Madden NFL 25 – How to Set Your Defensive Audibles

Setting your audibles is a huge part of your defensive success in Madden NFL 25

Setting your audibles is a huge part of having success in Madden NFL 25 on the defensive side of the ball. When selecting a play, always wait to see what personnel your opponent is putting on the field. This can help you decide what type of formation to respond with. When you get to the line, look at your opponent’s formation and either make adjustments or be ready to completely change your play. Depending on your team’s strengths, play either 70 percent man, 30 percent zone or vice versa. Notice how four of our plays on the list come from the same formation; set these as audibles!

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DEFENSIVE SETS FOR SUCCESS

5 RUN DEFENSE
4 BASE MAN
3 BASE ZONE
2 MAN BLITZ
1 ZONE BLITZ

5 RUN DEFENSE

Example: 4-3 Stack—Thunder Smoke

STARTING THE GAME IN YOUR RUN DEFENSE IS A GREAT WAY TO GET YOUR OPPONENT TO BECOME ONE-DIMENSIONAL.

 

Run defenses can be conservative or aggressive. Here we have selected a formation and play that will really ramp up the pressure. Although we will be vulnerable to the pass, the pressure should arrive before the offense can get the ball downfield. If we show blitz before the snap, we can get our players up to the line of scrimmage for the snap. Having a solid run defense to come out in on early downs is a great way to show the opponent you are ready to lock up.

4 BASE MAN

Example: Nickel Normal—2 Man Under

BY GOING WITH 2 MAN UNDER, YOU CAN BE PRETTY CONFIDENT YOUR COVERAGE WILL BE SOLID ACROSS THE BOARD.

 

If you think the opponent is getting ready to pass the ball, switching to your base man defense is a great idea. When you mix up man and zone, your opponent will always be guessing and be forced to make good reads. Man-to-man coverage means that each player on the field follows the receiver he is covering all across the field. You can see who is matched up against whom by following the line from your defender to a player on offense. If your defenders have good Man Coverage (MCV) ratings, play about 70 percent man coverage.

3 BASE ZONE

Example: Nickel Normal—Cover 3

COVER 4 IS A GREAT DEFENSE TO CALL WHEN YOUR OPPONENT IS ATTACKING YOU WITH THE PASS GAME AND YOU NEED TIME TO ADJUST.

 

A great base zone defense can force your opponent to drive slowly down the field. Zone defense works by having your players split up sections of the field. Any time an opponent runs through one of your defender’s zones, your defender will play him man to man. Once your opponent leaves a zone, the defender lets him go and gets ready for another player to enter. If your team has solid Zone Coverage (ZCV) ratings, play about 70 percent zone vs. 30 percent man.

2 MAN BLITZ

Example: Nickel Normal—Over Storm Brave

BRINGING THE SAME BLITZER WHETHER THE PLAY IS ZONE OR MAN-TO-MAN IS A GREAT WAY TO FOOL YOUR OPPONENT!

 

A man-to-man blitz is a great way to force your opponent to get rid of the ball quickly or risk taking a sack. By sending lots of defenders towards the QB on situations like third and long, we can force the opponents to dump the ball off and not be able to pick up all the yards they need. While blitzing can be risky if your rushers get blocked by the offense, it is a great tactic to mix in! Sometimes the offense will keep extra blockers in if they fear you are blitzing, which means you will have extra defenders ready to stop the pass.

1 ZONE BLITZ

Example: Nickel Normal—Over Storm Brave 2

ZONE BLITZES TEND TO BE SAFER THAN MAN-TO-MAN BLITZES; YOU MAY GIVE UP SHORT PASSES BUT RARELY WILL ALLOW DOWNFIELD THROWS.

 

Zone blitzes are the perfect combination to go along with man-to-man blitzes. One key to a great blitz is sending as few players as possible while still getting one rusher free. The longer you can wait to send your rusher towards the line of scrimmage, the better chance you have of not tipping off the offense that pressure is coming! By having a blitz ready as an audible, we can quickly adjust and bring pressure if we sense the offense is vulnerable!

Learn How to Set Your Offensive Audibles

Ready for more? Get the complete, official guide to Madden NFL 25!

 


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