What it is

In zone coverage each defender is responsible for an area of the field and reacts to any receiver who enters it, instead of following one player.

In a game

It keeps the defenders facing the quarterback and makes it easier to see the whole play. The weak spots are the gaps between the zones, which offenses attack with routes like the seam.

More detail

Zone defenses are grouped by how many defenders are deep: Cover 2 has two, Cover 3 has three, and Cover 4 has four. They vary in how they match receivers who cross zones. In pattern matching, a defender follows a receiver who enters his zone and then returns to his area, which blends zone and man.

Animated diagram

1. Instead of following one receiver, each defender drops back to an area, called a zone.
2. The pink ovals show the zones. Some defenders guard the deep part of the field and the others guard the shorter areas underneath.
3. The quarterback has to throw into the gaps between the zones, and the defenders close on the ball as it arrives.