Madden 24 Playbooks: Best offensive & defensive playbooks

The new NFL season is here, and Madden 24 is letting fans live out their football dreams. But if you want an edge in Ultimate Team or in regs you need the best Madden 24 playbooks.

Like other sports games, Madden is about having the best players possible on your team. But football also requires a scheme that can fool the opposition and play to the strengths of the game engine.

Each playbook is different and comes with its own strengths and weaknesses. Picking the right one to use is crucial to your success, but which is the best one? And which is the right one for you? Let's take a look!

Madden 24 playbooks

There are LOTS of playbooks to choose from in Madden 24. Each team has their own for offense and defense, and there are a few alternate ones separate from any team too.

On offense these themed ones are: Air Raid, Balanced, Pistol, Run & Shoot, Run Balanced, Run Heavy, Run 'n' Gun, Spread, and West Coast.

On defense you get a smaller selection: 3-4, 4-3, 46, Cover 2, and Multiple D.

Even with fewer defensive playbooks that is still a massive 78 playbooks in Madden 24. Oh, and you can create your own! So yeah, there is a lot to pick through here.

Each playbook will do something well, be it prioritising certain formations or leaning into a specific foundational principle. While they will share many common and basic plays, some of the most interesting plays are unique to certain playbooks and a few of the more meta ones are hard to find.

So which are the best playbooks in Madden 24 right now? Let's take a look.

Best offensive playbooks

Everyone will have their personal favourites, but if you are looking for a meta playbook that has high-quality formations then you will want to take a look at the New York Jets playbook this year. Yeah, we didn't expect that either!

With Aaron Rodgers making the move to the Big Apple this offseason the Jets offensive playbook has had a huge overhaul for Madden 24, adding a lot of high-quality and rare formations.

Unfortunately, it seems we won't be able to see Rodgers run these plays, as the superstar QB tore his Achilles, and will be sidelined for the rest of the season.

The Jets playbook has a very good range of formations with good under center sets. This include Singleback Tight Doubles which you don't get in many other playbooks. Likewise, you have I Form Close, a set which has been good in Madden for years but is slowly fading from playbooks. Together with Strong Close you have an under center system that you can audible through and get highly creative for both running and passing.

Some of the best money plays in the game can also be found in this playbook, making it a real winner in Ultimate Team too.

When it comes to shotgun, bunch and trips formations have always been good and the Jets playbook has a ton of these. Bunch and Bunch TE are a deadly pairing and the Jets have that along with Bunch Strong Offset and Tight Offset TE. These four will completely break your opponents as they look so similar but play slightly differently and have a wide range of plays.

Other offensive playbooks

If you aren't vibing with the Jets playbook you can take a look at the Green Bay Packers which is pretty similar but has a bit more variety in its under center formations.

You can go ultra-pass heavy with the Cincinnati Bengals playbook which is all singleback or gun, they don't have a single I Form set! We are big fans of the New England Patriots playbook which is extremely diverse and features a lot of play action, screens, and a big range of under center runs which are making a comeback in Madden 24.

If you love to play with a running QB and get a little gimmicky then the Baltimore Ravens playbook is the one for you. It's full of Pistol formations, options, jet sweeps, and screens that can confuse unprepared opponents.

The Philadelphia Eagles playbook is also one you should make sure to try out. It has a good variety of passing and running plays, which is something you always want to have. Furthermore, the playbook proved to be very strong in professional play, with pro player Henry Leverette using it to win the MCS Ultimate Kickoff.

Best defensive playbooks

Defensive playbooks are more homogeneous than offensive ones. Most defensive playbooks are very similar to one another, with only the base 3-4 or 4-3 formation really dictating how a defense lines up and what sub packages are available. This is a bit outdated now in the era of positionless players and multiple fronts but hey, it's Madden after all.

The best defensive playbook in Madden 24 right now is the 46. This alternate playbook offers a huge range of formations including the most powerful duo in the game, Nickel 3-3 and Nickel 3-3 CUB. It also has the 3-2 Dollar, letting you use plays like Nickel Blitz 0, Spinner, and Cov 4 Drop Contain.

Along with those formations, which are most useful for MUT, you get the 46 Normal and Bear fronts that are great for short yardage and the Big Nickel Over G which is still a very good formation.

This playbook is so strong, that even the reigning MCS Ultimate Kickoff champion Henry Leverette uses it. In the grand final of the MCS Ultimate Kickoff tournament, this playbook helped Leverette hold his opponent to zero points, something you rarely see in professional Madden.

Other defensive playbooks

There are a few other defensive playbooks you can check out. The Kansas City Chiefs defensive playbook gives you plenty of options too. You get the Big Nickel Over G and the Dollar 3-2 fronts that are strong options for the best around.

The Indianapolis Colts defensive playbook is also a good option as you get the Dime Rush package along with the Big Nickel Over G and a trio of 4-3 formations.

You should also make sure to check out the Baltimore Ravens defensive playbook. It's a unique playbook, with a strong formation against the run such as the 4-4 formation, which has some great zone coverage formations and offers you plenty of ways to bring pressure from off the edges.

This playbook also has the Nickel 2-4 and Nickel 2-4 DBL Mug and of course, the very popular Nickel 3-3 formation which is great against the run or passing.

Controls

If you want to go further in this game you will need to master the Madden 24 controls. Knowing how to juke, break tackles, and catch will have you firing off wins and dominating games on any platform!