The difference between a good lateral and a bad lateral can spell victory or defeat in the NFL and that’s just as true in Madden 23. When you uncork one (or five consecutively) at the right time, there’s always the potential to conjure visions of dramatic endings like those from the past. Think Kenyan Drake outracing Gronk to the corner of the end zone for a Dolphins win a few years back or the classic clip of the Stanford band wandering out onto the field. Even the Music City Miracle was just a long-distance lateral across the field on a kick-off that gave the Titans a playoff win over the Bills.
How To Lateral In Madden 23 (Guide)
Of course, we also witnessed one of the most insane laterals gone wrong of all-time in the NFL this season. For some reason, Patriots’ wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (a good player!) decided to go into desperation mode when he threw the ball backwards across the field to Mac Jones in the waning seconds of a tie game. Instead, Chandler Jones picked the ball out of the air, steamrolled his fellow Jones, and cruised into the end zone to win the game for the Raiders.
It should serve as cautionary tale for all Madden players who would consider messing around with laterals at stages of the game where it’s especially unwarranted.
While it’s simple enough to explain how to perform a lateral in Madden 23, the maneuver needs to come with a few proper guidelines and warnings about when and where it should be unleashed. Here’s how to pull off a lateral in Madden 23 and a few pointers to help maximize its effectiveness.
How To Lateral
Throwing a lateral is really just as straightforward as the push of a single button. All you need to do to toss the ball backwards to a teammate is push L1/LB. Bear in mind that there’s no way to really target a specific player, so you’ll probably want to brace yourself for a tense moment while the ball flies through the air to a nearby teammate.
You may be hoping for something closer to a hook-and-ladder play involving a short lateral following a catch to another receiver streaking at top speed. But you could instead end up pulling a Jakobi Meyers and arcing the ball across the field or 10-20 yards backwards.
Fumbles
You should be aware that the motion of preparing to lateral the ball also leaves you more vulnerable to fumbles should a defender hit you before you’re able to get it out of your hands. If the defense is bearing down on you, you’ll need to be awfully quick about any laterals or risk putting the ball on the ground and ending any chance of a miracle play.
Get The Ball To Skill Players
In the heat of a lateral-fest, it’s inevitable that the ball will end up heading in the direction of an offensive lineman. The first problem with this is that their catch rating is not nearly as good as your skill players who regularly handle the ball. This means that they’re just as liable to drop a lateral that comes their way as they are to haul it in.
The second issue if they are able to get a handle on a lateral is that they’re extremely slow and unlikely to get you anywhere close to the end zone. So when it does find their hands, try to throw it away to someone with better wheels as quickly as possible.
Know The Situation
Not to continue to pick on Jakobi Meyers, but the lesson from his colossal brain fart is that the lateral should only be used sparingly. If the situation is dire at the end of games (don’t try it at the end of the first half), it can be turned to when your team is trailing but never when the game is tied for reasons that are now fairly obvious thanks to Mr. Meyers. Are you close enough to the end zone where a Hail Mary might be a better option? Messing around with laterals is all fun and games until Chandler Jones bowls you over in the midst of handing you a crushing and humiliating defeat.
(All that being said, the Patriots somehow recovered from this and still have a good chance of making the playoffs.)
