is a popular coverage played by almost all teams that need to defend both the run and the pass. Teams will use this coverage to protect themselves against underneath coverage. Cover 2 in football means the defense has two deep defenders and five underneath the defenders.

Cover 2 involves four players pass-rushing, five players playing underneath zones and two safeties covering the deep portions of the field. The success of this defense largely relies on the safety’s ability to cover large portions of the field. This cover 2 defense also requires the four pass rushers to provide pressure on the quarterback.

Cover 2 gets its name the same way the majority of other coverages are named — based on the number of defensive backs covering the 3rd level of the field. Cover 2 utilizes two defensive backs on the third level “splitting the field,” with each safety (the primary DBs used on the third level for this coverage) responsible for half.

Typically, a Cover 2 splits the deep part of the field into two halves, and the two safeties provide deep help for the outside corners. Underneath, the corners and linebackers split the fields into five short zones. The defensive line is responsible for generating pass rush.