In this guide, we’ll cover how to defend every attack using unique Madden 24 strategies, blitzes, coverages, and disguises. If you want to learn the best defensive techniques, this guide is for you!

This game-changing defense is designed to create lightning-fast blitzes, lockdown coverages, and defensive disguises that force opponents into multiple interceptions. Without further ado, let’s get started.

Coaching Adjustments

We’ll be running Dollar 3-2 formation in Kansas City Chiefs Defensive Playbook.

For adjustments, first, press the right stick to make coaching adjustments, then make sure auto-flip is off. This will be used for our blitzes, as they need to come from the left side. Automatically aligns the base next turn to help disguise the defense. Then set the option defense to conservative and make sure everything else is set to default.

The next step is to select our audibles, this is very important because every time we snap we will audible to a new play. Press the left trigger to access sounds, then select from these three key plays: Cover 4 Drop, Overload 3 Seam, and FS Zone Blitz.

The last part is selecting DBL Safety Go for each snap, which rolls both safeties into the box and then pre-snaps. While the safeties remain in the box, you can audible any play you choose in the formation.

The safeties scrolled down will help disguise your defense, help play tighter coverage, and provide better run support. If you want to adjust the secondary pre-snap, adjust the player individually because if you adjust the entire secondary, the safeties will return to their original position outside the box.

Overload 3 Seam Play

The first gameplay we’re going to review is Overload 3 Seam. This will be your first choice because of its insane pressure and excellent coverage on the back end.

Please remember to select “DBL Safety Go” in the play calling menu first and then select “Overload 3 Seam” in the audibles pre snap so that the safeties are in the box.

To make adjustments, press left on D-pad and hold down the left analog stick, pinching D line. Then place the free outside blitzer in the left vertical hook and press Y or Triangle to shade your coverage, then press the right stick to get hard flat zones.

When the user plays the coverage linebacker as opposed to the blitzing linebacker, your job is to immediately hover over this A-gap, which will allow this A-Gap Blitz to move in freely for easy sacks while locking down coverage.

But after you hover, it’s important that you run back into coverage to defend this area with no defensive help.

Another way to set up coverage is to control the outside blitzer with the biggest threat in your attack, then press Y or Triangle and press the right stick to lower the coverage.

For blitz, pinch the line like we did before. Now that the offense is in a tight double formation, what I’m most worried about is the short-side receiver running the corner route.

On the far side, I’m not worried about corner routes because no receivers line up far enough to occupy the back third of any route. So this back third can easily match the corner kick you see here.

Back on the short side, if the receiver were to run the vertical and corner, the vertical would occupy the back third, which would leave the corner route open. That’s why I use the slot corner to guard the inside receiver. When the two inside receivers run corners, they are locked in and heavily guarded by the defense.

As a user in this setting, your job is to guard the middle of the field. Overload 3 Seam is very effective compared to a 5-wide offense with no running backs in the backfield.

Start by pinching D line to blitz and make sure to hover over this A gap. Then man the weak-side corner of the slot receiver and man the strong-side corner of the middle receiver.

As a user, if the inside receiver goes to the middle of the field or to the corner, follow him. Because of the tight coverage, this setup results in A-gap pressure, easy sacks and interceptions.

Cover 4 Drop Play

Now strategically, it’s important to mix your blitz and coverage calls. Once you’ve called Overload 3 Seam blitz multiple times, try pulling more players back into coverage by running a Cover 4 Drop.

Call DBL Safety Go to place safety items in the box, then audible to Cover 4 Drop pre-snap.

As a user, playing the same player and hovering in the same A-gap, so the play looks exactly like every other play will make your defense unpredictable and difficult to read.

In Cover 4 Drop, you can use it as a base or shade it for hard flat zones. Because if you blitz too often, your opponent will think he has to get rid of the ball quickly. If he does that, we’ll immediately set up zones to stop it, like you saw in this game.

Avoid Corner Routes

If you can block one of the most popular Flood Concept plays using Vertical route, Corner route, and a Flat route, you’ll be victorious in a ton of games.

What we’re going to do is something called “Double Mable” in Cover 4 Drop, which will block Flood Concepts and Corner Routes.

First, enter the zone drops in coaching adjustments. Then, place the flat on the 30 yards and the curl flat on the 5 yard. Afterwards, select DLB Safety Go so that the safeties roll into the box and audible to Cover 4 Drop.

If Bunch set is on the short side of the field, place the outside corner where Bunch formation is on the hard flat zones and individually back him up. This way, the corner will be 30 yards deep to defend the deep cut route on the outside.

On the lone receiver side, we will use a regular Cover 4. So when the offense gets the ball, you see the corner route extending directly to a 30-yard hard flat. The flat route extends directly to the 5 yard curl flat. The vertical route just enters the inner safe zone.

FS Zone Blitz Play

One of the best meta plays this year is vertical out of a trips set, where if you can’t stop it, players will spam you and kill you for the entire game quickly.

For this play through, we’ll be doing a FS Zone Blitz. We should note that in order to change the defensive look, please do not choose DBL Safety Go, but choose to play FS Zone Blitz. Make sure zone drop is off and you have the original coaching adjustments shown at the beginning.

In this play, the left safety will roll into the box instead of both safeties rolling down, and it consists of another A-Gap Blitz.

For this adjustment versus a trips set on the left side, you need to use the middle catcher to control the rolled down safety. Then turn the coverage down for light blue hard flats. Then pinch the line and make sure you’re using the linebacker in coverage and hover over the other A gap to optimize the blitz.

Your job is to guard the inside receiver, and if he runs down the middle of the field, on a corner route, or on a vertical route, you’ll be able to sneak under like a tight end and jump over the route for an easy interception.

Also note that we get a free rusher on this A-gap while all vertical routes are locked, as are the tight end’s crossing route and the hard flats defended by the running back.

If Trips set is on the right side, put the left rolled down safety in the middle third and the other safety in the middle receiver assignment. Then pull down the shadow, pinch D Line and hover over this A gap to blitz.

Your assignment as a user is the same, just to the opposite side. If he runs down the middle of the field, running a vertical route or a corner route, catch the inside receiver. This way, you’ll be able to lock down the most popular matchups and routes in Madden with your best formation.