Madden 19: How to Stop a Run

How to Stop a Run in Madden 19

In Madden 19, stopping the run has always been tricky for newer players, especially when playing online. When playing the CPU on most difficulties, it will usually easily telegraph what they are doing to you, and allow you with enough time to react even if you make mistakes.

Playing online whether it’s MUT or using regular teams, is a lot more unforgiving. Skilled Madden 19 players will absolutely exploit your defense to the fullest extent and run all over you, over and over, and over if you don’t know how to stop the run. They don’t care if it doesn’t match up to how football is played realistically. If you don’t know how to stop a specific play, and your opponent catches wind of it, expect to have it called on you constantly in Madden 19.

If you’re here, you’re probably having trouble with how to stop the run in Madden 19. Like most years, it’s mostly about making sure you have the appropriate defensive personnel lined up, and that you identifying signs that the run is indeed coming and if you’re not ready, adjusting on the fly. While there are certainly going to be some trick plays that surprise you, such as run taking place with 0-1 TEs and a bunch of WRs, a lot of the time it can be predictable. For example if you see 2-3 TEs lined up, it’s likely that the run is coming as your opponent is lining up extra bigger people to block. Same goes if you see the fullback come out. It could be that the fullback is blocking, or going to take the ball himself if it’s a short run, but chances are you’re probably going to see a run coming down the middle.

Try to set your defense to a 4-4 split with a blitz play if you see your opponent lining up with a package the has lots of TEs. This is generally considered to be a pretty safe option against most running plays. If you notice that your opponent favors a certain direction, try to take control of a linebacker and go straight for the hole that you know they are going to be looking for to plug it up ASAP. Just be sure to react if your opponent calls an audible because they might if they get spooked with how you have lined up your defense.

Ultimately, playing online in Madden 19 is going to come down to skill, and the meta might dramatically shift over the course of Madden 19’s lifespan, especially considering the new running the ball changes that were added this year, but basic run stopping tips such as these should help no matter what.

For more tips and tricks on Madden 19, be sure to check out our comprehensive wiki.