Madden NFL 22 Guide: Tips, Tricks, and How to Master the Gridiron

Madden NFL 22 is the latest in EA Sports’ long-running American football franchise, inspired by the 2024 NFL season. Available on both PS5 and PS4, it’s the second instalment in the series to release on next-gen consoles.

In this Madden NFL 22 guide, we’re going to share some tips and tricks for beginners, which will hopefully take you to the endzone. We’re going to explain How to Build an Ultimate Team without Spending Money, How to Win the Super Bowl in Franchise, All Trophies and How to Get the Platinum, and the Best Class for Face of the Franchise and The Yard.

Please do keep in mind that Madden NFL 22 is designed to be a live service game, and while efforts have been ensured to keep all of the information within this guide up-to-date and accurate, some gameplay balance and features may change over the duration of the release’s lifespan.

American football, also known as NFL or gridiron, is a team-based sport whereby two teams compete to score points by moving the ball into the opponent’s endzone. Each professional NFL roster is made up of three groups that each have specialised roles on the field. They are:

• Offense: Responsible for moving the ball down the field, using a combination of running and passing plays. The offense is led by the Quarterback, but also comprise the Offensive Line (assigned with protecting the Quarterback), Wide Receivers (assigned with catching passes), Tight Ends (assigned with helping the Offensive Line and catching passes), and Running Backs (assigned with running the ball).
• Defense: Responsible for preventing the offense from moving the ball down the field. The defense is made up of a Defensive Line, which comprises Defensive Tackles and Defensive Ends, both of which are used to block runs and pressure the opposing Quarterback. Defenses are also comprised of Linebackers, who are tasked with stopping the run and pressuring the Quarterback, as well as defending any short Passing plays. Finally, the defense features Cornerbacks and Safeties, who defend against deep passing plays and cover Wide Receivers.
• Special Teams: Responsible for executing tasks such as kicking Field Goals or Punting the ball.

Scoring

American football is a turn-based sport, whereby the Offense has four downs to move the ball 10 yards, while the Defense attempts to stop them. If the Offense is unable to move the ball 10 yards within four downs, then possession is swapped over. The goal is for the Offense to move the ball into the Defense’s endzone in order to score six points. An extra point can then be added by Special Teams kicking an Extra Point. Other scoring plays include:

• Safety: This occurs when the Offense is tackled by the Defense in their own endzone and is worth two points.
• Field Goal: This occurs when the Offense chooses to kick the ball through the goal posts and is worth three points.
• Pick Six: This occurs when the Defense intercepts the ball from the Offense and returns it to the opponent’s endzone.

Tactics

American football is a tactical sport, and we’d recommend running through Madden NFL 22’s Skills Trainer to get a better understanding of the strategies you’ll need to succeed. In general, pay close attention to your personnel to inform your style of play. The New York Giants, for example, with Saquon Barkley, focus on running the ball and using Play Action (passing plays disguised as running plays), while the Kansas City Chiefs, with Tyreek Hill and Patrick Mahomes, place a greater emphasis on throwing the ball.

On both Offense and Defense, you’ll need to have a rough understanding of coverages. By reading the Defense, the Offense can decide what type of approach to use. For example, if the Defense is in Cover 2 (with two high Safeties), then there’s space in between the Safeties for Wide Receivers to exploit. Running the ball with a Running Back can also be successful in this kind of coverage. Of course, the Defense can disguise different looks, putting two Safeties up high and then transitioning into Cover 1 to stack the box and block any running plays.

Once you have a basic understanding of the flow of NFL matches, we’d recommend reading up on real-life tactics in order to understand the Defense and understand how to attack it. Learning coverages from an offensive point of view will help you to both understand how to overcome it but also how to utilise it when you’re trying to stop an opponent. For example, if you successfully predict that the opponent is going to run the ball, then you can stack the box using a 4-3 formation to stop it from making progress. You can predict when a team is going to run the ball if they line up with more than one Tight End, for example.

Watching and understanding the real-world sport will inform your decisions in Madden NFL 22, so try to absorb as much information as possible from as many sources as possible. While the concept of American football can be hard to wrap your head around, understanding the strategy will take patience and research. Therefore don’t expect to master the sport overnight.

Madden NFL 22 Guide: Ultimate Team

Madden NFL 22 is comprised of various different modes, with Ultimate Team being the most popular of them. Your goal in Ultimate Team is to collect cards in order to build an unbeatable roster of players. Cards can be acquired by purchasing Packs, unlocking them by completing Challenges, or through Trading. As part of our Madden NFL 22 guide, we’re going to explain how to get the most out of Ultimate Team.

Madden NFL 22 Guide: Franchise

The headline feature in Madden NFL 22 is the improvement to Franchise mode, specifically with the addition of Gameday Goals and Staff Management. If you’re wondering how to get the most out of your Franchise and are looking to build a dynasty, then as part of our Madden NFL 22 guide we’re going to explain how to take your team to the Super Bowl and win.

Madden NFL 22 Guide: Face of the Franchise and The Yard

Madden NFL 22 merges the classes from its street football mode The Yard with Face of the Franchise, allowing you to level up different builds and pair them with unique body types. For the next phase of our Madden NFL 22 guide, we’re going to share some of the best builds for Face of the Franchise and The Yard.

Madden NFL 22 Guide: Trophies

Like any other PS5 and PS4 game, Madden NFL 22 has a bunch of Trophies to unlock. If you want to earn the Platinum in this game, then we have suggestions and strategies that can help. Our Madden NFL 22 guide, will show you how to master the gridiron with 100 per cent.

Madden NFL 22: Tips and Tricks for Beginners

For the final phase of our Madden NFL 22 guide, we’re going to include a selection of tips and tricks for beginners that will help you to get the most out of EA Sports’ American football simulation. We’d recommend you read through these before doing anything else.

Find the Right Settings for You

If you’re new to American football or at least Madden games, then definitely consider changing the settings and lowering the difficulty. Arcade mode is a great place to begin: teams will be buffed so every play is exaggerated, allowing you to launch the ball down field and perform some truly spectacular catches. If you want a more realistic experience, then you can always change the settings to Competitive but keep the difficulty manageable at either Rookie or Pro. As you get more comfortable with the gameplay, then you can gradually increase the challenge. Remember, there’s no shame in dialling things down if you’re getting frustrated.

Spend Time with the Skills Trainer

We’ve introduced some of the basic concepts and strategies of American football in this article, but there’s a lot to learn. If you really want to properly understand what formations and concepts to use at what time, then we strongly recommend you spend some time with the Skills Trainer. You can find it under the Exhibition tab on the main menu. In addition to teaching you how to play Madden NFL 22 by explaining the controls and gameplay concepts, it also provides you with a crash course on NFL tactics. How do you attack Cover 2? When should you deploy 4-3 formation? The game’s really good at giving you some practical examples of how American football teams operate. Obviously, if you want to get really good then you’re going to need to ensure you’re watching the real sport on TV and potentially even reading some books on the subject. But if you’re a newcomer, or just looking to brush up on your understanding, then the Skills Trainer is excellent — and you’ll even unlock some Ultimate Team packs for finishing drills.

Don’t Take Unnecessary Risks

There are times where you’re going to need to take risks in Madden NFL 22, especially if you find yourself chasing a game late on. However, if you have a lead or are tying, then you should work to minimise risks. This means that if your quarterback is being pressured, you should always throw the ball away with R3 to avoid taking sacks and losing yards. Similarly, if you’re scrambling with anyone other than a bruiser like Derrick Henry, double tap the square button before taking a big hit and potentially fumbling the ball. There’s no point in risking a pick six for a few extra yards: know your situation on the football field and minimise as many risks as you possibly can.

Manage the Clock

Time management is an enormous aspect of the NFL and can be the difference between winning a game and losing. In almost all situations, if there’s a touchdown play on, then you should take the points. However, if you have a lead and you’re entering the third or fourth quarter, then you don’t need to rush anything. Manage the clock by running the ball, being methodical with your play calling, and generally just hogging possession time. The less time the ball is in the hands of your opponent, the less opportunity they have to score, so take your time and mix shorter passing plays with runs. As we said previously, if the touchdown is on, then take it — but there’s no need to force it when the clock is ticking and you’re in the lead.

Beware Scrambling Quarterbacks

Perfect coverage against wide receivers is just one of your problems when you face quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson: scrambling quarterbacks can rip holes through even the most organised of defences. One quick tip is to assign a QB Spy. These players, generally linebackers, will then mirror the quarterback’s movements, preventing them from sprinting down the field for big chunk plays. To contain quarterbacks, simply select a linebacker while in pre-snap, then push X and move the right analogue stick to the left. If you pull up the Play Art with L2 you’ll see a red ring around the player you selected, demonstrating that they’re going to contain the quarterback.

That just about does it for our Madden NFL 22 guide. Hopefully our tips and tricks have helped you to master the gridiron. If you have any other strategies or suggestions you’d like to share, then please leave them in the comments section below.