With Madden 21 having been released over a month ago, we now have a good feel for the playbooks and which are working best.
And there's nothing more satisfying that shutting your opponent out with lights out defense.
So which playbooks are the best for stopping opponents scoring?
Lions (4-3 & 3-4)
Best versatile playbook
Look out for: 3-4 odd, 4-3 under, Nickel 2-4-5 odd, Dollar 3-2-6
Probably the best thing about the whole Lions franchise, this defensive playbook is a standout.
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With everything from 46, 3-4, 4-3 into Nickel and Dollar, it has pretty much every formation you can imagine.
If you want to keep your opponent guessing then this Lions defensive playbook is your best choice.
49ers (4-3)
Best defensive pressure playbook
Look out for: 46 Bear, 4-3 Normal, 5-2, Nickel Normal, Dollar 3-2-6
They made the Super Bowl last season with a defense getting tonnes of pressure.
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The addition of a 5-2 formation is fairly unique to this playbook and allows for a heavy line to get pressure.
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If you are a committed 4-3 player, this is a standout playbook for you.
Ravens (3-4)
Best run defense playbook
Look out for: 3-4 Bear, 4-4 Split, Nickel 2-4-5, Dime 2-3-6
Ravens have one of the best 3-4 defensive packages in the game.
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They have great versatility with this front, with Bear, Over and Under options but also the 4-4 when you really want to stop the run.
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If you find yourself playing teams that are running the ball a lot, this could be your go-to option, but remember to get the players and defensive ends that suit a 3-4 too.
Bengals (3-4)
Best for new plays playbook
Look out for: 46 normal, 3-4 over, Dollar Sugar 3-2
Not a historically popular option, expect the Bengals defensive playbook to gain traction with users in Madden 21.
There is a strong varierty across the 3-4, 4-3 and 46 defensive options.
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The Dollar Sugar 3-2 is a new formation for Madden 21 that has a lot of blitz pressure in it.
As less people will be running this defense, it gives you a better chance to surprise them with looks they won't have seen before.
Packers (3-4)
Bestpass defense playbook
Look out for: 3-4 cub, 3-4 odd, Dime 1-4-6, Dime Sugar Weak
This playbook is the go to option if you want to shut down passing QBs.
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The Dime Sugar Weak formation brings everyone to the line which creates a lot of confusion amongst opposition QBs around who will be blitzing.
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If you are a heavy 3-4 player then this playbook is going to give you the tools to deal with both the run and the pass.
Live Playbooks
Remember if you have live playbooks turned on you will get updates to the above based on actual NFL performances.
In Madden 21, this is a new functionality that aims at keeping the game up to date with what you are seeing any given Sunday.
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