There are bi changes to how Cover 3 and Cover 4 defenses play against the most common offensive formations in Madden 25.
We go over these changes in detail in the video below!
Anytime you are going against an offense with three receivers on one side (for example any trips or bunch set) the yellow zones in a Cover 3 or Cover 4 will massively overplay to that side.
Note: If it is a balanced set with two receivers on each side, the defense will play as expected.
If you are on defense and want your defenders to play the traditional way, simply put zone drops on the field, shade underneath, or use the “Play the Sticsk” adjustment at the line of scrimmage.
Let’s take a closer look at how this all works.
Our opponent is in a cover 3 defense while we are in a trips set (to the right side of the field). That tells us that the 2 linebackers in yellow zones will likely abandon the middle of the field and sprint to the right sideline.
The two linebackers we had previously circled are now way beyond the right hash mark overplaying the trips side of the field.
This is the same view as the screenshot above just zoomed way out. You can see how the middle of the field is completely abandoned. We snuck a running back in there and will easily get 25+ yards.
Now let’s look at how these zones play after turning on zone drops or shading underneath.
With this adjustment you can see that only one linebacker is on the right side of the field.
When we zoom out, you can see that the other linebacker is playing the middle of the field like he should and our running back is no longer open.
Regardless of whether you are playing offense or defense, this is something you should be aware of.
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