How To Make a Sideline Catch in Madden 26

Some of the best passing plays you can call in Madden NFL 26 feature routes that have receivers head towards either sideline on the field. These routes are often used to ensure the receiver gets out of bounds when you’re trying to save time, but they’re also great for every down plays as well. Throwing the ball near the sideline means there’s likely one less defender nearby who can intercept the pass.

However, one of the pitfalls of trying to throw sideline passes in Madden 26 is that your receiver will sometimes land with one foot out of bounds as they’re trying to make the catch. Even if you make a solid throw, the receiver prioritizes making the catch over trying to stay in bounds.

While that’s the case by default, it doesn’t have to be that way. Madden 26 allows you to make sideline catches, which allows the receiver to stay in bounds and catch the ball at the same time. You can see exactly how to make a sideline catch in the guide below.

Making A Sideline Catch In Madden 26

Fortunately, you don’t have to press any complicated buttons or make your receivers run their routes in a certain way to pull off a sideline catch in Madden 26. All that’s really involved is using your receiver to make a specific kind of catch as they’re about to haul in a pass near the sideline.

This type of catch is called a “Possession Catch,” and it prioritizes catching the ball safely over anything else. When you make your receiver use a Possession Catch, they’ll often catch the ball and then immediately head to the ground to avoid being hit by a defender. While this means they don’t pick up any yards after the catch (YAC), the receiver has a higher chance of catching the ball as long as no defenders are in the immediate vicinity.

To use this catch to haul in a sideline pass in Madden 26, follow the steps below:

• Call a passing play that sees a receiver go towards the sideline (a simple “out route” from a slot receiver could do the job)
• Hike the ball and wait for the receiver to run their route
• Before they reach the sideline, throw the receiver the ball. It’s often best to use a touch pass in this situation, but a lob or bullet pass could work depending on the pass and route
• When the ball is in the air and about to be caught by your receiver, hold X on PlayStation or A on Xbox to make a Possession Catch
• As long as your receiver is close enough to the sideline when they catch the ball, you’ll see them point their toes in-bounds, catch the pass, and then fall safely out of bounds
• The timing on this has to be right, as throwing the pass too early will result in a normal Possession Catch where your receiver goes to the ground, but throwing the pass too late could result in an incomplete pass or even an interception

It’s extremely simple to practice this type of play in Madden 26. You can go to the training modes across the various game modes, call passing plays that have routes that go to the sidelines, and try to nail down the timing of the throw and make a Possession Catch.

Of course, you can also practice making general Possession Catches as well, as that’s a fairly helpful mechanic that can be used far more than sideline catches. You can use Possession Catches in short yardage situations or with receivers who like to fumble the ball.

That’s all we have on Possession Catches and how to make sideline catches in Madden 26.