ROUTES

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Draw your receivers' routes, read the coverage and throw: one daily drive against the same defense as everyone.

Play ROUTES

on routes.thecutnfl.com

ROUTES title screen over a top-down football field, receivers' routes drawn as cyan arrows with their depths, defenders marked FS, SS, CB and linebackers

ROUTES is an American football passing puzzle from the makers of The Cut. You draw each receiver's route, snap the ball and throw to a spot as the defense plays its coverage, and the same routes always give the same result. The Daily gives everyone the same defense for one drive, scored by plays to a touchdown or yards gained.

About ROUTES

ROUTES is a daily American football passing puzzle from the makers of The Cut. You play the offense from above: draw a path for each receiver, snap the ball, read how the defense plays its coverage, and throw to an open spot. The simulation is deterministic, so the same routes against the same defense always produce the same result.

The Daily gives everyone the same defense for a single drive, with one try. The goal is to march down the field and score a touchdown in as few plays as possible; drives that fall short are ranked by the yards they gain, on a daily leaderboard. Because the outcome follows your route design rather than luck, it plays more like a puzzle than a sports sim.

Alongside the Daily there is a Chalkboard for drawing up plays, and the game tracks streaks. It comes from the team behind The Cut, a football game by the same makers.

It suits football fans who like calling plays and beating coverages, and puzzle players who enjoy that a fixed defense has a best answer to find. It runs in the browser and is free.

How to play ROUTES

Open routes.thecutnfl.com and start The Daily.
Draw a route for each receiver by dragging their path on the field.
Snap the ball and watch the defense play its coverage.
Throw to an open spot; the simulation resolves the play the same way every time for the same routes.
Move the ball down the field across the drive, aiming for a touchdown in the fewest plays; your result goes on the daily board.

Tips

Read the coverage before you throw: note which defenders sit deep, such as the safeties, and which press the line.
Pair routes so they pull defenders apart and leave one receiver open.
When the deep looks are covered, take the short, high-percentage throw to keep the drive alive.
The sim is deterministic, so treat each play as information: the same routes beat the same coverage every time.