Top 5 Solo Challenge Tips on Defense

Defense not only wins championships in Madden NFL 16, it also can help you win solo challenges with ease. Having a stout defense that can get a well-timed sack and stop the run is the key to completing solo challenges quickly. Here are our favorite ways to lock up on defense and earn more coins to build our ultimate team.

Use Formation Subs

It will cost you coins in the long run to keep additional players on your roster, even on the bench. A big key to fielding a great team is to get value from every position. Aim to build your lineup to fit your most important defensive set and then use formation subs at the play-calling screen to fit players in. For most solo challenges, you shouldn’t need to have a full roster of backups to defeat the computer consistently. You can pay up front for a highly rated player who can do it all or pick up two lower-rated players who can each do one thing well and then sub them in to maximize their ratings.

Find a User Defender

Look for a big, fast defender with poor play recognition to user-control on your defense. By taking control of him, you can react to plays quickly once you read what the opponent is doing. This is a great way to take a lower-rated player and increase his level of play. This should help you save coins in one area so that you can spend them on a position like CB to match up with an opponent’s number one wideout.

Stuff the Run

Stopping the run on early downs is crucial to getting the offense in a bad situation on third and long. If you don’t have a solid run-defense formation that you are comfortable with, you will be vulnerable to play-action passes. Make the computer run everything inside by spreading your defensive line in early downs. Their best runs will come if you lose containment to the outside, so protect there early. If you get them to a short-yardage situation, then look for the up-the-middle run. Keeping the ball in your possession during solo challenges really speeds them up, and stopping the run is important.

Learn Concepts

Keep an eye on the game situation and formation that the computer is calling to give you some potential information about what play they are looking to call. On third and short, they are more likely to call a concept like stick, where you will want to be ready to jump underneath and shade your coverage down. On third and long, they are more likely to use a verticals concept, so you want to protect the deep middle, especially to the TE. You will start to recognize patterns after seeing just one route on a play, and that will let your user get into a good position. Every playbook shares similar concepts — the difference is the formation!

Get a Blitz

Getting the opponent to third and long is the key to winning solo challenges. It will make them one-dimensional and force them to pass the ball, which allows you to blitz. Learn how to sneak a slot CB in on a blitz off the edge, and the QB can either dump it off for a short gain or hold the ball and take a sack. This can also lead to turnovers, which is the quickest way to get a victory.