Fumble Tips: How to Hold the Ball on Offense and Take It on Defense - Madden NFL 20 Guide - IGN (2024)

Fumbles can make or break games, swinging the momentum from one team to another especially in the crucial final minutes of a game. Here are some tips on how to protect the ball on offense or try to take it away on defense.

Quarterbacks have a natural tendency to drop the ball on contact. This is true whether they're sacked while attempting to pass or hit while they're scrambling.

If you're the quarterback and passing, there is no way to better protect the ball during a pass attempt. There is no way, for example, that if you see a sack coming that you can simply cover up the ball and go down. You can always try forcing a pass, but that may result in an interception if it's particularly risky. Remember that if you're outside the pocket, you can throw the ball away by pressing R3.

If you're the quarterback and scrambling, you can hold R1 before taking a hit to protect the ball. However, while this works for all ball carriers, it's still not a guarantee if the quarterback takes a hit. In this case, it's better to give yourself up by executing a quarterback slide. Once executed, the quarterback cannot fumble.

As stated above, if you are controlling the ball carrier regardless of what position he plays, you can hold R1/RB to make him cover up the ball and protect it with both hands. This will sharply decrease his running speed, but it significantly decreases the chance he'll fumble.

The player's Carrying attribute still applies, so a low Carrying attribute will still see the ball carrier fumble even if the ball is protected. As mentioned, quarterbacks are especially prone to fumbles regardless whether they're protecting the ball. Still, protecting it is better than not when you're about to take a hit or if you've called a run straight up the middle while you're on the opponent's goal line.

On defense, you can hold R1/RB before initiating contact to try to strip the ball from the ball carrier. This works especially well against quarterbacks. However, doing this also highly increases the chance you'll be called for a facemask penalty, thus giving up 15 yards and a first down.

In general, you'll want to avoid trying a ball strip if the game is even or there's plenty of time left on the game clock.

Attempting to strip the ball does not seem to impact the ability of the ball carrier to avoid or break the tackle attempt.

On defense, you can flick the right stick up to square up and put a strong shoulder check into the opponent. This immediately stops your running momentum, so if you're juked or the ball carrier otherwise avoids the hit, it's likely he's going to gain huge yardage. Further, use of the Hit Stick increases the chance the ball carrier can stiff arm or otherwise break the tackle if the defender's abilities aren't high. However, if the Hit Stick is executed correctly, it's highly likely you'll cause a fumble.

There is also a Cut Stick mechanic. Also using the right stick, this time you'll flick it down. It's a bit more forgiving on the timing but also easier to dodge. If you connect, you'll hit the runner low to knock him to the ground. This is best used against runners with low jumping skill or low Awareness attributes.

If the offense is passing, correct timing of the Hit or Cut Stick will significantly increase the chance of the receiver dropping the ball. They are a bit riskier as executing it too early may result in a pass interference penalty, and executing it at all means the defender will stay grounded while the receiver may get the reception by jumping or simply running around the defender.

Practice makes perfect with the Hit and Cut Sticks. If you want to master their timing, it's best to run the drills in Skills Trainer and practice it with normal plays in Practice Mode so you get used to the timing and "feel" of how the move is executed.

While incomplete passes don't result in a turnover, many of the same mechanics regarding fumbles relate to receiving as well. If you're on offense, you can order your receiver to attempt a certain catch type even if you are not directly controlling him. The timing is tricky because you'll have to hit the catch type button immediately after passing while the ball is in the air. For short passes, you may not even have the time to press the button, in which case the receiver will stick with is default choice.

There are three catch types:

• Possession Catches are when the receiver will look to secure the ball even if he has to stop running to do so. These result in high catch rates, but little yardage afterward. This is ordered by pressing X on the PS4 or A on the XB1.
• Runs After Catch, or RACs, are when the receiver tries to stay in motion as he catches the ball. This is usually the default catch type in all situations. The receiver is vulnerable within the first couple steps of making the catch. This is ordered by pressing Triangle on the PS4 or Y on the XB1.
• Aggressive Catches are when the receiver will put his body on the line to get the ball, usually by jumping, diving, or trying to catch the ball one-handed. These result in slightly lower reception rates than the other two, but they allow the receiver to grab passes that are inaccurate. They also allow the receiver to fight for the ball if he's being covered, possibly breaking up interceptions if the ball is thrown particularly badly. This is ordered by pressing Square on the PS4 or X on the XB1.

On defense, some of the mechanics stated in above paragraphs can help dislodge the ball. For example, using the Hit Stick or the Strip Ball button before making contact will greatly increase the chance of making the receiver drop the ball, especially within the first couple steps of his catch attempt. The same drawbacks apply as well. If you attempt the Hit Stick and miss, the receiver will likely have an open field and will gain much more yardage then he would have otherwise.

If you're on defense, the act of trying to dislodge the ball this way can be risky if the receiver is especially good at bringing in the ball. So instead of “playing the receiver,” you can have your defenders “play the ball” by trying to swat it out of the air or intercept. To attempt a ball swat as the defender in coverage, press the Square button (PS4) or X button (XB1) while the ball is in flight as it comes close. Press the Triangle button or Y button to attempt an intercept, which has a lower chance of working but would result in a turnover if it succeeds.

You can use Coaching Adjustments in the playcalling screen to affect the default behavior of your team whether on offense or defense. You can set their default catch types, whether ball carriers protect the ball, and whether defenders attempt Hit Sticks or ball stripping. It's important to practice these skills and settings, whether against the AI in normal games or in Practice Mode, if you plan on playing competitively.