Quick Links: Man-to-Man | Cover 1 | Cover 2 | Cover 3 | Cover 4

You’ve studied up on all the best 5 on 5 offensive flag football plays and downloaded the complete NFL FLAG Football Playbook. You feel confident that you’re ready to prep your team to an offensive success.

But that’s only half the game! Having a prepared defensive strategy is just as crucial as knowing the difference between an ‘out route’ and a ‘chair route.' A wise coach once said, “The best offense is a good defense.”

We break down various defensive formations that can be used by both players fresh to the field and experts alike. Plus, you can customize them to your team’s football defense needs. Follow our tips and tricks and your defensive line will be an unbreakable iron fortress. Well, at least with a little practice.

Man-to-man formation

During man-to-man coverage, or ‘cover 0,’ each defensive player matches with an offensive member of the opposing team. The defense has a single job: to guard the player they’re matched with and prevent them from receiving a pass. 

To best accomplish this, four of the defensemen line up at the line of scrimmage across from their designated player, allowing them to quickly adapt to their targeted player’s movement at the beginning of the play.

The only player not on the line of scrimmage is the rusher, who stands back seven yards. At hike, it’s the rusher’s responsibility to get to the quarterback and pull their flags before they’re able to throw the football or complete a play. 

This is the most simple and straightforward flag football defense formation, so it’s a great place to start with new players or teams. Instead of worrying about zones, players have only one objective—keeping their player guarded—which allows them to become comfortable with the game, before trying more complex formations. However, this formation can also be used by experienced players looking for a simple, scrappy defensive style.

Pro-tip: It’s best if the rusher starts at a slight angle from the quarterback. This allows them to more easily navigate around the center, who should be standing in front of, and often guarding, the quarterback. You’ll be pulling sacks in no time!

Cover 1 formation

Cover 1 for 5 on 5 flag football defense is very similar to man-to-man coverage. For this setup, three defensemen pair up with the three respective receivers on the line of scrimmage—the sole objective being to guard them throughout the play. Similarly, the rusher is designated to guard the quarterback and attempt to pull their flags before they complete the play. 

The final defensive player, however, switches to zone coverage instead of guarding the center. In zone coverage, the objective is to stop any possible plays from being completed within the designated range, or zone. In other words, once an offensive player steps into the set zone, they become this defenseman’s responsibility. 

Standing about 10 yards back from the line of scrimmage, this defensive player guards the deep center of the field, from 10 yards to wherever needed. This blocks the offense from doing several variations of slants, post, and fly routes, creating a stronger defense for deep plays.

Cover 2 formation

The cover 2 flag football defense formation shifts to zone coverage with a single designated rusher. Two defensemen line up toward the outside of the field at around five yards back from the line of scrimmage. They’re in charge of guarding the outsides of the field, ensuring their sideline is covered and nobody sneaks past them for a catch. These players can be referred to as cornerbacks in this setup.

The two other players guard the deep insides of the field on their respective half. Starting at the 10-yard line, they shift backward at the start of the play to protect against any deep throws for heavy yardage. These players can be referred to as safeties in this setup.

The final defensive player is a rusher. At snap, the rusher crosses the line of scrimmage in an attempt to pull the quarterback’s flag for a loss of yards. 

This zone setup is a versatile approach, as it covers both the sidelines and deep throws. However, it leaves a little bit of vulnerability for short throws toward the center. Use the rusher as a way to help control the center, falling back from rushing the quarterback if needed.

Cover 3 formation

The cover 3 formation is the only flag football defense formation that is solely zone coverage without a rusher.

Two players line up five yards back from the line of scrimmage, and upon hike, they shift backward to guard the middle slots of their two respective halves, from around the five-yard mark to the 10-yard mark. These players should be on the lookout for slant, in, and out routes for lower yardage.

Meanwhile, the last three defensive players line up around the 10-yard mark and each guard one third of deep yardage, from the 10-yard mark to the endzone. They play as safeties to make sure no deep throws slip through.

Pro-tip: Safeties should always keep players in front of them. If an offensive player tries to run past them in their zone, safeties should follow to ensure no Hail Mary’s are completed. 

Because there are three zoned defenders stationed around the 10-yard line, as well as two defenders guarding the inside areas, this is a good 5 on 5 flag football defense formation for preventing the opposing team from getting a first down. 

Cover 4 formation

In cover 4 defense for 5 on 5 flag football, four defenders line up 10 yards back from the line of scrimmage, breaking the field into quarters. Each of these defenders is responsible for guarding from the 10-yard mark to the end zone for their respective quarters. This formation is helpful if the opposing team needs some last-minute yardage to snag a first down, or win. Look out for this at the end of games when there’s little time left on the clock to run down the field.

The remaining defender plays as the rusher and aims to snatch the quarterback’s flag before they’re able to complete a play. They can also help with zone coverage of short plays.

While this setup is excellent for securely guarding deep plays, it doesn’t account for short yardage, as it leaves a lot of space open toward the line of scrimmage. Make sure to weigh pros and cons when utilizing this back-heavy formation.

Practice makes perfect

As we highlight five different flag football defense formations, we encourage you to practice the various setups ahead of time to find out what works best for your team. Maybe man-to-man is your coverage of choice, or possibly cover 2 is clicking with your defensive line–there’s only one way to find out!

A mighty defense is just as important as a stellar offense. You can mix and match our formations, as well as customize them for your 5 on 5 flag football defense needs.

And remember to download the full NFL FLAG Football Playbook for a complete list of offensive and defensive plays and formations, as well as the NFL FLAG Rule Book.

Good luck, coach!