To play Cover 2 effectively, teams need to reroute wide receivers to slow them down. That way, they can’t get to the safeties at a full sprint. The way to beat Cover 2 is to pressure the safeties by running vertical routes. If the corners are playing press coverage or below 5 yards, it’s an excellent opportunity to throw the ball over their heads.

The key to beating cover 2 man coverage is to keep your passes short with hitch routes, spacing routes, and flood routes that keep your receivers away from the deep safety zones. When the defense is in cover 2 zone coverage, you will want to pull the two safeties to the sidelines with deep vertical routes by your outside receivers.

The best play to run against a Cover 2 defense is a flood concept play, which involves a streak, corner, and flat route to one side of the field — preferably the wider side of the field — for more breathing room (i.e., throwing to the right when the ball is on the left hashmark and vice versa).