One of the timeless arts of football fans is the need to bicker about which players are the best. In the past, this used to be easy inMadden NFL 22because the player OVR meant everything. The level 99 players were always better than the level 90 players, no questions asked.
RELATED:Madden NFL 22: Top Cornerbacks, RankedThat all changed with the introduction of X-Factor abilities. Now, a level 99 running back inMadden NFL 22might be given an X-Factor ability that makes them better at catching in one-on-one coverage, while a lower-ranked halfback will be given a superstar trait that runs over defenders with regularity. This factor alone can make the lower-ranked player far more desirable than the “better” player. So which X-Factor abilities reign supreme? Check out the cream of the crop.
Updated on April 24th, 2022 by Hodey Johns:Stats aren’t meaningless exactly, but they no longer should be the first thing to consider when playing with a player or team in Madden NFL 22. X-Factor abilities now dominate the entire gameplay experience, as a team that has great synergies and abilities will routinely smack around a statistically better team with weaker X-Factor abilities. The NFL is a game about superstars and the X-Factors are how these superstars are identified. This list has been updated so that playing with an athlete with one of these abilities will be a better experience and lead to more wins regardless of which mode is being played. Also, bullet points recommending what kind of player should consider the ability has been added to each section.
15YAC ‘Em Up
It can be tough to unlock YAC ‘Em Up, but that shouldn’t stop players from giving it a shot. After getting three 20+ yard receptions, they will be almost guaranteed to break their first tackle. That means one-on-one defenders are hosed.
Leveling up withmore training pointscan be a great way to get better, but no amount of training will surpass this advantage. For receivers who feast on yards after the catch and need to be a ball hog, this is a useful X-Factor ability.
14First One Free
It’ll take three 10+ yard runs, but after that, this is a hard ability to lose. It goes away after getting tackled for a loss, but the very nature of the X-Factor Ability itself makes it so losing it takes some seriously bad luck or bad play design.
Anybody running back that wants toimprove in franchise modewill do well to select First One Free. It makes the first juke, spin, or hurdle more effective each run. Much of the time, it only takes one such move to hit endzone paydirt.
13Freight Train
Take everything that makes First One Free great and then tailor it for contact runners instead of elusive runners. Breaking a tackle can be the difference between a two-yard loss and the endzone. Freight Train intends to see much more scoring.
Selecting an inferior X-Factor ability is one of manymistakes that players can make inMadden NFL 22. Running backs are sometimes pressured to take a gimmicky choice to fit in with a pass-heavy team. Freight Train shows just how unwise that is when it’s observed on the field.
12Relentless
Part of the brilliance of Relentless is how often it can be achieved. Make one tackle for a loss and the player is suddenly in the zone. It falls off after allowing 20+ yards of offense, but getting it back is as simple as the next aggressive tackle.
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The advantage is night and day. Being able to use rush moves without giving up any stamina makes for an unbelievable ability to crush the pocket. When equipped on interior defenders, they suddenly become better sack specialists than outside linebackers.
11Momentum Shift
Momentum Shift is a bit of an oddity because it isn’t really a zone X-Factor ability. The player equipped with it gets no advantage to themselves. Instead, momentum Shift acts as a crushing blow against offensive superstars.
After the defensive line gets two sacks, Momentum Shift eliminates all other X-Factor abilities from the opposing team. Additionally, any progress made toward X-Factor abilities is wiped out. For many players with tough-to-earn X-Factor rewards, this makes it so they won’t get into the zone for the rest of the game.
10Bazooka
While a quarterback capable of throwing darts is great for those under routes, nearly every QB is capable of doing at least a moderate job of tossing bullets. What sets the greats aside isbeing able to deliver the perfect touchpass downfield.
This year, more players are getting an alert that certain throws are out of range. This reduces the amount of field they can play with and makes it easy for secondary defenders to cover more of the field. Bazooka overrides this limitation, allowing QBs to throw bombs over the safeties’ heads.
9Double Me
Wide receivers, both in the game and in the actual NFL, tend to be taller and jump higher than the defensive backs defending against them.The best of these receiversabuse this advantage, encouraging quarterbacks to throw it up there and using athletic prowess to win a fight for the ball.
Double Me can end a game before it begins, especially since corners aren’t capable of jumping as high as their counterparts. A throw into traffic tends to benefit the defense, but when this X-Factor ability is activated, there’s essentially no risk when throwing into coverage.
8Pro Reads
If Pro Reads delivered only one of its two benefits, it would likely still be on this list. The fact that it gives two game-breaking abilities warrants its status as one of the best traits in the game that all ofthe best quarterbacksshould be using.
Ignoring pressure is a monstrous advantage that will make the QB more accurate. And, better still, Pro Reads highlights the first open receiver on every play, virtually guaranteeing a completion so long as players press the right button in time.
7Truzz
Gamers that know how to use Truzz create advantages for themselves on every single run play. Eventhe best running backs in the gamehave fumble issues when they try too hard, but this X-Factor trait makes it impossible to fumble.
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That means that there is no risk when diving ahead on every play to pick up an extra three or four yards. On every play; just think about that! Or try a spin or a hurdle to break free. Even the hardest-hitting defender can’t jar the ball loose.
6Wrecking Ball
Running plays are even more successful in Madden than they are in actual football, but it always feels like a shame when these five-yard runs up the middle are stopped short by some ofthe game’s best linebackers.
Wrecking Ball turns five-yard plays into fifty-yard plays by letting halfbacks wipe out the linebacker that is assigned to stop them. These runs up the middle suddenly require lots of help, which then helps the entire offense get better matchups.
