Welcome to the fourth annual Packers Madden guide. I think this game is the most fun in years both because the game itself is improved and because the Packers have a fun scheme on both sides of the ball. Let’s get into it.
- There are more usable Shanahan/McVay tree offensive playbooks than ever. The 49ers, Rams, Texans, Panthers, Bears, Vikings, Browns, Bengals, Steelers, Dolphins, Raiders, Saints, Bucs and Falcons are all coached by branches of that tree. I like to move between them to add some flavor to my games.
- If you’re going for realism, the Packers love running RPOs, duo, outside zone, dagger, play action concepts, flood concepts, and wide receiver screens.
- On defense, I haven’t been using the Packers/Jets/Texans/49ers playbook – even though many people assume that Hafley will be running the Saleh defense in the NFL. Instead, I use a lot of the Commanders and Saints playbooks. These are the defenses that run a lot of Cover-1, use the 46 formation and are more friendly with blitzing. Remember, Hafley has more Greg Schiano and Mike Pettine in his history than Robert Saleh.
- I’ve been using a lot of Cover-1 and Cover 3 on early downs and blitzing or running two high on pass downs and it feels right based on what we’ve heard but be prepared to be annoyed by the defense in Madden 25. In a recent game that I played, Michael Wilson (a receiver who ran a 4.60 40) added yards of separation against Eric Stokes (possibly the fastest corner in the league) after catching the ball. There’s a lot of cheese stuff that just doesn’t make sense with the defense right now. If you use man coverage, good corners will lose to bad receivers. If you run zone, the opposing QB turns into prime Peyton Manning and completes 17 passes in a row. Don’t be afraid to sim through the defense if it’s making you want to commit an atrocity.
- I’m also meh about the player ratings. Jordan Love, all the receivers, Elgton Jenkins, Rasheed Walker, Zach Tom, Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, Carrington Valentine and many more players have weirdly low ratings. It wouldn’t shock me if the Madden ratings czar is a Bears fan.
- I use formation subs a lot. There’s no other good way to get some substitution on the d-line. I generally use Preston Smith on run defense formations and as the edge who may drop into coverage. Karl Brooks and Colby Wooden are used in pass defense formations only. Dontayvion Wicks is the odd man out in the WR corps so I try to get him in some formations. Typically, I rank my receivers: 1 Watsons 2 Doubs and 3 Wicks and then Jayden Reed is the slot receiver with Wicks as the backup slot. Keisean Nixon is the slot corner with Jevon Bullard and Evan Williams the backups.
Mike Price is a lifelong Packers fan currently living in Utah. You can follow him on twitter at @themikeprice.
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