• Guide

The best defensive playbooks in Madden NFL 25

When you don't want to give up yards on the rush or get caught by a sneaky pass, these are the defensive playbooks for you.

Aidan O'Brien

August 13, 2024 6:13 AM

Electronic Arts

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With Madden NFL 25 currently giving us all a reason to think about our own private Superbowls, you'll need a great way to shut down enemy offense in your games if you want to make it to that particular Sunday. That means finding the best defensive playbooks to fuel your efforts. Remember, player stat lines don't count for much if you are running bad plays.

The best defensive playbooks in Madden NFL 25

There are some strong playbooks in Madden NFL 25, but a very important element to keep in mind is what kind of sliders you are running in your games. The below list is currently based on default settings and player behavior across the board. I'll be working on my perfect sliders soon, and that might change things up a bit.

• Kansas City Chiefs - Yes, the Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes, the cool as a cucumber Quarterback, leading their offense, but their defensive playbook is what can give him so many opportunities to push the ball down the field. It contains great Nickel plays, such as the Big Nickel Over G, which offers really nice adjustments and versatility for shutting down a passing play, and the Dime 3-2, which is a personal favorite.
• Multiple D - The Multiple D playbook is interesting because it probably has the strongest Nickel variations in the game and contains some very solid Blitz options. It also contains the Dime 3-2, which puts big pressure on almost any Quarterback to try and find good ways to get the ball where they want it.
• The Cleveland Browns - Yes, the Cleveland Browns have one of the very best defensive playbooks in Madden NFL 25. That hard-nosed, smash-em-up style of play translates well in the game, but the plays are something you can take advantage of even if you don't have the players. This is not limited to just the Browns, but there are some great plays in the Nickel and Dollar that will provide solid options for shutting down runs and stopping passing plays.

Those are currently my top three defensive playbooks, but that is likely to change over time as I explore the game further. I also feel the need to point out that playbooks are not a magic bullet, and a lot will boil down to the small adjustments that you make based on your opponents and their behavior and patterns on the pitch. 

How to change your playbooks in Madden NFL 25

To change your playbooks, go to Settings on the main screen after you load up the game. The default tab should be Game Options and then Playbooks will be the second section. You can set your default Offensive and Defensive playbooks there, although you can also leave them on Team Specific if you wish. That means that you'll end up using the specific playbook for any team you play, which is a great way to explore what they are like and what kind of options they contain.

I would suggest that, once you have an idea of what you like, you pick a playbook and stick with it for a while because Madden has become really quite complicated over the years. With so many possible adjustments, the impact of sliders, player abilities, and more, you will really want to fully explore a playbook before deciding if it's for you or not. If you wish, you can always enter the Creation Center menu, where you will be able to adjust and build your own playbook to suit your exact needs and preferences.

Aidan O'Brien

Contributing Guides Editor

Hailing from Ireland, Aidan has been conditioned by local weather conditions to survive hours at his PC grinding through whatever game is offering the lowest possible drop rates for loot. He thinks the easiest way to figure out what fans of games want to read is to just be a fan of games. You can normally find him logged into Warframe, Destiny, or a gacha game. You can reach out to him on X @scannerbarkly.