Madden 21: Complete Controls Guide (Pass Rush, Offense, Defense, Running, Catching, and Intercept) for PS4 & Xbox One

Madden 21 has arrived on our consoles, and with next-gen iterations still in the distance, there is plenty to explore across Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

If you’re new to the game, or an experienced veteran, here are the controls for Madden 21 across offense and defense, with subtle changes bringing dramatic effects in the title’s gameplay.

Big changes in this year’s edition come via ball-carrying controls, as well as configurations both at the line and in the secondary on the defensive side of the ball.

Contents hide

1. Madden 21 Ball Carrier Controls

2. Madden 21 Passing Controls

3. Madden 21 Catching Controls

4. Madden 21 Defensive Pursuit Controls

5. Madden 21 Ball in the Air Offense Controls

6. Madden 21 Ball in Air Defense Controls

7. Madden 21 Preplay Offense Controls

8. Madden 21 Preplay Defense Controls

9. Madden 21 Defensive Engaged Controls (New Pass Rush Controls)

10. Madden 21 Defensive Coverage Controls

11. Madden 21 Blocking Controls

12. Madden 21 Player Locked Receiver Controls

13. Madden 21 Special Teams Offense Controls

14. Madden 21 Special Teams Defense Controls

In this Madden 21 controls guide, RS and LS refer to the right and left analogue on either console controller. The buttons R3 and L3 refer to the pressing of the right or left analogue to trigger the action.

Madden 21 Ball Carrier Controls

Action	PS4 Controls	Xbox One Controls
Stiff Arm	X	A
Dive	■	X
Spin	O or rotate RS	B or rotate RS
Hurdle	▲	Y
Jurdle*	▲+LS	Y+LS
Pitch	L1	LB
Sprint	R2	RT
Protect Ball	R1	RB
Truck	RS Up	RS Up
Dead Leg	RS Down	RS Down
Juke Left	RS Left	RS Left
Juke Right	RS Right	RS Right

Note that with the ball, changes have been made with the L2/LT button. Used as a precision modifier in previous editions, it’s now the taunt/celebration button.

So, make sure not to use it when attempting to beat defenders this year; otherwise, you’ll be turning the ball over time and time again by fumbling.

New to this year are the Dead Leg (replacing the stop juke), and the ‘Jurdle’ – a hurdle that goes over and to the side of an opponent, rather than all the way over a defender.

Madden 21 Passing Controls

Action	PS4 Controls	Xbox One Controls
Low Pass	Receiver Icon + Hold L2	Receiver Icon + Hold LT
High Pass	Receiver Icon + Hold L1	Receiver Icon + Hold LB
Bullet Pass	Hold Receiver Icon	Hold Receiver Icon
Touch Pass	Press Receiver Icon	Press Receiver Icon
Lob Pass	Tap Receiver Icon	Tap Receiver Icon
Scramble	LS + R2	LS + RT
Pump Fake	Double Tap Receiver Icon	Double Tap Receiver Icon
Throw Away	R3	R3
Throw (Receiver 1)	X	A
Throw (Receiver 2)	O	B
Throw (Receiver 3)	■	X
Throw (Receiver 4)	▲	Y
Throw (Receiver 5)	R1	RB

Madden 21 Catching Controls

Action	PS4 Controls	Xbox One Controls
Sprint	R2	RT
Strafe	L2	LT
Aggressive Catch	▲	Y
Run After Catch	■	X
Switch Player	O	B
Possession Catch	X	A

Passing and receiving controls remain largely untouched from previous versions of the game. Learning the advanced passing and catching controls may seem subtle, but doing so can lead to devastating results.

Madden 21 Defensive Pursuit Controls

Action	PS4 Controls	Xbox One Controls
Strafe	L2	LT
Sprint	R2	RT
Defensive Assist	L1	LB
Strip Ball	R1	RB
Breakdown Tackle	X	A
Aggressive / Dive Tackle	■	X
Switch Player	O	B
Hit Stick	RS Up	RS Up
Cut Stick	RS Down	RS Down
Blow-Up Blocker	RS Flick	RS Flick

Open-field defending has been mostly left unchanged from Madden 20, where the safe bet one-on-one is to use the breakdown tackle.

Madden 21 Ball in the Air Offense Controls

Action	PS4 Controls	Xbox One Controls
Possession Catch	X	A
Switch Player	O	B
RAC Catch	■	X
Aggressive Catch	▲	Y
Auto Play / Defensive Assist	L1	LB
Straft	L2	LT
Sprint	R2	RT

Madden 21 Ball in Air Defense Controls

Action	PS4 Controls	Xbox One Controls
Sprint	R2	RT
Strafe	L2	LT
Defensive Assist	L1	LB
Ball Hawk	▲	Y
Swat	■	X
Switch Player	O	B
Play Receiver	X	A

As above, defensive play when the ball in the air is unchanged from the ball-hawking additions brought in a few seasons ago. For new players, it’s safer to defend at the line of scrimmage.

However, if you do find yourself controlling a player in the backfield, holding triangle/Y will not only act as an attempted intercept but likely an incompletion, should your player be unable to pick off the pass

Madden 21 Preplay Offense Controls

Action	PS4 Controls	Xbox One Controls
Motion Player	LS Left or Right (Hold)	LS Left or Right (Hold)
Player Lock	Double Press L3	Double Press L3
Pass Protection	L1	LB
Show Play Art	L2	LT
Fake Snap	R1	RB
X-Factor Vision	R2	RT
Hot Route	▲	Y
Audible	■	X
Switch Player	O	B
Snap Ball	X	A
Pre-Play Menu	R3	R3
Timeout	Touchpad	Menu Button
Camera Zoom In	D-pad down	D-pad down
Camera Zoom Out	D-pad up	D-pad up

Madden 21 Preplay Defense Controls

Action	PS4 Controls	Xbox One Controls
Defensive Keys	L1	LB
X-Factor Vision	R2	RT
Show Play Art	L2 (Hold)	LT (Hold)
Linebacker Audible	Right D-Pad	Right D-Pad
Defensive Line Audible	Left D-Pad	Left D-Pad
Camera Zoom Out	Up D-Pad	Up D-Pad
Camera Zoom In	Down D-Pad	Down D-Pad
Coverage Audible	▲	Y
Audible	■	X
Switch Player	O	B
Defensive Hot Route	X	A
Off the line	R2 (Tap)	R2 (Tap)
Pre-Play Menu	R3	R3
Timeout	Touchpad	Menu Button
Show / Weak Side Gap Assignment	R2 + X + O	RT + A + B
Pump Up Crowd	RS Up	RS Up

Madden 21 Defensive Engaged Controls (New Pass Rush Controls)

Action	PS4 Controls	Xbox One Controls
Reach Tackle	LS Left or Right + ■	LS Left or Right + X
Swat	▲	Y
Bull Rush	RS Down	RS Down
Switch Player	O	B
Club/Swim Move	RS Left or Right	RS Left or Right
Rip Move	RS Up	RS Up
Speed Rush	R2	RT
Contain	L2	LT

Defensive line play has been re-written in Madden 21, with beating offensive linemen via engagement now dependent on your skills with the right analogue.

For the new pass rush controls, flicking up on the right analogue and swimming by moving the stick laterally is the key. Still, your miserliness is crucial: too many attempts of the right stick will deplete your lineman of stamina, so use in moderation.

In Early Access, the swim move seems hugely effective.

Madden 21 Defensive Coverage Controls

Action	PS4 Controls	Xbox One Controls
Press / Chuck Receiver	X + LS	A + LS
Switch Player	O	B
Player Movement	LS	LS
Strafe	L2	LT
Defensive Assist	L1	LB

For new players, it’s strongly recommended that you control linemen or blitzing players when on the defensive side of the ball.

Madden 21 Blocking Controls

Action	PS4 Controls	Xbox One Controls
Player Movement	LS	LS
Switch Player	O	B
Aggressive Impact Block	RS Up	RS Up
Aggressive Cut Block	RS Down	RS Down

Madden 21 Player Locked Receiver Controls

Action	PS4 Controls	Xbox One Controls
Individual Play Art	L2	LT
Just-Go Release	R2	RT
Player Lock	Double Press L3	Double Press L3
Route Running/Move Player	LS	LS
Change up (on the line)	Flick RS	Flick RS
Foot Fire (on the line)	Hold RS	Hold RS
Conservative Change-up Release	X	A
Cut Out of Press (off the line)	Flick RS	Flick RS

While these controls will be most useful when switching to a wide receiver in Face of the Franchise, it might be worth refining these skills in practice modes.

Madden 21 Special Teams Offense Controls

Action	PS4 Controls	Xbox One Controls
Snap / Kick Power / Accuracy	X	A
Switch Player	O	B
Audible	■	X
Flip Play	■ + R2	X + RT
Fake Snap	R1	RB

Madden 21 Special Teams Defense Controls

Action	PS4 Controls	Xbox One Controls
Jumping Block Attempt	▲	Y
Switch Player	O	B
Audible	■	X
Diving Block Attempt	■	X
Flip Play	■ + R2	X + RT
Show Play Art / Jump Snap	R2	RT