When your run game fails you, it’s time to air it out. Whether you’re playing Madden 22‘s Ultimate Team or constructing a dynasty in Franchise Mode, you cannot ignore your passing game, especially with so many elite gunslinger quarterbacks and ultra-talented receivers out there. If you want to develop a successful air raid offense, though, you’ll need to know how to pass and catch.
How to Throw
The basics of throwing the football in Madden 22 are simple. When you drop back to pass, press the button that matches the icon of the receiver you want to throw to. Various circumstances can affect your accuracy, including throwing on the run, throwing across your body, and throwing under pressure. Your QB’s stats for these categories will determine how accurate his pass will be under these circumstances.
But you can also control what kind of throw you make, in two ways: by throw speed and height. Let’s start with the three kinds of throws you can make based on speed.
- Bullet pass: Hold the receiver icon. The bullet pass is a lighting-fast pass made to the receiver, ideal for throwing to receivers in tight windows.
- Lob pass: Tap the receiver icon. Throw a lob pass that hangs in the air longer than a normal pass. Great for hail mary passes and throwing to receivers streaking down the field who’ve beat their defender.
- Touch pass: Press the receiver. Your standard pass.
Passers can exert even more control over their passes by controlling the height of the pass as well.
- High pass: Hold L1 or LB then press receiver icon. Ideal for throwing to taller receivers that can go up and get the ball over shorter defenders.
- Low pass: Hold L2 or LT then press receiver icon. Ideal for throwing to shorter, faster receivers with defenders behind them.
These can all be combined as well, so you can throw low bullets and high lobs as you march down the field. Additionally, here are few other miscellaneous passing controls you should use.
- Pump fake: Double tap the receiver icon. Fake a pass to the targeted receiver, potentially forcing the defender to bite and freeing up the receiver.
- Throw away: R3 or RS (click right stick): Throw the ball out of bounds to avoid a sack or a dangerous throw.
How to Catch
Nothing’s more disappointing than a great throw wasted by a bad or missed catch. Catching is more simplistic than passing, with three options for receivers to choose from.
- Possession catch: X or A. The safest catch option, focusing on securing the ball and getting down. Ideal for throwing into tight windows between defenders or near the out-of-bounds line. Use this to avoid losing the ball to a big hit from a defender.
- Aggressive catch: Triangle or Y. When both the receiver and the defender have a good shot at catching the ball, use the Aggressive catch to give yourself an edge. Better protects yourself from losing the ball to an interception.
- Run After Catch: Square or X. Ideal for receivers with lots of room ahead of them to continue running after making the catch.
