Playbooks
The Kickoff formation is Madden NFL's special teams package for starting each half and restarting play after scores. It includes 15 plays across five sets: Landingzone Nfl Kickoff, Nfl Kickoff, Nfl Onside Kick, Nfl Onside Kick 2, and Nfl Onside Kick 3. The Landingzone Nfl Kickoff set follows the dynamic kickoff ruleset. The kicker stands alone at the tee while the ten coverage players line up close to the return team's front wall. That compressed alignment removes the running start coverage units used to get, so lane integrity and pursuit angles matter more than raw speed off the snap. The goal is to force the ball into the landing zone without giving up a touchback or a penalty spot.
The Nfl Kickoff set keeps the traditional spread coverage look for depth and directional kicks. The three onside sets change the front alignment, clustering bodies to one side or balancing them across the field to create numbers advantages at the recovery point. Each onside variation shows a different pre-snap picture. That lets you hide which side the ball is going to and punish return units that stay in their standard hands team spacing.
This formation is about field position and possession control rather than scoring. A well-placed landing zone kick that pins the returner near the sideline or forces a fair catch deep in his own territory works like a defensive stop before the offense even takes the field. The onside packages give trailing teams a legitimate way back into close games. You can overload the kick side with extra recovery bodies, or use a slow, bouncing ball to win the scramble against a return team that has no set shape.
The Kickoff formation fits every offensive scheme, but it matters most for ball control and power run teams that win through field position and limiting opponent possessions. Aggressive air raid and spread play-callers who score quickly and often find themselves in shootouts get extra value from the onside sets as comeback tools. Rosters with a high Kick Power and Kick Accuracy kicker plus fast, high tackle rated special teamers get the most out of the landing zone strategy.
Default to the Landingzone Nfl Kickoff and aim toward the wide side boundary, dialing power so the ball lands between the 5 and 15 yard lines to force a return into traffic
User the coverage player lined up in the lane you kicked to, and take a contain angle toward the ball carrier's outside shoulder instead of flying straight at him
Against an elite returner with 95 plus speed, switch to the Nfl Kickoff set and drive the ball through the end zone to accept the touchback rather than risk a game changing return
Save the onside sets for trailing situations late in the fourth quarter, and rotate between Nfl Onside Kick, Nfl Onside Kick 2, and Nfl Onside Kick 3 so your alignment tells the opponent nothing about the kick side
Before an onside attempt, check whether the opponent's hands team has shifted bodies to one side, then kick away from the overload and user the nearest recovery player to dive on the bounce