How to lateral in Madden 24 – Our guide to mastering the unexpected flip pass

Learning how to lateral in Madden 24 is a good thing to do. Lateral pitches can be dangerous, as they often result in a fumble. If done correctly, though, they can net you a few extra yards. This advanced maneuver can definitely lead to explosive plays and surprising touchdowns, but it is also a high-risk play. Find out how to effectively execute lateral pitches and add a new layer of excitement to your Madden 24 gameplay. 

Madden 24 how to lateral pitch 

The first thing you need to know about how to lateral pitch in Madden 24 is the controls. Once your player, whether it’s the quarterback, halfback, wide receiver, or tight end, has passed the line of scrimmage, you can lateral with the following controls:

Platform	Controls
PlayStation controller	Tap L1
Xbox controllers	Tap LB
PC keyboard	Tap Alt

The lateral will always go to the player that is closest to the ball carrier when the button is pressed, so you can’t purposefully pitch it to your speedy running back if he’s not right there. Not all players are equally skilled at lateral pitching. Try to do this move with ball carriers with high awareness to increase the likelihood of a successful lateral. A lateral is the only type of pass that can be thrown beyond the line of scrimmage.

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Lateral pitches are best employed in situations where your primary ball carrier is at risk of being tackled or when the defense has swarmed your main path. When executed correctly, a lateral can create an opportunity for a receiver or another player to break free and gain significant yardage. Furthermore, you need to make sure there’s a player close enough. If there’s not, the ball lands on the ground and is a live fumble. Best to avoid those.

Make sure there’s no defender behind you, either. If there is, that’s an easy turnover waiting to happen. It’s also wise to have multiple teammates around in case one of them doesn’t get it. Offensive lineman are often recipients because they’re close by blocking.

Timing is crucial for a successful lateral pitch. You need to try to press LB (or whatever button for your console) to do the lateral when the defender is about to tackle you. If you do it too early, it won’t catch them by surprise. If you do it too late, the defender impacts it and can cause a fumble. This is difficult, but if you have poor timing, it’s better to be too early than too late in Madden NFL.

Generally speaking, laterals are ill-advised. Most of them don’t gain many yards that the original player wouldn’t have gotten. These trick plays often backfire, too. They can either lose yardage or cause a turnover, and those are not ideal.

Laterals are best saved for when it’s the end of the half or game and you have to get your offense all the way down the field and into the end zone. NFL teams try this, too, but with a huge lack of success. It’s usually a high-risk, low-reward play, so use it sparingly if you must. It can be used in all game modes, as it’s one of the constant mechanics.

Madden 24 lateral FAQs

Can I lateral to anyone in Madden 24?

As long as they’re within range, all positions can catch a lateral in Madden 24.

Can every player lateral in Madden 24?

As long as they have the ball, every single player on the field can lateral in Madden 24.