Because the real-life season reaches its close things are nonetheless going robust in Madden 21, with new pass rush moves and defensive schemes among the ideal components of this year's game. If you’re new to the game, or a seasoned veteran, here are the controls for Madden 21 across offense and defense, with subtle changes bringing dramatic effects inside the title’s gameplay. In these how-to guides, you will find out critical on-field moves for instance how to throw the ball away, how to QB slide, and how to rush the passer. Use this hub to discover answers to all of your burning concerns for Madden NFL 21.
Madden 21: Get Training Points
If you're a diehard Ultimate Team player, you'll need Training Points to stay on top of your team and keep the best players rolling in via new cards. Training Points in Madden 21 Ultimate Team are a vital resource, but they can be a scarce one too if you don't manage your team well. In this guide, we'll show you how to get Training Points including the three main strategies: selling cards, completing MUT challenges, and playing Superstar KO.
Training Points are used to upgrade your players from lower to higher tiers. They were introduced recently and give players another means of improving their team other than chasing high-value players in Missions or the Auction House.
Sell Your Excess or Unwanted Cards
If you dedicate most of your Madden 21 time to the game's Ultimate Team mode, you'll earn player cards very often, but they won't always be the right players for your team. Sometimes they'll be duplicates of cards you have, lesser players than starters you already have in place, or just players who, while good, don't fit the team you're building. Should you find yourself with a stack of cards you don't need or want, you can quickly sell them in the cards' options.
The better the card, the more Training Points you'll acquire in the exchange, so even if you aren't going to use a great card you unlock from certain challenges, it may benefit you to complete them anyway. This brings us to the next point...
Complete MUT Challenges
There is no shortage of challenges to complete in Madden Ultimate Team. Truly it would take a full-time commitment to even approach reaching the end of the game's challenge tree, and by the time you got there, the game would likely have updated with more. Challenges regularly dole out more Training Points to MUT players, so it's best to stay on top of these to keep the Training Points coming in.
Play Superstar KO
The quick-session, arcadey Superstar KO isn't just a fun mode in its own right, it's also a decent place to farm more MUT resources. In the game's launch week, players who qualified with enough wins could net themselves a sterling Lamar Jackson card, for example. This is great if you're looking to improve your team, but even if you don't need Jackson to play QB for your squad, you should still unlock the card and future cards like it through Superstar KO.
That's because a quick sell of this card goes for an awesome 450 Training Points, a huge boon to your cache. It's likely Superstar KO will continue to offer big rewards like this all season long as Madden 21 looks to stay fresh as a live-service game. Keep checking on Superstar KO for high-value cards, and when you don't plan on starting them, make sure to quickly sell for the big payout in Training Points.
Madden 21: Change Positions in Face of the Franchise
For the first time in years, Madden's story mode doesn't demand you play quarterback, but it still starts you off as a signal-caller all the same. In Madden NFL 21, the story mode Face of the Franchise is the biggest it's ever been, even bigger than the Hollywood-style Longshot mode of a few years ago. This time around, players aren't bound to only the field general position. Instead, you can choose to carve out a career as a quarterback, running back, or wide receiver.
The story mode never actually tells you how to change positions though, and as it begins with you playing QB in high school, you may be wondering if you missed an option somewhere. In this guide, we'll show you how to change positions in Madden NFL 21 Face of the Franchise.
How to Change Positions in Face of the Franchise
In the opening scene of Face of the Franchise for Madden NFL 21, your custom character is already playing quarterback for a high school team whose name and mascot you get to design. If you were diving into this year's story mode excited to try one of the newly available positions, like RB or WR, this forced QB play may come as a surprise, but it's not permanent.
To change positions, keep playing the story mode until the end of your junior year in college. At that point in the story, you're able to choose to enter the NFL Draft as a middling QB prospect or return to school for your senior year as an RB or WR. Should you choose RB or WR, you'll actually have the chance to change back to QB once more before you finish the college chapter of the story. Note, however, that this final decision will be permanent and doesn't allow you to change positions to the third position you haven't played as yet.
For example, if you chose at the end of your junior year to move to wide receiver, at the end of your senior year you can enter the draft as a wide receiver or revert back to a quarterback for the draft, but you won't be able to move to run back. Therefore, your decision at the end of your junior year should be considered carefully as it will have career-long consequences, for better or worse.
How to throw the ball away in Madden 21?
Similar to the QB slide, throwing the ball away can be a humbling but necessary action to take if you want to avoid disastrous turnovers and sacks. Not every play can go for a big gain or a score, and in Madden, it's a sign of smart football to know when to give up on a play. In this guide, we'll show you how to throw the ball away in Madden NFL 21.
How to Throw the Ball Away in Madden NFL 21
If a play breaks down and there's nowhere to go with the ball, you'll want to throw it away. Throwing the ball away means deliberately tossing it out of bounds to avoid a bad throw or a sack. To throw the ball away in Madden NFL 21, click the Right Stick with your quarterback. He will sail the ball out of bounds. It's important to understand NFL rules as they pertain to when this is allowed, however. In Madden NFL 21, just like in the real league, you can't throw the ball away from inside the pocket, nor can you throw it to an area where none of your receivers are reasonably within range.
The game does a good job of ensuring the ball is thrown in such a vicinity on its own, but it's up to you to make sure you are first out of the pocket before throwing the ball away. The pocket is defined as the boundary or bubble within the offensive line's protection. Think of it as an invisible half-circle behind the line of scrimmage, the snuggly safety provided by your hulking offensive linemen. To throw the ball away successfully without getting a costly intentional grounding penalty, make sure you first scramble out of the pocket. Only then is throwing the ball away allowed in football.
Madden 21: QB Slide
An exciting quarterback can take off on-foot for extra yards, but a smart quarterback also knows when to slide and avoid the big hit. Knowing how to QB slide in Madden NFL 21 can mean the difference between a clutch scramble and a costly fumble, so it's important you know how to slide with the quarterback to avoid turning the ball over to your opponent. In this guide, we'll walk you through how to slide with the QB.
How to QB Slide in Madden NFL 21?
To slide with the quarterback in Madden NFL 21, you'll first need to make sure you're in the right situation to do so. This means you must be past the line of scrimmage and running with the quarterback. If you hold the dive button (Square/X), the QB will dive head-first, which often results in a fumble if they collide with defenders on the play. Don't do that!
Instead, merely tap the dive button (Square/X) to give yourself up with a QB slide. This will ensure the QB falls feet-first and voluntarily ends the play free of potentially disastrous contact with bruising defenders. You can also slide with other ball carriers such as running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends by holding R2/RT+L2/LT+Square/X. This will allow skill position players to similarly give up on a play, which may be needed in a situation where you need to get down and call time out or just avoid an attempted ball strip from the defense.
Madden 21: Rush the Passer
The biggest on-field addition to Madden NFL 21 is a bevy of new pass rush moves, allowing players to get after the QB like never before. The biggest changes to on-field gameplay in Madden NFL 21 are the many new pass rush moves players can perform to collapse the pocket and cause mayhem for the opposing quarterback. In this guide, we'll walk you through the many new moves you can perform in the front seven to rush the passer.
How to Rush the Passer in Madden NFL 21
Defensive linemen and EDGE rushers have never been more dangerous than they are in Madden NFL 21 thanks to a more realistic and helpful suite of pass rush moves now available for players to use on opponents.
Here's a simple breakdown of the full moves list for pass rushers.
Pass Rush Moves Controls
Contain: LT/L2
Speed Rush: RT/R2
Swat: Y/Triangle
Switch Player: B/Circle
Rip: Right Stick Up
Bull Rush: Right Stick Down
Club/Swim: Right Stick Left/Right
When to Use Each Pass Rush Move?
Not every pass rush move is meant for every situation. It takes an understanding of the on-field conditions, as well as familiarity with the athletes to know when to perform the many different moves. In this section, we'll provide tips on when and with what kind of players you may want to consider using these different pass rush moves in Madden NFL 21.
Finesse Moves
Finesse pass rush moves are things like the speed rush and swim maneuvers and should be used to get past slower offensive linemen by simply speeding past them to get to the QB. Some of the best finesse moves players in the league are Joey Bosa on the Chargers (96), his teammate Melvin Ingram (94), Demarcus Lawrence on the Cowboys (93), and J.J. Watt on the Texans (93).
Power Moves
Power moves are things like the club and bull rush which can be used to dominate weaker offensive linemen, pushing them back or even onto their butts to clear a path to the QB. Some of the best power moves players in the league are Cameron Jordan on the Saints (97), Myles Garrett on the Browns (96), Fletcher Cox on the Eagles (96), and Chandler Jones on the Cardinals (96).
Aaron Donald
The Los Angeles Rams' star defensive end Aaron Donald gets his own special section carved out in this guide because he is so far and away better than everyone else at the position. While most players are experts in either finesse moves or power moves, Donald excels at both at an all-time great level. His Madden NFL 21 ratings prove the point. His power moves (99), finesse moves (97), block shedding (97), pursuit (98), and play recognition (99) aren't just the best at his position, they're each the best in the entire league. If you're playing as the Rams, the learning curve to master these new pass rush moves will seem much simpler when you're controlling #99 on the Rams defensive line.
When to Use Contain?
Unlike every other pass rush move newly at your disposal in Madden NFL 21, using contain (LT/L2) doesn't seek to rush the passer, but instead tries to keep the play from bouncing outside. This strategy is very helpful in times when the opposing team likes running the ball to the outside or scrambling with the QB out of the pocket. In contain, defensive ends and EDGE rushers will not try to collapse the pocket, but rather stand guard and keep all offensive players inside the pocket. Should a play bounce to the outside, a good defender will be ready to make a play, and if the QB scrambles or bootlegs on a pass, a well-executed contain play will likely result in a sack or better.
When to Use Swat?
The ball swat is sort of a last-ditch effort for defensive linemen. If you're struggling to break through the offensive line, either because you're still learning the game or you're facing a talented O-line, the swat move (Y/Triangle) can be very helpful. Activating it will cause your lineman to jump in the air, arms stretched high, in hopes of knocking down the pass as it leaves the QB's hands. If you time it right, a ball swat will stop a play dead in its tracks, which is a great Plan B for those games where you just can't seem to penetrate the pocket.
Madden 21: Celebrate
Madden NFL 21 offers new ways for players to celebrate big plays like touchdowns, interceptions, and sacks. In Madden NFL 21, players have more control than ever in how they celebrate big plays like touchdowns, sacks, and open-field sprints to the endzone. If you're one to showboat, this guide will teach you how to celebrate in Madden NFL 21.
How to Celebrate When Carrying the Football?
If you've not yet scored, but you can't help but show off a bit, Madden NFL 21 now offers new celebration controls. While running with the football, hold down LT/L2 to perform one of several celebratory running styles. It appears the game chooses these at random when you activate it, so you won't be able to choose precisely which celebration you perform. Be careful though, as you will be much slower when celebrating like this, and your risk of fumbling the football drastically increases should a defender catch up to you amid your shenanigans.
How to Celebrate After a Big Play?
Sometimes after major moments in a game, you'll be prompted to celebrate. Though you can elect not to by simply ignoring the prompt, if you do want to celebrate, you'll be given four choices which can vary from several different categories such as Team, Signature, Swagger, First Down, and Dance. Depending on the play, you will be offered four different celebrations. To select one, move the right stick toward your preferred celebration option and your player will instantly perform the move.