Madden 24 playbooks empower you to alter the trajectory of any team's season.

If you're dissatisfied with Detroit, San Fran, Baltimore, and KC making it to this year's final 4, dive into Madden 24 and guide the Eagles or Patriots back to the Super Bowl. Alternatively, implement these strategic adjustments to gain an advantage in Ultimate Team.

Below, we present the top 5 offensive choices along with 2 elite defensive strategies. Prepare enough Madden 24 Coins and elevate your gaming experience now with our Madden 24 playbooks guide.

5 Top Offensive Playbooks

Whether you prefer a power run up the middle or aim for the end zone with every play, there's a playbook to suit your favored strategy here.

1. Cincinnati Bengals

• In-game label: CIN - Z. Taylor
• Most Suitable For: Spontaneous and aggressive passers

If your Madden 24 strategy involves consistently throwing the ball to various corners, and then down the middle just for good measure, the Bengals playbook is essential.

Joe Burrow's frequent passes make this playbook unique, as it exclusively operates from Singleback or Shotgun formations, with Empty Flex Trey being a particularly tempting choice. Featuring 1 tight end and 4 wide receivers, it aligns perfectly with the fourth-placed roster on the Madden 24 best teams list.

2. New York Jets

• In-game label: NYJ - R. Saleh
• Most Suitable For: A well-balanced run-pass option

With Aaron Rodgers donning a Jets uniform after 18 years with the Green Bay Packers, the team's playbook has undergone adjustments.

While still offering a variety of runs with three different I Form sets, it is well-suited to the aerial game in line with Rodgers' reputation.

Notably, it stands as the only Madden 24 playbook featuring the Gun Tight Offset TE setup. If you have Travis Kelce or George Kittle in your Ultimate Team, this playbook is undoubtedly a chaotic catalog worth strong consideration.

3. San Francisco 49ers

• In-game label: SF - K. Shanahan
• Most Suitable For: Fans of a strong running game

The inclusion of Deebo Samuel behind center has added a mysterious yet incredibly effective dimension to the 49ers' strategy over the past couple of seasons.

This strategic twist is mirrored in Madden 24 through 2 formations, namely Shotgun Slot WR Backfield and Shotgun Deebo Package, both of which replace a running back with a wide receiver.

The playbook also offers a variety of solid traditional running plays, solidifying its status as the go-to offense for those prioritizing the run game this year.

4. Philadelphia Eagles

• In-game label: PHI - N. Sirianni
• Most Suitable For: Enthusiasts of agile quarterbacks

Mobile quarterbacks have been a trend in Madden since the Michael Vick era, with players like Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, and Madden 24 cover vote winner Josh Allen dominating online play.

If you're looking to deploy one of these dynamic quarterbacks, the Philadelphia Eagles' playbook is the optimal choice. Boasting seven Pistol sets to keep defenses off-balance, it's worth noting that the Indianapolis Colts playbook is identical, bringing excitement for Madden 24 rookie ratings addition Anthony Richardson.

Additionally, it's a significant year for the Eagles in Madden 24 X-Factors, with Hurts, AJ Brown, and Darius Slay Jr all elevated to elite status.

5. New England Patriots

• In-game label: NE Coach
• Most Suitable For: Strategic thinkers on defense

Bill Belichick's mastery of advancing upfield through short, precise passes is accurately reflected in the Patriots playbook, even if his real name and likeness are absent.

Packed with runs up the middle, play-action passes, and screens, this selection allows you to swiftly deliver the ball to a receiver and rely on their speed to gain yards.

If you prioritize time of possession or prefer a low-risk approach to advancing downfield, this playbook is an ideal choice.

2 Top Defensive Playbooks

While Madden 24 tends to focus on offense, having the right defensive strategy is equally crucial. Mastering one of these formations can significantly boost your sack and interception numbers, as well as your overall win percentage.

1. 46 Defense

• In-game label: 46
• Most Suitable For: Every Madden player

This playbook is highly praised by Madden veterans. It offers a well-balanced combination of zone and man coverages, making it a favorite among players.

Learning formations like Nickel 3-3, Nickel 3-3 Cub, Big Nickel Over G, and Dollar 3-2 within this playbook can contribute to a successful season in Madden.

The playbook provides various blitz options, and strategic audibles can make a significant difference. For example, switching from Nickel 3-3 to Nickel 3-3 Cub at the line of scrimmage allows you to send speedy safeties directly at the quarterback or ball carrier.

2. Los Angeles Rams

• In-game label: LAR - S. McVay
• Most Suitable For: Versatility and Zone Defense

This year hasn't been the greatest for fans of Sean McVay's 2022 champions.

Despite Aaron Donald leading the Madden 24 ratings, they rank as the second-worst team in this year's game. Matt Stafford takes a hit, starting the season with an OVR of 75.

However, there's a glimmer of hope in the form of this all-encompassing playbook, incorporating the 3 fundamental formations: 4-3, 3-4, and 4-4. This versatility allows you to remain flexible during matches and adjust according to game situations—intensively blitzing from a 4-3 when it's close and dropping men deep from a 3-4 with a substantial lead.

It's essential to note that this playbook leans heavily towards zone coverage, so if you prefer man coverage, stick to the 46 recommendation mentioned earlier.

In this guide, I’m going to show you how you can get more sacks and pressure when sending all out blitzes or just sending three people and dropping everybody else back into coverage. 

Get More Sacks

So, one of the most important things to do when you want to send any type of pressure is hovering. Now what is hovering? Hovering is when the user stands close enough to the line of scrimmage to make it seem like he is blitzing, but at the last second, he drops back into coverage. 

The reason this is so essential is that hovering will make the offensive line think they need to account for you as an extra blitzer, which will open gaps for other unblocked rushers. So you’re faking a blitz to occupy the linemen, which let your actual blitzers run unblocked for easy sacks. 

But this year there are a couple of key simple components that you must know to establish a good hover when blitzing. And if you don’t know these components, hovering actually won’t work at all, so let’s get into it. 

So, I am going to pick a random blitz, doesn’t really matter what the blitz is for this guide. But now in the game, it is very important to use enough MUT 24 coins to boost your linebacker because you will be hovering with him.

Close To Line Of Scrimmage

But the first thing you need when hovering is make sure you are close enough to the line of scrimmage where the green bar will pop up over the head of your user. This bar will tell the offensive line that you are a blitzer. 

Take Part In Blitz

Another thing you will want to do is put your user on a blitz. Even though you are faking the blitz, and will drop back into coverage, this will still help the pass rush immensely. 

But for instance, let’s say the green bar is not over your head even if you put your user on a blitz. The hover will actually not be very effective, and you will not see unblocked rushers or quick block sheds. But you’ll see that when the bar is over my head and I put the user on a blitz, I’m able to occupy the offensive linemen, and you will get an easy sack from unblocked players and block sheds because of it. 

Avoid Holding Correct Trigger When Hovering

The next thing you want to make sure to do when hovering is to refrain from holding the right trigger. In this year’s game, if you hold the right trigger at the snap while you are hovering, linemen will clog everything up, and there won’t be any solid pressure, nor will there be any unblocked players or block sheds. So, you want to be sure to not hold the right trigger at the snap. 

And while you are hovering, then when you back out into coverage, that’s when you can hold the trigger all you want. So here is the difference between when I don’t hold the trigger, you’ll see the pressure comes in pretty effectively. 

And here’s when I hold the trigger. Everything is blocked, and there is no pressure to be found anywhere. So those are the key components you want to make sure you do every time when you’re hovering. 

Note The Meters Below Offensive Linemen

Another thing you could do to take your pass rush to the next level is to pay attention to the meters underneath the offensive linemen. If you see the meter is starting to fill up, that means the line will block better because they are learning the pass rushers moves. 

The way you can reset the meter is by moving your linemen around to different spots in the play calling menu, or just substitute them out for other rushers. Doing this will continue to keep the blocking meter low and give you a better chance to create more pressure on QB. 

3 Man Rush Pressure

But now what if you weren’t sending a blitz and instead wanted 3 to rush 3 and drop everybody else into coverage? It would be a play like Cover 4 Drop. 

Now, in a 3 Man Rush, you aren’t going to get insane pressure. But there is a way you can create better block sheds, so QB doesn’t have a ton of time in the pocket. 

What you will want to do is pinch the D line by pressing left on the pad and down with the left stick, and then slant them down, by pressing left on the pad and down on the right stick. Then the last adjustment you’ll want to do from a pressure stand point is blitz the user, which will be the linebacker. 

The reason you want to do this is that if you only have 3 people set up to blitz snap, they program the game that will make the offensive line dominate these 3 rushers, and QB will have all day in the pocket. So you always want a minimum of 4 people on a blitz, even if that means you are using a blitzer then dropping back into coverage like we are going to do here. 

So when you put your user on a blitz, hover over one lineman, using the steps we just went over, which are to make sure to have the green bar over your head while not holding the right trigger at the snap. 

Then you can drop back into coverage after a brief second of correctly hovering over the linemen. And you’ll have better block sheds for a 3 man rush which can give QB a little less time to find open receivers in a coverage heavy defense. 

Now here is an example of when I do not hover at all, and I do not put my user on a blitz. You will see QB has literally all day to find an open receiver, which isn’t what you want. So, you can see there’s a pretty big difference. 

Stop The Run

Now, even though this guide is about getting more pressure, which leads to more sacks, I want you to know that not holding the right trigger when hovering is also advantageous for you when you want to stop the run. 

Like I said before, when holding the right trigger, you will see none of your players being able to get off blocks and it will be a lot harder to stop the run effectively and just get any type of pressure when there’s a pass. But watch when I do not hold the right trigger against the run. The computer-controlled players do a great job getting off blocks. And then the user, which is you, will still be able to be there to shoot the gaps if needed. 

That is the guide I got for you today. I hope this helps you out. I’ll see you next time.

The title speaks for itself, how do you stop the big, the bad, and the deadly, RPO’s.

But the first thing we are going to do is stop regular stretch run plays that give people a lot of problems.

Run Defense

So, we will be in dollar to start, and we want to make sure we set the alignment to base align. Then, we are going to pick DB Fire 2. And we are going to face HB Stretch out of Pistol.

For the adjustments to stop these types of plays, you are going to pinch the D line, slant them to the inside, and then QB contain the ends. Lastly, you are going to press Y or Triangle and down on the left stick to press the secondary.

Now, obviously, you can change your coverage shell to whatever you want. But for this guide, we are solely talking about how to stop the run and RPO’s. But what is certain is that if you master these tips and also use your Madden 24 Coins to improve your players quickly, you will become even more powerful!

The next thing you want to do is user the linebacker to the side the opponent is running to and put him right behind the defensive tackle. This will put you in a prime spot to shoot the outside run gaps like you see here.

Your goal as the user is to stay as flat as possible near the line of scrimmage, that will put you in the optimal position to shoot the first outside run gap for easy tackles.

Now, there may be times where you need to go around blocks to shoot the first open gap.

The key is to make the turn around the blocks as tight as possible to be able to meet the running back near the line of scrimmage. Because if you take too long to get to the gap, it will be too late to make the tackle.

So, you do not want big turns, or in real life we might call these false steps.

The other great thing about this defensive setup is that the outside corners help contain the run.

So, if the running back tried to get to the sidelines, we have the corners there to counter that. That is also why base alignment is important in this formation.

Madden Tips

One more bonus tip is that when you are about to make a tackle, press X or square to pretty much dive at the runner.

These types of tackles though are way more effective and harder to break. You will see your tackling improve instantly using this mechanic and you will see a lot less broken tackles.

Also Read: How To Master Match Coverage In Madden NFL 24 Cover 4 Quarters? - Tips & Breakdown

Stopping RPO’s

So, now you can shut down the stretches, but what about RPO stretches?

Let’s go to the same. Play DB Fire 2 in dollar and do the same exact adjustments, pinch D line, and slant them inside, QB contain the ends, and then press the secondary.

And it’s important to note that any adjustments I show you to stop the RPO’s will not affect the run defense whatsoever.

Now, the first way to stop the RPO is to simply man the slot defender up with the bubble receiver. But you want to be careful with this. If you keep the manned-up defender pressed on the bubble, there is a risk that he will run into these two players, which will ultimately lead to an easy catch and a lot of yards after that.

So, a way to counter that mishap, is to back off the slot defender, you can do that by pressing Y, then A, and then the receiver icon that the player is lined up over so in this case it would be B, then simply flick the left stick up, and the player will be backed off. This will allow the defender that is manned up to flow to the bubble and make a tackle in open space.

Now, there is a to defend these types of plays with zone drops. So, we are gonna go to coaching adjustments and put the flats on 30 yards and the curl flats at 5 yards. Then put zone coverage on match. And once again, we will be using DB Fire 2.

The primary zone that will be helping us guard the RPO bubble is the 5-yard curl flat. So, something you can do with your coverage is put the slot defender on a 30-yard hard flat, the corner on an outside third, the safety on the bubble side on the 5-yard curl flat, and the other safety on an inside third, and the outside corner on another outside third.

And if you have time, you can bring the two safeties down into the box to help guard the bubble or defend the run. So, when the ball is snapped you are going to see that 5 yard curl flat on the safety pretty much followed the bubble and ran downhill for an easy tackle.

The cool thing about these 5 yard flats is that you can put them on the safety like I just showed you, linebackers, or the slot corner.

It’s also worth mentioning that 5-yard curl flats are great at stopping any type of short routes like flats or any type of short route going to the sidelines.

Personally, I would even argue that 5-yard curl flat zones are better than just the normal light blue flat zones. So, that is the gist on how to defend RPO’s and stretches. But what about RPO’s out of shotgun? We are going to face RPO Alert Bubble.

For this setup, though, we are going to be in Big Nickel in the 46 playbook. For coaching adjustments, we want base alignment, flats on 30 yards, and curl flats at 5 yards with match coverage on.

For this setup, we are going to do the same thing we did in dollar: pinch the D line, slant them inside, QB contain the ends, and press the secondary.

And again, you will want to user the linebacker to the side they will run to and line up over your interior d linemen.

On the back end, we could just man up the slot defender on the bubble like we did at the beginning of the guide, or you can put him on a 5-yard curl flat while the light blue flat will be at 30 yards.

When you snap the ball, you will see that curl flat defender is sort of playing the run and the bubble at the same time, he’s pretty much right down the middle of both, while the 30-yard flat stays in place unblocked, which will just lock down the bubble.

And on the flip side, we the user can shoot the outside gap to prevent any rushing yards.