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 in Madden NFL 22 because 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 in Madden NFL 22 might 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.

15 YAC 'Em Up

Madden NFL 22 Yac 'Em Up X Factor Description
  • Recommended for: Wide receivers and receiving running backs who enjoy quick passes on short routes.

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 with more training points can 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.

14 First One Free

Madden NFL 22 First One Free X Factor Description
  • Recommended for: Elusive running backs that prefer to dodge the defense instead of meeting them head-on.

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 to improve in franchise mode will 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.

13 Freight Train

Madden NFL 22 Freight Train X Factor Description
  • Recommended for: Running backs that go up the gut and truck against opponent tackles.

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 many mistakes that players can make in Madden 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.

12 Relentless

Madden NFL 22 Relentless X Factor Description
  • Recommended for: Defensive linemen and blitzing linebackers that routinely face blockers.

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.

RELATED: Madden NFL 22: 10 Ultimate Team Tips For Beginners

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.

11 Momentum Shift

Madden NFL 22 Momentum Shift X Factor Description
  • Recommended for: Players that use teammates and not just their created player on defense.

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.

10 Bazooka

Madden NFL 22 Bazooka Description On The Website
  • Recommended for: Quarterbacks that want to throw over the heads of the secondary and not underneath.

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 is being able to deliver the perfect touch pass 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.

9 Double Me

Madden NFL 22 Double Me Description On The Website
  • Recommended for: Deep threat wide receivers who enjoy aggressive catches.

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 receivers abuse 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.

8 Pro Reads

Madden NFL 22 Pro Reads Description On The Website
  • Recommended for: Quarterbacks that are quick on the trigger.

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 of the best quarterbacks should 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.

7 Truzz

Madden NFL 22 Truzz Description On The Website
  • Recommended for: Running backs and running quarterbacks that frequently take hits in traffic.

Gamers that know how to use Truzz create advantages for themselves on every single run play. Even the best running backs in the game have fumble issues when they try too hard, but this X-Factor trait makes it impossible to fumble.

RELATED: Madden NFL 22: Top Offensive Linemen, Ranked

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.

6 Wrecking Ball

Madden NFL 22 Wrecking Ball Description On The Website
  • Recommended for: Strong running backs that use trucks and stiff arms as their go-to moves.

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 of the 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.

5 Avalanche

Madden NFL 22 Avalanche Description On The Website
  • Recommended for: Members of the defensive line or linebackers that primarily use the hit stick to light up an opponent.

The greatest defensive linemen don't just rack up tackles and sacks, they go for turnovers by stripping the ball loose. This is a relatively rare event; even the game's best defensive players don't get more than a handful of forced fumbles in a season.

Avalanche completely throws off this balance, however. Hit sticks guarantee that the ball is forced loose, so long as the tackle is made going toward the line of scrimmage. This might sound peculiar, but consider that tackling an opponent away from the line of scrimmage will essentially never be made with a hit stick since the defensive player will be behind the ball carrier. So, simply put, hits stick tackles will cause fumbles every time.

4 Reinforcement

Madden NFL 22 Reinforcement Description On The Website
  • Recommended for: Defensive linemen and blitzing linebackers or coverage members that go for pass breakups.

This X-Factor trait helps stop the run and the pass at the same time. Even if a corner doesn't plan on blitzing or a lineman doesn't plan on dropping into coverage, both halves of this benefit make it worth picking up.

Every game of Madden NFL 22 likely has at least ten times that a receiver catches the ball and is quickly met by a defender. Imagine if, every time this happened, the receiver dropped the ball. Now imagine that it's easier to get through every blocker on the way to the quarterback or running back. Reinforcement makes both of these dream situations come true.

3 Run Stuffer

Madden NFL 22 Run Stuffer Description On The Website
  • Recommended for: Players who rush the line and have to avoid blockers on every snap.

Players who have mastered the defensive controls might think they don't need Run Stuffer, but they'd be wrong. Breaking off of a block isn't just about pushing the right button, it's also about chance. This makes it far more likely that players will succeed after hitting the right button.

RELATED: Madden NFL 22: Top Tight Ends, Ranked

The other issue is that it takes forever for the animation of getting around a blocker to execute. Waiting for this action to fully resolve gives running backs more than enough time to run by and quarterbacks enough time to throw. Run Stuffer eliminates this substantial disadvantage.

2 Shutdown

Madden NFL 22 Shutdown Description On The Website
  • Recommended for: Cornerbacks and safeties that go for interceptions in man-on-man defense.

Very simply, interceptions are what most people measure when they think of a good cornerback. There is a good reason that shutdown corners are coveted in the NFL and why Madden NFL 22 made the Shutdown X-Factor so powerful.

This superstar ability takes all those fifty-fifty balls and gives the advantage of catching them from the receiver to the defender. Additionally, this makes their coverage tighter, so the AI stops playing so loose when playing man-to-man.

1 Unstoppable Force

Madden NFL 22 Unstoppable Force Description On The Website
  • Recommended for: Players who rush the line and have to avoid blockers on every snap.

Again, this is another ability that helps generate sacks by increasing the likelihood of shedding blockers. The caveat for Unstoppable Force is that it doesn't work when covered by two blockers.

But when being blocked by more than one lineman, it's highly unlikely that players will be able to move regardless. Even if offenses adjust, this double coverage leaves other linemen with one-on-one advantages against their blockers.

Madden NFL 22 was released on August 20th, 2021, and is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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