How to defend in Madden 24 - Full defense guide (2024)

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Struggling on defense and looking to find out how to defend in Madden 24? Look no further than our full defense guide for this year’s game. As Madden fans know, defense is the backbone for success on the gridiron, so it is vital that you get the basics right.

The Madden 24 release date is now here. This means its time to freshen up on how to defend and the basic controls. Competing online is where you are likely to be tested the most, so pay close attention Madden 24 Ultimate Team fans.

Madden 24 Defense Guide – Top 5 Tips

When coaches, experts, or fans say, “defense wins championships”, there’s plenty of truth in those three simple words, and in football, this is particularly the case. Whether its coming away with huge turnovers or flat-out shutting down a hot offense with a quick 3-and-out, defense is so important to understand and get a feel for in Madden. And we’re going to shed some light on five important tips that will make your defense a force to contend with in Madden 24.

1. Master tackling and pursuit

Although it might seem straightforward, tackling is easier said than done in Madden. It requires careful precision with your pursuit angles and proper timing. Though tackling a player is important to know, where you do so is just as important, as the goal defensively is to refrain from conceding the least amount of yards as possible. In fact, the biggest objective is to generate losses for the opposing offense. And that all comes down to how strong your pursuit, anticipation, and reaction timing are when making your tackles. The better those three skills are, the better you will be at mastering the art of tackling in Madden 24.

2. Deploy a mix of plays

Don’t be redundant with your play calls in Madden 24. In football, opposing offenses can catch onto what you’re trying to do defensively if you deploy the same plays. This is particularly true in competitive Madden, but also holds true against the CPU, particularly when you increase the skill level you’re playing on. So when you load into Madden 24 for the first time, send a mix of plays towards the opposing offenses you encounter to throw them off balance. Naturally, you want to make sure you’re selecting defensive plays that correspond with the opposing teams’ offensive set up and formation. But it’s crucial to keep the opposing team guessing, and you will be able to achieve just that by going between man coverage, zone coverage, blitz packages, and much more.

3. Don’t be afraid to send pressure

If you’re facing an offense that is very tough to slow down, whether it’s against the run, the pass or both, sending pressure can go a long way to disrupt their momentum. It forces the offense to make quicker decisions and doesn’t grant them the time to dictate or control the flow of the game. Whether you can achieve this with edge rushers or need to send blitzes, pressure is one of the best defensive tactics in football. And in Madden 24, don’t be afraid to tap into that option as it can not only lead to big sacks and incomplete passes, but can also place a running back flat on his back with a loss. Just like anything though, blitzing isn’t something you want to go overboard with, as it won’t take long for the opposing offense to make the adjustments needed to make you pay for sending them.

4. Find your position and own it

When playing defense in Madden, you have the choice of picking whichever player you want to play with. Whether its an edge rusher, linebacker, cornerback or safety, there’s a lot to choose from, and it’s important to identify which position suits you best. For me, it’s edge rushers, who usually come with a variety of moves they can deploy in order to circumvent the offensive linemen and secure big sacks. But for others, it might be linebackers or corners. Regardless of what position you choose to play with most in Madden 24, it’s important to own it and try to develop the biggest impact you can generate with the player you’re using. Though we personally recommend playing from the defensive line, it’s in your best interest to decide for yourself which position you would like to become a master in. And once you do, you will maximize your influence defensively.

5. Tap into defensive controls

Just like there is on offense, fans have a variety of controls at their disposal on defense as well, and it’s important to tap into them when needed. So for those on the defensive line, swim moves, bull rushes, and spins are some of the ways you can get around the opposing offensive lineman you’re facing. While for cornerbacks and safeties in coverage, you can swat the ball, intercept it, or breakup the pass. Though it might seem confusing to try out at first, it’s important to use the defensive speciality controls Madden 24 will have to offer, especially with the arrival FieldSENSE’s Hit Everything 2.0 feature that will introduce catch tackles and more. The better the feel you have for using these defensive controls, the better your defense will be.

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