A new addition to the historicMaddenfranchise is releasing this week and it wouldn’t be aMaddengame without changing some button inputs around. A small but incredibly important football move has been changed fromMadden NFL 20toMadden NFL 21and it could lead to a costly error if players aren’t up to date on the new controls. Not knowing how to slide with a quarterback in the newest game could lead to game-altering fumbles and possibly a few broken controllers.
Running with the quarterback has become more and more important in the NFL and inMadden. A quarterback that can run could be the difference between a drive stalling sack and a potential first down.Madden NFL 21’scover athlete,Lamar Jackson, is coming off the 2019 NFL season having won the NFL’s MVP award by being incredibly efficient passing the ball and breaking the all-time rushing record for a quarterback. While Lamar Jackson isn’t known for sliding while running the ball, he’d rather juke someone out of their cleats for a few extra yards,Madden NFL 21doesn’t care which quaterback is carrying the ball and taking a hit from a defensive player is an easy way to commit a turnover.
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Quarterback sliding has been updated to be much easier inMadden NFL 21whereas last year’s game,Madden NFL 20,asked players to press three buttons to make a quarterback slide. InMadden NFL 21to get a quarterback to slide, players simply need to make sure they’re across the line of scrimmage and hit the X button on Xbox or the Square button on PlayStation and this will send the quarterback into the slide animation to avoid contact. It should be noted that the quarterback will still slide when 10 yards away from the endzone, however, the quarterback will attempt a dive across the goal line when they are five yards or closer to the goal line.
Sliding can be done with other ball carriers as well, but it takes a bit more input from the player. While a quarterback slide can be executed by hitting X or Square once, to make any other player slide or “give themselves up” and avoid contact, players must double-tap the X or Square buttons. This will cause a player to fall to the ground safely and avoid a big hit or having to run any further forward. Learning how to run the ball effectively can prove to be insanely important, so much so that theMadden NFL 20Maddel Bowl Championshipwas won by a player who never used a quarterback and simply ran over the competition.
Madden NFL 21comes with a few new updates and game mode additions from its predecessor. Notably,Madden NFL 21includes an all-new Face of the Franchise mode that carries on the story-like aspect forMaddenthat was introduced inMadden NFL 18. Players are able to play out a scenario of a young high school player attempting to win a starting quarterback job and eventually go on to play football in college and hope to make it in the NFL. While this version of the game’s story mode is unique toMadden NFL 21, fans of the series have voiced their concerns for the franchise’s long-runningFranchise Mode, claiming the lack of new features and overall change makes it seem as though EA is leaving the popular mode behind.
Also new toMadden NFL 21is a game mode called The Yardwhich drops players into a classic arcade football-style game and features a 6v6 format. This mode will allow players to create an athlete and earn experience as well as unlock new items for their player as they progress through the mode. The Yard is bringing a new and different way for fans to experienceMaddenby focusing more on fun and scoring rather than the simulation type football gamesMaddenis known for.
Madden NFL 21releases on June 07, 2025, on PC, PS4, and Xbox One and is planning to release on the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
