Madden NFL 25 – Top 5 Game Plan Tips

Managing a game plan is very important in Madden NFL 25. You must develop a strategy for the upcoming game that takes into account not only your strengths and weaknesses but also your opponents’! Everything from the coin toss to team selection can mean the difference between a win and a loss. All of the small decisions that are made during a game add up and are huge factors in your success. Don’t overlook any of these keys for planning to win! (Get more free Madden NFL 25 strategies!)

5 PUNT CAREFULLY

IF YOU DON’T GET THE LOOK YOU WANT ON FOURTH DOWN, SIMPLY CALL A TIME-OUT AND THEN PUNT. NEVER FORCE A PLAY IF YOU DON’T HAVE A GOOD FEELING.

Although punting is necessary when on your own half of the field and facing fourth and long, many gamers punt too much. Any time you get across midfield and face fewer than 7 yards to go, you should consider going for it. We also go for it in most fourth and 3 (or fewer) situations, if the results would help us put the game away. Always keep a few special quick passing plays for these situations to give the opponents a look they haven’t seen. Rely on your best players in these spots and look to utilize their best ratings, such as Catch in Traffic. Some online gamers are stereotyped as “Goes on fourth and 20 from own 1-yard line and then quits,” while the best players are likely to punt less often but always know when to kick. Don’t let your emotions get the best of you.

4 HURRY UP

WHEN SLOWING DOWN THE GAME WITH THE RUN, USE A BACK WITH A GOOD CARRY RATING (CAR), BECAUSE TURNOVERS ARE COSTLY.

Look to either speed up or slow down your offense to give yourself an advantage. While using hurry up (after the play, hold down 4 on Xbox, i on PS3), call the same play again. You can then audible when you get to the line of scrimmage.

Many gamers don’t consider slowing down the pace of play and grinding down the defense with the run game. If you’re playing aggressive opponents, forcing them to be patient can really frustrate them. If you feel you may be outmatched, slow the game down and look to shorten it while leveling the playing field. This will make your opponent become aggressive, and you can then try to use play action for a deep pass!

3 SCRIPT YOUR FIRST 15 PLAYS

WHEN USING PLAY ACTION, MAKE SURE TO USE THE SAME RUN FAKE. DON’T CALL POWER O RUNS AND THEN TRY TO RUN A PLAY-ACTION FAKE WITH A STRETCH ROLLOUT. MAKE EVERYTHING LOOK THE SAME TO YOUR OPPONENT!

This is a common tactic used by real coaches every week. They plan out their first 15 plays of the game. By setting up and practicing exactly what plays you want to run, you will be ready for success. Keep a pool of around 25 possible plays and shift your game plan to take advantage of your opponent’s weaknesses. If you’re in an online franchise, check out the other team’s statistics to see what their tendencies are before the game. Look for trends that show off their weaknesses, and then try to exploit those deficiencies.

2 TAKE THE POINTS

THIS GOES FOR THE END OF THE HALF, TOO: DON’T FORCE AN EXTRA PLAY IF TIME IS TICKING DOWN—TAKE THE 3!

One of the toughest things to do in football is to take the emotion out of the game. Not only do we want to beat our opponents, we want to beat them convincingly. Gamers often bypass going for a field goal early in the game because they think they can easily score TDs. One of the biggest lessons learned from last season was to take the points when you get the chance. It stinks when your 12-play drive stalls out on the 3-yard line, but you are often better off getting 3 points than 0. There are multiple games from last season that would have been completely different had we kicked a simple FG. Managing the game, situation, and opponent are all factors to consider when making a big coaching call!

1 MANAGE YOUR TIME-OUTS

IF YOU WIN THE COIN TOSS, ALWAYS KICK!

Some gamers feel it is great to save time-outs, but on the other hand you can’t take them home with you. In the first half, we recommend using them whenever you want, but in the second half, save them to stop the clock. Early in the game, try using your time-outs any time you see something you are not ready for before the snap. Ideally, you want to have the time-outs to stop the clock, but too often they go to waste. What if your defense wasn’t ready and you used a time-out to prevent a potential blown coverage! In the second half, it is extremely important to use them only in key situations. A time-out is so crucial in helping a trailing team that they become very valuable late in the game. If you can pick up first downs to stop the clock or get out of bounds while trailing, this adds to the time you have. Learning how to manage the game comes from experience and playing as many games as possible, but by staying calm and using common sense, you will be ready to win close games!

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Learn more: check out How to Stop the Run.