Knowing how to scout your opposition in Madden NFL 22 is an essential skill to use in the new Weekly Strategy feature. Weekly Strategy is an upgrade from the Game Plan feature that was included in past Madden NFL games. It now allows players to create offensive and defensive game plans based on their opponents' strengths. Data from the upcoming opponents' previous games is collected and shared, showing what kind of offense they ran and how strong they were in their previous weeks' defense.
Choosing an offensive and defensive Focus in Madden NFL 22 is important because it directly impacts how the AI players will perform. Recommended Focuses are available as well, based on the collected data from the opponent's performance. Defensive Game Plans are formed to counter offensive strengths, while Offensive Game Plans are meant to expose weaknesses.
There are six Offensive and Defensive Game Plan Focuses in total. During the game, these Focuses will only be used when selected, and the UI shows the pros and cons of using each. For example, using Defend Deep Pass gives the opponent more room to throw short. A new Game Plan tab on the Play Call screen in-game has these plays available to make them quick and easy to find.
How to Use Defensive and Offensive Focuses in Madden NFL 22
Each Defensive Focus in Madden NFL 22 has a Top Threat player with specific associated Next Gen Stats and ranks. When building out the specific defensive strategy for the opponent, players should consider things like their throw-run success ratio, which players they tend to throw to, and how successful those players are in receiving the ball.
To make things easier for casual players, the recommended Focuses are predetermined and not anything that the player has to set up or review themselves. To build a stronger defense, it's best to look at each of the six defensive plans to see which of the opponent's highest-rated players pose the most threat on offense. The six Defensive Game Plan Focuses are:
- Defend Inside Run
- Defend Outside Run
- Defend Short Pass
- Defend Medium Pass
- Defend Deep Pass
- Contain QB Scramble
The Madden NFL 22 Offensive Focuses are recommended based on what the opponent is strong at stopping, not what they are likely to use. While it's more than likely that an opponent will use a strategy to be defensively sound, players should be sure to review what their opponents are strong and weak in ahead of time. Players can also see which plays their opponents are likely to call on in First and 10, Second and Long, Second and Medium, and Third and Long. The improvements on Offensive Game Plans in Madden NFL 22's Franchise mode will help build a strong offense around things that may surprise opponents, and expose their defensive shortcomings. The six Offensive Game Plan Focuses are:
- Run Inside
- Run Outside
- Throw It Short
- Throw It Medium
- Throw It Deep
- Blitz Counter
Madden NFL 22 is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Google Stadia.