Madden 24 best zone defense
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Running zone defense is a pretty viable option in Madden 24. With an influx of mobile quarterbacks, having a stout defense that doesn’t turn its back to the QB is important. Man coverage works better for some teams, schemes, and players, but zone defense carries a lot less risk. It also generally doesn’t leave cornerbacks on an island in coverage.
As a result, zone defense is pretty common, but that’s for good reason. Here are the best zone defenses to run in Madden NFL 24.
If you’re interested in learning more about Madden 24, check out this guide on which teams to rebuild in franchise mode, our official review, and which players have X Factors.
What zone defenses should I use in Madden 24?
Zone coverage is a lot easier to pull off than man coverage, so a lot of playbooks have more than a few good zone plays to counter the offense within EA Sports’ latest offering. There are good ones in a variety of formations, too.
From the Kansas City Chiefs’ defensive playbook, there is a very good play in the nickel formation. Cover 2 Invert is a good play. The left side of the defense has less coverage, but the pass rush pushes the play to the right, where the defenders should have every area of the field blanketed.
Cover 2 Hard Flat is a pretty standard zone play from the San Francisco 49ers defense in 4-3. This play lets cornerbacks cover the short routes, with safeties over the top. The linebackers cover the entire middle of the field, so there’s hardly any open area.
Trio Sky Zone is a very good zone blitz play found in the Pittsburgh Steelers playbook. The defensive line and edge rushers are joined by one linebacker on a blitz. The cornerbacks are responsible for sticking with the wide receiver deep down the field, with linebackers covering the flat and the middle.
A dime formation play from the Dallas Cowboys book is another good play. Cover 6 is pretty common, but it drops six defensive backs into coverage and ensures that there’s hardly a square inch of grass that doesn’t have a defender covering it. It’s hard for any quarterback, even Patrick Mahomes, to pick apart six defensive backs.
Heavy 2 Trap comes from the Baltimore Ravens’ Quarter formation. The play requires two outside linebackers to rush along with the line, while the defensive tackle drops into the middle. The cornerbacks stay in the flat and the safeties drop back deep. Another corner drops into the middle with the defensive tackle. This is one of the most unique defensive situations, but it’s tough for an offense to read properly.
