Skip to main content

How to slide in Madden 22 and why you should

Madden 22 welcomes new and old players back to the virtual gridiron. As the real NFL is constantly changing, so is Madden. Gone are the days of the conventional pocket-passers like Tom Brady. The era of Patrick Mahomes and the scrambling magic-maker QB is here to stay. However, the concern with real-life scrambling QBs is the potential for injury. Keeping the face of your franchise safe is more important than that early-game TD or first down. Sliding is the key to safety, so here’s how to slide in Madden 22 and why it’s so important.

How to slide in Madden 22

Lamar Jackson holding the football in Madden.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

To slide in Madden 22, quickly tap Square (on PlayStation) or X (on Xbox) while running forward. Do not hold the button for too long, as you’ll accidentally dive instead. You can slide whenever you’re carrying the football, whether as a QB, running back, or wide receiver. However, the sliding animation takes a second to kick in. Make sure to initiate your slide before defenders get too close, or they’ll tackle you outright. So, when do the pros slide in the real-life NFL?

Recommended Videos

It’s third-and-long, and Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are down late in the third quarter. While there’s a good chance Mahomes can bring his team back by the end of the game, picking up this first down will increase his chances of scoring on this drive. Nothing’s open, and his check-down throw isn’t anywhere near the first down. Mahomes must do what Mahomes does best — run for it.

But there’s one tiny problem — a 240-pound linebacker is barreling down on Mahomes as he nears the first-down marker. Should he dive for the extra yard or slide to make a more manageable fourth-and-short? In this situation, he slides down to avoid the big hit, living to run or throw again on the next play.

Madden players can be reckless at times, especially with their running QBs. Not only will diving or taking a hit risk injury, but it also risks a fumble. As sure-handed as QBs like Mahomes and Russell Wilson are, getting blown up in the open field is almost a guaranteed fumble. So, when and why should you slide in Madden 22?

The right time to slide in Madden 22

A Giants player carries the football in Madden.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

We’ve already gone over why sliding is the best way to protect your QB, so let’s look at some other situations where sliding might be the better option.

Keep the clock running

In the 2020 NFC Championship Game, Tom Brady hit WR Chris Godwin on a short route near the first-down marker. If Godwin ran or was tackled out of bounds, the clock would have stopped, and the Bucs would be forced to run another play. Instead, Godwin slid in-bounds after crossing the first-down line to keep the clock running, thus winning the game and sending the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the Super Bowl.

If you find yourself in a Godwin situation, with first-down yardage all you need to seal the deal, slide down once you’ve crossed the line to keep the clock running and avoid a big hit.

Don’t score!

While the Godwin slide is an example of heads-up football, let’s look at a time when a player should have slid but cost his team the game instead. The Atlanta Falcons were down by 2 points against the Detroit Lions. The Falcons were in easy field-goal range, and the Lions were unable to stop the clock. All they had to do was run the clock down and kick a game-winning field goal. QB Matt Ryan told Running Back Todd Gurly, “Don’t score!” Then, Gurly was handed the ball on a simple running play and ran toward the goal line. He scored, putting the Falcons up by 5. The Lions then drove down the field and won the game.

If he were playing Madden 22, Gurly should have slid at the 2- or 3-yard line to keep the clock running after picking up the first down. Then, all Ryan had to do was spike the ball with a second or two left and send out the field goal unit. Football is a mental sport, and sometimes giving yourself up with a slide is the smartest play you can make.

Mike Colucci
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Michael Colucci is a lifelong video game fan based out of the greater Boston area. He's the one insistent on searching every…
Topics
The history of the Madden Curse
John Madden bursts through the cover of Madden NFL 23: All Madden Edition.

More than 20 years into the iconic franchise's history, there's almost no escaping the Madden Curse. Since Garrison Hearst broke his ankle in 1998 shortly after appearing on the cover of Madden NFL 99, most of the players who starred on the game's cover have suffered an injury the following season. Of the 22 players who have been selected to grace the cover of Madden games, 16 have had troubling or abruptly shortened seasons following their cover debut -- including several who suffered season-ending injuries shortly after their game hit shelves.

EA Sports continues to dismiss any serious talk of a curse hovering over its wildly successful franchise and attributed the rash of injuries and other negative, post-cover issues to an athlete's natural regression after a season of peak performance. They're probably right -- but Madden NFL 21 gave us another chance to test the curse. Lamar Jackson seemingly passed the test, but the injury bug plagued the Ravens backfield a season later in the form of season-ending injuries to all their running backs.

Read more
Madden NFL 23’s ‘no-brainer’ cover star is John Madden
John Madden bursts through the cover of Madden NFL 23: All Madden Edition.

EA has confirmed rumors that Coach John Madden will be the cover star of Madden NFL 23. 
John Madden, who had a long career as both the coach of the Oakland Raiders and a football analyst, died in December 2021. EA is honoring Madden -- the namesake and inspiration behind its highly successful football game franchise -- by renaming a recently renovated field at its Redwood Shores headquarters to the "John Madden Field" and putting him on the cover of Madden NFL 23. There will be three unique covers, including one by artist Chuck Styles for the digital-exclusive Madden NFL 23 All-Madden Edition.

Speaking to Digital Trends, executive producer Aaron McHardy said that EA typically looks at the most exciting and Madden brand-aligned athletes in the NFL when choosing a cover star. But he says there wasn't much of a debate about who would headline the next game after the team learned of Madden's death.
"I don't even think there were discussions as everybody just arrived at the fact that he's going back on the cover because we have to honor him in the best way we possibly can," McHardy said. "It's been so long since he was on the cover of the game, but the game has got his name on it every single year, so we wanted to do everything we could to honor the legend like he is, and it was a no-brainer to put him on the cover." 
Madden is not just being honored on the cover. The first thing players will experience when booting up Madden NFL 23 is a fictional game where two versions of Madden are facing off against each other with all-star teams of athletes in the 1970s Oakland Coliseum. This game will even include real voice clips from Madden, remastered just for this experience. McHardy also believes Madden's influence can be felt outside of that opening game because his death encouraged the development team to work harder. 
"I didn't have the pleasure of speaking with him, but I know a lot of the guys on the team did." McHardy continued. "He was invested in making sure that our game was the most authentic 11v11 football game that it could be. It was obviously a sad and somber moment to lose someone like Coach Madden, but it really energized the team in a way this year to think about our features, what we're building, and how we can honor that legacy." Madden NFL 23 will be released for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S later this year. 

Read more
May’s PlayStation Plus game lineup includes FIFA 22
Player being chased while kicking a ball in Fifa 22.

May's PlayStation Plus titles were announced today, bringing new game freebies to the soon-to-be-changing subscription. The titles include FIFA 22, Tribes of Midgard, and Curse of the Dead Gods. Each of these titles is coming to the Plus hub on May 3 and will be free to download for members of the service.

FIFA 22 | Official Gameplay Trailer

Read more