Cracking open the hardest defenses in Madden 26 is going to require the use of advanced players like the read option, and mastering it will be incredibly rewarding.
This particular attacking strategy isn't available for every team in the NFL. If you're opting for the default playbooks, you'll need to choose teams that have it on their roster. Alternatively, you can use customized playbooks and add the read option to make your offense more dynamic.
Let's find out how to use and then master the read option in Madden 26.
How to use the read option in Madden 26?
If you have been playing College Football 26, using the read option will be familiar. No worries if you're not, though, because I have mentioned all the steps. For starters, I have assumed we're all using the default playbooks. Here's a list of teams you can use that have the read option on their default playbooks. There might be more teams, as I haven't scoured through all of them yet.
- Atlanta Falcons
- Houston Texans
- San Francisco 49ers
- Seattle Seahawks
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Here's how you can use the read option.
- From your list of plays, pick "Option."
- This will have all the read plays. Select one you want to run.
- Once you press X and the ball is with your QB, you can make two choices. You can either hand off the ball to your RB, who then continues with their run. Alternatively, you can keep the X/A button pressed and have a run with your QB instead. If you do this, your RB becomes a dummy to outwit the opponents.
So how do you make the critical decision? The process is relatively simple. Before you hook the ball to your QB, press R2/RT. This will show your opposition DE (indicated by R on top of them). Notice how the DE is positioning himself. If he's crouching, it's almost guaranteed that he is going to chase the RB. On such occasions, you'll want to run with your QB instead. Once the DE has chased in behind your RB, it will create a space for you to run into.
If the DE is more upright, it might be smarter to let your RB grab the ball and rush to gain as many yards as possible. Of course, your RB's speed matters, and there are some pacy options available in this year's game, which even includes a 99-rated superstar.
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