How To Run A Successful And Efficient Offense in Madden 21
Madden 21 offers the most realistic mechanics in the series to date. This means that the game has become more engaging and authentic, but also that you’ll have to be more mindful to move the chains and get into the end zone consistently.
Whether you’re having trouble choosing plays, want to be more accurate slinging the pigskin, or can’t get the run game going, we’ve got you covered. So in this article, let’s break down how to excel on the offensive side of the ball in Madden 21.
Choosing Playbooks
There are 32 teams, and each one has its own playbook. And each playbook contains up to 500 plays across up to nine formations. That sounds daunting, but many plays are minor variations on a common idea, so the number of strongly differentiated plays much lower. You can take a look at playbooks for all teams in Madden 21 by scrolling over on the main menu and selecting “customize.”
Choosing Formations
Each team’s plays are divvied up between up to nine different offensive formations. Most teams use four to six formations, but it varies widely. Teams like the Miami Dolphins only have three formations, and others, like the Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings, feature eight. While you can run or pass out of every formation, each one is well suited to specific types of plays.
Reading the Defense
Depending on how the defense lines up, you can make a fairly decent prediction as to what your opponent’s plans are. When heading up to the line of scrimmage, successful Madden players pay attention to the opponent’s defensive scheme. If your opponent’s linebackers are inching towards the line, chances are a blitz is coming. If multiple safeties are far back from the spot of the ball and linebackers look comfortable, chances are your opponent will pass. Keep in mind that the defense can also make audible, so pay attention to shifts at the line and adjust accordingly.
Passing
Passing is a huge part of Madden 21. There’s no quicker way of getting the ball down the field. We know how important rushing can be, but you need to pass well to have a balanced offense. Smart passing decisions base on the positioning have always been important, so when proficient master the lob, bullet, touch, high and low pass, you’ll be able to hit receivers with throws in specific situations.
Receiving
Receivers do much of the work for you when the ball is in the air, but there are still a few things to think about when the ball is in flight. In recent years, Madden has introduced catch modifiers that let the player tell the receiver the primary goal of the play. You can either press Triangle (Y) to perform an aggressive catch, press Square (X) to focus on the run after the catch, or X (A) to signal a possession catch. Use an aggressive catch when coverage is close. The “run after the catch” modifier works best when your receiver has green grass in front of him.
Running
Whether you have the ball in the hands of your running back or in the open field with a receiver, you should definitely get acquainted with ball carrier moves. Here’s what you need to know.
Sprint: You can sprint by pressing R2 (RT).
Juke: A juke move is made with the right stick. If you flip it right, the runner jukes right. If you flip left, he goes left. This move can fake out the defender but should be performed only when you have about a yard or two between you, as he won’t fall for it otherwise. You can also perform a quick juke by combining the sprint and juke buttons.
Spin: A spin is exactly what it sounds like, a full 360 that trips up the defender — press O (B) to spin. Like the juke, it should be performed close to a defender and combined with sprint. We have found a fair amount of success spinning along the sideline as a defender comes barreling in.
Hurdle: Hurdling lets you jump over an incoming defender. Press Triangle (Y) to hurdle. Since defenders often use the hit stick and come at you low, hurdling is a good way to get clear of them. It’s also beneficial when there are pileups around the line of scrimmage and in goal-line situations. You can perform a precision hurdle by pressing L2 (LT) and the hurdle button. The precision hurdle has a better chance of working but with a slightly increased chance of fumbles.
Dive: Diving is helpful when trying to get a first down or when clamoring for the end zone — press Square (B) to dive.
Stiff arm: Stiff arms block an incoming defender when timed correctly and are particularly effective with strong running backs. Press X (A) to perform a stiff arm when you are right up against a defender.
Truck/Stumble Recover: The “truck” move has the runner lower his shoulder and rams through the defense. Perform one by pressing the right analog stick. You can also use the same move to regain balance after almost falling. Like the hurdle, you can perform a precision Truck by throwing L2 (LT) into the mix (again, with a slightly increased chance of fumbling).
Tackle battles: Occasionally, when engaging a defender, a tackle battle will ensue. To win a tackle battle and knock your opponent on his bottom, you have to be quick to press the button (always a face button) that appears over his head.
Clock Management
Madden, just like real football, rewards those who manage the clock well. Depending on how you’re playing, you may want to try and speed up the game clock or put it to as much of a standstill as possible.
Each team can also stop the clock manually with timeouts. Teams get three timeouts per half. Press the touchpad to call a timeout. Timeouts are precious commodities, but sometimes you may run out of them throughout the half. To preserve the clock during a pivotal drive, throw passes that lead towards the sidelines to get out of bounds after the catch. Say you get stopped before making it out of bounds, though. If you need points before the clock expires, you have a couple of additional options to speed up getting the next playoff.
You can hold O (B) after a play to race to the line of scrimmage to spike the ball, which stops the clock and lets you pick a new play. Or, if you like what happened on the previous play and want a repeat, you can hold Triangle (Y) to initiate a hurry-up offense. On the flip side, if you’re beating your opponent in the second half, finding ways to run down the clock is a smart strategy. Using a run-heavy offense can keep the clock moving. Remember, you have 40 seconds in between plays, and almost all of that time can tick off the clock if you want it to. When in the lead and on offense, the goal is to give your opponent as little time as possible to make a comeback.
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