Though they’re not as exciting as the potential offensive playbooks in Madden 23, defensive playbooks are equally important. While the offense will let you score points, you will only win if you can keep your opponent’s points down. This is where defensive play shines. Having the right defensive playbook will allow you to bring the right strategies in Madden 23 and stop the opponents’ points in their tracks.
This guide will tell you all about them. Most of the playbooks have the same base coverages. However, some stand out from the rest due to having specific coverage or more plays from a single formation.
Kansas City Chiefs
It seems the meta defensive playbook in Madden 23 lies with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs boast the terrific 33 defense from the Nickel package, which has been unstoppable in the game’s early going. However, the Chiefs also have Even 61 in the 43 packages, which features some solid plays. There are also Dime Normal, Big Nickel, and other packages players can utilize to their advantage. Dime Normal specifically has the DB Blitz 1, which has been wreaking havoc so far due to how fast defenders can get to the quarterback.
46
Non-team players usually rely on meta in the defensive playbook. This playbook is firmly in contention as the top playbook available. This can slightly vary compared to the previous year, but the meta formations like Big Nickle, 33 Nickle, and 33 Cub Nickle are still present. Moreover, Dime Normal is also paart of this amazing playbook along with 32 Dollar. A Plethora of formations is present in Dollar, which can be surprisingly great against the run and pass.
Multiple D
Multiple D is always a favorite among Madden players, especially those who partake in MUT (though non-team playbooks are not available in MUT at the time of writing). This defensive playbook features most formations that one would expect to see. The Nickel formations are again at the forefront, as well as Dime Normal and Dollar. The 34 defenses haven’t been the best this year, but Multiple D has a large array of 34 formations that players can use.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs certainly have a unique defensive playbook, as the Nickel formations differ from what you’ve seen previously. The Bucs still get 33 Cub, but there’s also 245 Odd and 24 Double A-Gap, which are terrific defenses for blitzing the quarterback. Tampa Bay also has 34 Bear and 44 Split available for players who want to venture outside of Nickel. It should be noted that the Jacksonville Jaguars have this same playbook, so the Jags could also be mentioned on this list.
Chicago Bears
An underrated defensive formation in the Bears playbook is the 46 Bear, one of the best formations for blitzing the quarterback and stopping the run. However, Chicago also features some base Nickel defenses worth running, Even 61 in 43, Big Nickel, and an interesting Dollar package in 32 Mug. Big Nickel could be the best formation in this playbook, as it features plays equipped to stop most offensive formations.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens always have a strong defense, and their Madden 23 playbook backs that up. Baltimore has the base meta defenses in 33 Cub and Odd and 24 Double A-Gap. However, the Ravens also feature a few different Dime packages that players can mess around with. 1-4-6 is arguably the best formation out of the Dime, with loads of blitz packages that will keep an offense guessing for an entire drive. There’s also 2-3-6, though, which can stimulate a mobile quarterback from running with its ability but gets nice pressure with linebacker rushes.
