Setting your audibles using the new system is one of the fastest ways to improve in Madden NFL 25. Having plays that you know how to run available to switch to at the line of scrimmage is very important. By setting our four audibles for each formation from the Customize tab before we enter the game, we will have confidence to change the play if we sense our original play call won’t work. By following the “5 Sets for Success” on both offense and defense, we know we will always have the right play ready to beat our opponent! To get into a comfort zone, we always come out in the same formation, which is our “base set.” This will give us a good look at the defense, and then we can always audible to another play from our “5 Sets for Success”!
5 BASE FORMATION
4 RUN FORMATION
3 BLITZ BEATER FORMATION
2 MAN BEATER FORMATION
1 ZONE BEATER FORMATION
5 BASE FORMATION
Example: Gun Normal Y-Slot
FINDING A GOOD FORMATION FOR YOUR FIVE MOST TALENTED OFFENSIVE PLAYERS IS KEY TO GETTING THEM PLENTY OF SNAPS.
Our base formation is very important in putting our best passing personnel on the field and finding a formation that is versatile. For our base formation to work, it must help us get a read on the defense and have the ability to beat both man and zone. Our audibles from this formation should contain a run if the defense is dropping back their players to play the pass! The importance of coming out in the same formation is that it gives us confidence due to the repetition. The more formations we can audible to from it, the better!
4 RUN FORMATION
Example: Strong Close
BE SURE TO KNOW WHICH SIDE YOUR BEST LINEMEN PLAY ON, AND RUN TOWARDS THEM IN BIG SITUATIONS!
Being able to run the ball is an important part of a game plan even for players who like to pass in Madden NFL 25. Make sure that your playbook contains a formation that you feel comfortable with if your QB got injured and you had to change your style for a game. By choosing a formation and setting the audibles so we have a run left, run middle, and run right, we can make sure the defense can’t key in on our plans! In the last audible slot, make sure to include a quick play-action pass that can beat players who are too aggressive against the run.
3 BLITZ BEATER FORMATION
Example: Gun Split Offset
TO BEAT THE BLITZ, YOU CAN EITHER GET THE BALL OUT FAST OR BLOCK EXTRA PLAYERS AND TRY TO PICK UP THE RUSHERS!
Gun Split Offset puts two players lined up next to the QB, which makes it a great formation against players who like to bring pressure. The key is to switch up between blocking the two players in the backfield and sending them out on routes. If your opponent sends pressure, you can always block both and look to get the ball downfield. If your opponent gets frustrated and sends too many rushers, you can have those players go out on quick routes and really beat the defense. Make sure to have some quick screen passes saved in your audibles to always have a blitz-beating play ready.
2 MAN BEATER
Example: Gun Tight Flex
IF WE USE COMPRESSED SETS, THE DEFENDERS WILL HAVE TO CRAM INTO A SMALL AREA, WHICH MAKES IT TOUGH FOR THEM TO PLAY MAN-TO-MAN DEFENSE!
We always start the game in our base set to find out what our opponent likes to do on defense, and then once we have an idea, we can switch to our man or zone beater formation. The man-beating formation is usually from a compressed-style set where everyone lines up tight, which makes it hard for defenders to line up. If you can set three man-beating concepts like Mesh, Slants, and Inside Cross to your audibles, you can switch up how you beat your opponent. For the fourth audible, always add a draw to the formation, because defenders have to turn their backs when playing man-to-man and can’t react as fast!
1 ZONE BEATER
Example: Gun Bunch Wk
BUNCH FORMATIONS CONTAIN MANY PLAYS YOU CAN USE TO DEFEAT ZONE COVERAGE.
While our base play can already beat zone, having even more options to switch to is a great idea. When we sense our opponent calling their base zone defense, we love a play that can really stress a zone defense downfield, like Four Verticals. Make sure to set plays that can beat different types of zones, like Smash to beat Cover 2. If your opponent is playing Cover 3, have a Curl Flats play or use your hot routes to make one at the line of scrimmage. All zones have holes—it is just a matter of determining where they are and getting the ball out to your receiver there. By flooding one area of the field with receivers, you should feel confident you can hit an open target.
Learn How to Set Your Defensive Audibles
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