Welcome back to another episode of Ask Huddle! Each week, we break down your Madden questions to help you understand the game on a deeper level. If you have questions you'd like us to answer in a future episode, drop them in the comments below. Our goal is always to help you win more games.
To watch the full video on YouTube from Huddle, click play above or here.
#1 - What does "untarget defender" mean? How does it work?
Answer:
Untarget Defender is a brand-new mechanic in Madden 26, and honestly, it’s one of the best additions to the game in years. It gives you control over your offensive line by letting you decide which defender you want them to ignore.
You can use it in two ways:
- Full Pass Protection Menu: Press LB to bring up pass protection, then press Y to select Untarget Defender. From there, place the flame icon above the defender you want your line to leave unblocked and push A.
- Quick Shortcut: Simply flick the right stick up pre-snap to access the same mechanic.
This is especially useful against opponents who like to mug the gap with their user to mess with your protections and confuse your offensive line. Since you know the user isn’t actually blitzing, you can untarget them, freeing your line to focus on real threats and helping you pick up blitzes much more effectively.
#2 - How do you shut down wheel routes from tight formations?
Answer:
Wheel routes from tight formations are a very common way players attack zone coverage, and truly shutting them down requires understanding the full route concept your opponent is running. In this breakdown, we’re focusing on Cross Wheels out of the Gun Tight Doubles formation.
The adjustment is simple:
- Start in a Cover 2 shell. You can set this up from any play, but Cover 2 gives you the safest overall coverage.
- Man up the inside receiver with your slot corner.
- Put your outside corner in a soft squat.
The soft squat will immediately take away the wheel route and then carry it downfield to shut it down late as well.
Make sure to check out the video to see these adjustments in action.
#3 - How do you stop stemmed down corner routes?
Answer:
One of the most popular routes in the game right now is the custom-stemmed corner route out of bunch or compression formations. There are several ways to defend it, but one of my favorite answers is using match coverage.
The setup is simple:
- Call Cover 9 and, if possible, use a Cover 2 shell (check the video if you’re not sure how to set this up).
- In your coaching adjustments, make sure Auto Flip is turned on. This ensures the Cover 2 side of your Cover 9 always aligns to the bunch side.
That’s it, you don’t need any extra adjustments. This setup naturally handles the most common bunch combo of corner, slot fade, and streak, taking away one of the toughest route concepts in the game.
#4 - How can you see your blocking assignments in the run game?
Answer:
In Madden 26, you can’t view individual blocking assignments in the run game. While pass protection assignments are visible, the run game doesn’t give you that same level of detail.
The only run-blocking mechanic you can control is Untarget Defender, which lets you tell your offense which defender you don’t want them to block.
A common misconception is that sliding your line, ID’ing the Mike, or double-teaming changes run-blocking rules. That’s not the case (unless you’re calling a draw). Run-blocking is determined by the concept of the play you’re calling and how the defense is aligned and positioned.
Thanks for tuning in again this week! If you have a question you'd like us to answer in a future episode, make sure to drop it in the comments section below.
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