When aiming to put points on the board in Madden NFL 26, your odds of success improve dramatically by leveraging offensive playbooks proven to maximize scoring potential. Playbooks serve as comprehensive collections of a team’s tactical arsenal—encompassing formations, schemes, and strategic approaches. Every NFL team has its own offensive identity, but certain playbooks offer greater flexibility, balance, or explosive potential that can elevate your squad’s performance.

Each offensive playbook is built around a distinct central philosophy, which may or may not align with your team's strengths. For instance, a pass-heavy playbook won’t be optimal for a squad built around a dominant ground game. The ideal playbook for you in Madden 26 will often depend on your star players and the roles they fulfill within your offensive system.

Chicago Bears

Fresh Leadership, Fresh Offensive Firepower

With Ben Johnson stepping in as head coach, the Chicago Bears have completely restructured their offensive approach, embracing diversity in play design to expand their options. This playbook is ideal for well-balanced teams, and it’s also beginner-friendly, offering a smooth learning curve for those new to high-level play-calling.

Centered heavily on Shotgun formation passes, this playbook uses pre-snap motion from multiple players to disrupt defensive timing and create mismatches. This is especially effective against opponents who struggle to adapt mid-play, opening the door for explosive deep throws and fast-paced scoring drives.

If your Madden 26 roster features one of the league’s speediest Quarterbacks, this playbook allows them to thrive with dynamic run-pass options. Additionally, a solid array of rushing plays ensures this offense remains unpredictable, avoiding over-reliance on any single strategy and minimizing exploitable weaknesses.

Washington Commanders

Beat Aggressive Defenses With Precision Passing

For gamers who favor a pass-first attack, the Washington Commanders' playbook is a top-tier option, packed with advanced passing concepts designed to dismantle aggressive defensive schemes. Most of Washington’s plays originate from Pistol or Shotgun formations, giving the QB extra time to survey the field before blitzers arrive.

One of the most common defensive setups in Madden 26 is the Cover 0 Blitz, which focuses on pressuring the QB while leaving the sidelines vulnerable. The Commanders counter this with numerous outside Swing routes that target these exposed zones.

Their running game also features outside-breaking runs, making it a great fit for teams using a dual-running back alignment near the QB. As one of the few teams utilizing the Gun Go Go formation with two RBs, they can keep opponents guessing and exploit predictable defensive reads.

The Gun Bunch formation is another standout, making the Commanders especially dangerous inside the 20-yard line. Quick, short passes dominate this playbook, helping secure crucial first downs or touchdowns—especially when using the Bunch TE variation, which adds an extra blocker to buy valuable time.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Strategic Complexity for Experienced Play-Callers

The Jacksonville Jaguars utilize an offense rooted in the Shotgun formation, much like the Bears. However, while still balanced, the Jaguars’ playbook introduces greater intricacy in its play designs, making it ideal for players who enjoy adjusting plays at the line with audibles.

If you're someone who prefers customizing plays over relying solely on player ratings, the Jaguars’ playbook offers a wealth of adaptable options. It includes a mix of powerful rushing and passing plays, many drawn from established "meta" formations such as Doubles Flex Y Off Close and Gun Bunch—the latter being a favorite of the Commanders.

Unlike Washington, the Jaguars focus on attacking the interior of the field rather than stretching the sidelines. This requires pinpoint timing and the ability to identify fleeting defensive weaknesses, but the payoff is a highly versatile offense capable of thriving in any situation.

Los Angeles Chargers

Power Running to Wear Down Defenses

While many teams chase big plays through the air, the Los Angeles Chargers take a more physical, ground-oriented approach, featuring one of the highest concentrations of rushing plays in Madden 26. If you’ve got a speedy or powerful running back, this playbook lets you dominate time of possession and grind down opponents.

The playbook combines Singleback sets with the aggressive Split T formation, designed to punch through defensive gaps, especially near the goal line. Chargers plays often involve quick lineman pulls that create running lanes and deceive blitz-heavy defenses, giving your RB a clear path to daylight.

Because many of these plays rely on tight player alignment and coordinated blocking, this playbook can be challenging for newcomers to execute effectively.

Still, despite its run-first mentality, the Chargers pack a punch in the passing game too. The Gun Normal Y Off Close formation offers short passes and play-action fakes to keep defenses honest. Meanwhile, Gun Trips spreads receivers wide, setting up deep shots or drawing defenders away to clear space for inside runs.

New Orleans Saints

Unconventional Brilliance for Elite Playmakers

The New Orleans Saints run one of the most unique offensive systems in Madden 26, thanks to its abundance of rare and underused formations. Despite its quirks, the Saints’ playbook is remarkably balanced, offering coaches the freedom to tweak and reshape strategies on the fly.

It features standard formations like Singleback, Pistol, and I-formation, giving you solid options for both passing and rushing depending on the situation. While effective for both short gains and deep strikes, this playbook truly shines when used by teams with high-impact playmakers who can execute complex schemes.

Wildcat plays are a major strength, allowing mobile QBs to exploit space with designed runs or scrambles. Additionally, motion-heavy rushing plays highlight fast RBs, turning speed into scoring chances. Because of this, the Saints’ playbook suits rosters loaded with multiple stars.

Its improvisational style isn’t ideal for beginners, but even conservative players can benefit from its meta-efficient strategies without diving into the riskiest plays. Ultimately, the best offensive playbooks in Madden NFL 26 are those that blend innovation with consistency—giving your team the tools to dominate and score at will.

##### Madden NFL 26

Sports Systems

Released

August 14, 2025

Developer(s)

EA Tiburon

Publisher(s)

EA

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Franchise

Madden NFL

Platform(s)

Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch 2

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