Madden NFL 21 Review: 4 Ups & 8 Downs

3. Linebackers Aren't Gods

Last year, linebackers had springs in their shoes and could leap up to intercept even the most vicious of bullet passes from the air. That always felt a little cheap, and like the game was punishing your receivers for running anything other than a straight route down the middle of the field.

They've been toned down in Madden 21.

That's a welcome change, because it means defenders aren't joined at the hip to your wide men. They still made impossible catches every now and then, but not nearly as often as they did in recent versions. There's more variety now, and they even get lost if you mix things up with slants or comebacks.

This is great when playing against human opponents too. You're rewarded for digging deeper into your playbook and don't have to worry as much about AI-controlled linebackers leaping out of nowhere to destroy your schemes.