Madden NFL 22 Complete Superstar & X Factor Abilities Guide

Here is the complete list of Superstar X-Factors and Superstar Abilities in Madden NFL 22. Abilities are skills that mirror the NFL player’s real-life skill set that differentiate elite players from the rest.

1. Quarterback’s X-Factor Abilities
2. Running Back & Half Back X-Factor Abilities
3. Wide Receiver & Tight-End X-Factor Abilities
4. Defensive X-Factor Abilities
5. Quarterback Superstar Abilities
6. Running Back & Half Back Superstar Abilities
7. Wide Receiver & Tight-End Superstar Abilities
8. Offensive Lineman Superstar Abilities
9. Pass Rush / Run Defense Superstar Abilities
10. Off-ball Linebacker & Defensive Back Superstar Abilities

 

Quarterback’s X-Factor Abilities

Ability	Effect	Trigger	Knockout	Players
Pro Reads	Highlights the first open target whilst ignoring pressure	Three consecutive completions of 5+ yards	One sack	Tom Brady, Drew Brees
Bazooka	Within the zone (83 Yards) the maximum throwing distance is increased, triggered when completing a pass of 30+ yards in air	Complete a pass that travels 30+ yards in the air	Take one sack	Patrick Mahomes
Gambler	AI defenders are unable to pick faster passes	Three consecutive completions of 5+ yards	Two incompletions	Aaron Rodgers
Truzz	Gain immunity from fumbling when tackled	Five 1+ yard runs	One tackle for loss	Lamar Jackson

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 Running Back & Half Back X-Factor Abilities

Ability	Effect	Trigger	Knockout	Players
First One Free	High rate of fakeout on the next juke, spin or hurdle	Three rushes of 10+ yards	One tackle for a loss	Saquon Barkley, Dalvin Cook
Freight Train	Increased chance to break the next tackle attempt	Three rushes for 10+ yards	A tackle for loss	Ezekiel Elliott, Derrick Henry
Wrecking Ball	High success rate regarding trucks and stiff arms	Three rushes of 10+ yards	Tackle for loss	Nick Chubb
Ankle Breaker	Upon catch, Fakeout rate on skill moves is increased	Three receptions of 10 or more yards	A drop, incompletion, or 3 consecutive non-targets	Christian McCaffrey
Backlash	More tackler fatigue on non-conservative tackles	-	-	Derrick Henry
Satellite	Win RAC and possession catches against single coverage	Make three 10+ yard receptions	A drop, incompletion, or three consecutive non-targets	Alvin Kamara

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Wide Receiver & Tight-End X-Factor Abilities

 

Ability	Effect	Trigger	Knockout	Players
Double Me	Win aggressive catches versus single coverage	Two receptions of passes that travel 20+ yards in the air	A drop, incompletion, or 3 consecutive non-targets	Travis Kelce, Mike Evans, Deandre Hopkins, Julio Jones, Davante Adams
RAC ‘Em Up	Win RAC catches against single coverage.	Three receptions of 20+ Yards	A drop, incompletion, or three consecutive non-targets	Stefon Diggs, Tyreek Hill
Max Security	Increased success rates on possession catches	Four consecutive receptions	One drop, incompletion, or three consecutive non-targets	Keenan Allen, Amari Cooper, Michael Thomas
YAC ‘Em Up	Increased chance to break the first post-catch tackle.	Three 20+ yard receptions	One drop, incompletion, or three consecutive non-targets	George Kittle, Darren Waller

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Defensive X-Factor Abilities

Ability	Effect	Trigger	Knockout	Players
Unstoppable Force	Allows for quicker block sheds during pass rush wins	Two defensive line sacks	10 offensive yards allowed	Khalil Mack, Myles Garrett, Joey Bosa, Demarcus Lawrence, Cameron Jordan, TJ Watt, Danielle Hunter, Deforest Buckner
Fearmonger	Applies pressure to QB when engaged with a blocker	Two defensive line sacks	20 offensive yards allowed	Fletcher Cox, Chandler Jones, Von Miller.
Relentless	Rush moves no longer cost points	One sack or tackle for loss	20 offensive yards allowed	Nick Bosa, JJ Watt.
Reinforcement	Higher chance to defeat run blocks and disrupt catches	Two tackles for loss, or two incompletions	10 offensive yards allowed	Derwin James, Tyrann Mathieu
Avalanche	Downhill hit-sticks force stumbles	Three hit-stick tackles	30 offensive yards allowed	Bobby Wagner, Jamal Adams
Blitz	Causes the resistance bars of on field blockers to be wiped.	Two defensive line sacks	One down played	Aaron Donald
Momentum Shift	On field opponents will have their zones wiped	Two defensive line sacks	One down played	Chris Jones
Shutdown	On contested catches expect increased tighter coverage & interceptions	Two forced incompletions	30 offensive yards allowed	Tre’Davious White, Richard Sherman, Jaire Alexander, Stephon Gilmore
Zone Hawk	Increased interceptions in zone coverage	Two forced incompletions	30 offensive yards allowed	Devin McCourty, Fred Warner, Xavien Howard
Bottleneck	Dominantly win man press attempts	Two forced incompletions	30 offensive yards allowed	Jalen Ramsey
Run Stuffer	Block shedding is effective against run plays	Two tackles for loss	30 offensive yards allowed	Lavonte David

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Quarterback Superstar Abilities

Ability	Effect	Players
Fearless	Immune to defensive pressure when in the pocket	Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Matt Ryan
Blitz Radar	Highlight extra blitzers on the field	Russell Wilson
Comeback	Zone Objectives Reduced when Losing	Patrick Mahomes
Hot Route Master	Gain four additional hot routes	Tom Brady
Set Feet Lead	Greater THP when leading bullet passes with set feet	Tom Brady
Conductor	Hot routing and blocking adjustment speed is increased greatly	Tom Brady
Escape Artist	Leaving the pocket improves scrambling speed	Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Kyler Murray
Quick Draw	Faster throwing animations when under pressure.	Carson Wentz
Dashing Deadeye	Perfect pass accuracy upto 40 Yards on the run up.	Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson
Red Zone Deadeye	Throwing in the red zone grants perfect pass accuracy.	Patrick Mahomes
No-Look Deadeye	Allows perfect accuracy on cross body throws up to 20 Yards	Patrick Mahomes
Anchored Extender	Guaranteed to break the first sack attempt made by a blitzing DB	Dak Prescott
Gutsy Scrambler	Immune to throw penalties caused by pressure when running.	Dak Prescott, Russell Wilson
Roaming Deadeye	Perfect Accuracy on all unpressured throws while feet are set outside the pocket.	Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson
Gunslinger	Speed of throwing animations & the velocity on bullet passes are increased	Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Josh Allen, Kyler Murray
Fastbreak	Improved ballcarry control on designed QB runs	Lamar Jackson
Tight Out	Accurate catching from TE’s who beat their coverage	Lamar Jackson
Agile Extender	Evade the first sack from a blitzing DB	Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson
Juke Box	Gain Steerable juke animations.	Lamar Jackson
Long Range Deadeye	Perfect accuracy on all deep throws with feet set.	–
Pass Lead Elite	Throw power increases when leading bullet passes	Aaron Rodgers

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Running Back & Half Back Superstar Abilities

Ability	Effect	Players
Arm Bar	Gain powerful stiff arm animations	Joe Mixon, Derrick Henry
Balance Beam	Reduces chance of stumbling when carrying a ball	Joe Mixon, Nick Chubb, Dalvin Cook
Bruiser	More powerful truck and stiff-arm animations	Nick Chubb
Reach For It	Gain addiontal yards when being tackled	Nick Chubb, Ezekiel Elliott
Leap Frog	When Hurdling, the chances of Fumbling are decreased	Ezekiel Elliott, Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey
Energizer	Stamina is replenished after successfully using skill moves	Ezekiel Elliott, Dalvin Cook
Evasive	Steerable juke & spin animations.	Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey
Backfield Mismatch	Better routes for catching from the backfield against LBs	Saquon Barkley, Kyle Juszczyk, Aaron Jones
Tank	Chance to break hit-stick tackles	Leonard Fournette, Derrick Henry
Backfield Master	Four additional hot routes, better route running, and improved catching vs LB and DL.	Christian McCaffrey
Playmaker	Immediate and precise reactions to playmaker inputs.	Christian McCaffrey
Second Wind	Replenish stamina once per play, when its half depleted.	Josh Jacobs
Bulldozer	More powerful truck animations.	Josh Jacobs
Matchup Nightmare	Swifter route running and catching when against LBs	Alvin Kamara
RB Apprentice	Four additional hot routes when lined up at RB	Alvin Kamara
Closer	Reduced zone objectives in the 2nd half	Derrick Henry
Juke Box	Gain Steerable juke animations	Dalvin Cook, Alvin Kamara
Nasty Streak	Frequently attempt & win impact blocks against LBs & DBs when playing lineman or fullback.	Kyle Juszczyk

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Wide Receiver & Tight-End Superstar Abilities

Ability	Effect	Players
Short In Elite	Gain accurate catches on short passes inside the numbers	Deandre Hopkins, George Kittle, Michael Thomas, Darren Waller, Justin Jefferson
Mid In Elite	Gain accurate catches on medium passes inside the numbers	Courtland Sutton, Mike Evans, Deandre Hopkins, Zach Ertz, Julian Edelman, Kyle Pitts
Deep In Elite	Gain accurate catches on deep passes inside the numbers	Stefon Diggs, Kenny Golladay, Terry Mclaurin
Short Out Elite	Gain accurate catches on short passes outside the numbers.	Tyreek Hill, George Kittle, DJ Moore, Michael Thomas, Darren Waller
Mid Out Elite	Gain accurate catches on medium passes outside the numbers.	Keenan Allen, Julio Jones, DJ Moore, Adam Thielen, Chris Godwin, Calvin Ridley
Deep Out Elite	Gain accurate catches on deep passes outside the numbers	Allen Robinson II, Mike Evans, Travis Kelce, TY Hilton, Amari Cooper, Julio Jones
Outside Apprentice	Gain four additional hot routes when lined up outside	Allen Robinson II, Keenan Allen, Amari Cooper, Davante Adams, Calvin Ridley, Terry Mclaurin, Justin Jefferson
Juke Box	Gain Steerable juke animations	Stefon Diggs, Odell Beckham Jr, Tyreek Hill
Grab-N-Go	After a successful RAC catch; gain quicker turning/change-of-direction	Stefon Diggs, Odell Beckham Jr, Tyreek Hill
Return Man	Be able to quickly shift momentum, change direction, and turn the corner without losing speed on kick and punt returns.	Cordarelle Patterson, Andre Roberts
Red Zone Threat	Catches in the red zone versus single coverage is improved	Rob Gronkowski, Mike Evans, Deandre Hopkins, Kenny Golladay, Davante Adams, Cooper Kupp, D.K. Metcalf, Kyle Pitts
Route Technician	Gain swifter cuts when running along routes	TY Hilton, Amari Cooper, Julio Jones, Davante Adams, Michael Thomas, Justin Jefferson
Tank	Will break almost any hit-stick tackle.	Rob Gronkowski
TE Apprentice	Gain four additional hot routes when lined up at TE	Travis Kelce, Zach Ertz, Darren Waller
Leap Frog	When Hurdling, the chances of Fumbling are decreased	Travis Kelce
Route Apprentice	Four additional hot routes regardless of where they line up.	George Kittle
WR Apprentice	Gain four additional hot routes at any WR position	Michael Thomas
Slot Apprentice	Gain four additional hot routes when lined up in the slot	Adam Thielen, Cole Beasley
Slot-O-Matic	On short slot routes gain accurate catching and better cutes	Keenan Allen, Adam Thielen, Cooper Kupp, Chris Godwin, Cole Beasley
Recuperation	Grants increased rate of fatigue recovery	Aaron Jones

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Offensive Lineman Superstar Abilities

Ability	Effect	Players
All Day	Provides protection against frequent shed attempts	Mitchell Schwartz, Tyron Smith, David Bakhtiari, Trent Williams
Edge Protector	Provides stronger pass protection against elite edge rushers	Mitchell Schwartz, Tyron Smith, Trent Williams, David Bakhtiari, Ryan Ramczyk, Terron Armstead, Ronnie Stanley
Screen Protector	Dominant impact block wins on screen plays	Zack Martin, Jason Kelce
Post Up	When engaged in double team blocks, becomes dominant	Zack Martin, Brandon Brooks, Brandon Scherff, Ali Marpet, Trent Brown
Nasty Streak	Frequently attempt & win impact blocks against LBs & DBs when playing lineman or fullback.	Quenton Nelson, Lane Johnson, Trent Brown, Mekhi Becton
Unspun	Increased resistance against spin pass rush moves	Andrew Whitworth
Lifeguard	Gain resistance against swim/club rush moves	Brandon Brooks
Puller Elite	Effectiveness of pull blocks is increased	Quenton Nelson, David DeCastro, Mekhi Becton
Matador	Grants protection against bull rush moves	Rodney Hudson, Brandon Scherff
Tear Proof	Ability to defend against rips as if they had an additional resistance point.	David DeCastro
Fool Me Once	The rate of blocking resistance gained is increased	Lane Johnson, Ryan Ramczyk
Natural Talent	Start a game with blocker resistance	Jason Kelce, Tristan Wirfs

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Pass Rush / Run Defense Superstar Abilities

Ability	Effect	Players
Swim Club	Ignore Blocker resistances by using Swim/Club moves	Joey Bosa, Demarcus Lawrence, Arik Armstead, JJ Watt
Edge Threat	Dominant pass rush moves along the edge	Khalil Mack, Von Miller, Myles Garrett, Joey Bosa, Demarcus Lawrence, Nick Bosa, TJ Watt
No Outsiders	Allows for faster run sheds against outside zone plays	Khalil Mack, Von Miller, Joey Bosa, Aaron Donald, Cameron Jordan, TJ Watt, Chase Young
Under Pressure	Area of disruption and pressure on QB is increased	Chris Jones, DeForest Buckner, Demarcus Lawrence, Fletcher Cox, Aaron Donald
B.O.G.O	Grants a free rush pass rush move after spending a point	–
Run Stopper	During run plays, shed attempts are free of cost	Calais Campbell, JJ Watt, Jonathan Allen
Inside Stuff	Allows for Quicker Runs sheds against inside zone play	Grady Jarrett, Kenny Clark, Aaron Donald, Calais Campbell, Cameron Heyward, Deforest Buckner, Jonathan Allen
Edge Threat Elite	Grants increased QB pressure & dominant edge rush moves	Chandler Jones, Za’Darius Smith, Cameron Jordan, Danielle Hunter, Shaquil Barrett
Instant Rebate	Gain a pass rush point upon successful block shed	Kenny Clark, Cameron Jordan
El Toro	Dominate bull rush wins from max pass rush points	Myles Garrett, Chris Jones, DeForest Buckner, Fletcher Cox, Grady Jarrett, Aaron Donald, JJ Watt
Speedster	Become partially immune to blocker resistances when attempting Speed rush moves	Nick Bosa, Danielle Hunter, Chase Young, Brian Burns
Extra Credit	Gain an additional max pass rush point	Nick Bosa
Strip Specialist	Reduced tackle penalty when attempting to strip the ball	Khalil Mack, Myles Garrett, Shaquil Barrett, Chandler Jones, TJ Watt, Darius Leonard, Brian Burns
Unpredictable	Less likely to increase their blockers’ resistance bars when performing shed wins.	Cameron Heyward
Reach Elite	While engaged with blockers gain the ability to tackle/sock	Geno Atkins, Chandler Jones, Ryan Kerrigan, Danielle Hunter
Ripper	Ignore one bar of blocker resistance when attempting rip moves.	Geno Atkins
Goal Line Stuff	Quicker run sheds near the goal line	Chris Jones
Secure Tackler	Grants higher success rates on successful conservative tackles	Fletcher Cox, Demario Davis
Defensive Rally	Grant a bonus pass rush point to all DL on any 3rd and 4th down.	Arik Armstead
Adrenaline Rush	Sacks restore pass push rush points	Von Miller, Chase Young
Out My Way	Dominate impact block wins against WR, HB, or TE.	Za’Darius Smith, Demario Davis, Darius Leonard
Mr Big Stop	Start 3rd and 4th down with half of your maximum pass rush points	Za’Darius Smith

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Off-ball Linebacker & Defensive Back Superstar Abilities

Name	Ability	Players
Out My Way	Dominant impact blocks wins against WR’s, HB’s & TE’s	Bobby Wagner
Lurker	Spectacular catch animations for lurking defenders	Lavonte David, Eric Kendricks, Fred Warner
Outmatched	Increased chance of contested catching against RBs	Fred Warner, Demario Davis, Myles Jack
Tackle Supreme	Gain decreased fakeout chance & conservative tackles	Bobby Wagner
Short Route KO	Improved knockouts when against an opponent in short route	Chris Harris Jr, Tyrann Mathieu, Jaire Alexander, Marlon Humphrey
Medium Route KO	Improved knockouts when against an opponent in medium routes	Micah Hyde, Justin Simmons
Deep Route KO	Force more catch tackle knockouts in man-to-man vs long routes, 20+ yards from LoS.	Darius Slay Jr, Jaire Alexander, Marlon Humphrey, Xavien Howard
Flat Zone KO	In Flat zones expect improve reactions & catch knockouts	Derwin James, Tyrann Mathieu, Richard Sherman, Jamal Adams, Stephon Gilmore, Harrison Smith
Mid Zone KO	In mid zones expect improve reactions & catch knockouts	Lavonte David, Budda Baker, Fred Warner, Eric Kendricks
Deep In Zone KO	In Deep inside zones expect improve reactions & catch knockouts	Justin Simmons, Devin McCourty, Earl Thomas, Kevin Byard, Jessie Bates III
Deep Out Zone KO	In Deep outside zones expect improve reactions & catch knockouts	Tre’Davious White, Richard Sherman, Byron Jones, D.K. Metcalf
Acrobat	Gain Diving swats & interceptions	Tre’Davious White, Chris Harris, Darius Slay Jr, Jaire Alexander, Stephon Gilmore, Jalen Ramsey, Tyrann Mathieu, Xavien Howard, Jessie Bates III
One Step Ahead	Swift reactions to receiver during man coverage	Stephon Gilmore, Jalen Ramsey, James Bradberry III
Pick Artist	Increased stamina and accurate catches on INT returns	Tre’Davious White, Micah Hyde, Stephon Gilmore, Devin McCourty, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Kevin Byard, Xavien Howard
Bench Press	Press wins fatigue to their receiver	Jalen Ramsey
Chuck Out	Zone chucks fatigues the receiver	Byron Jones, Richard Sherman, James Bradberry III
Stone Wall	Prevent additional yardage gains while tackling	Jamal Adams, Earl Thomas, Harrison, Harrison Smith
Tip Drill	Increased chance to catch tipped passes	Minkah Fitzpatrick
Unfakeable	Decreased chance to gain fakeout from ball carrier moves	Derwin James, Devin McCourty, Budda Baker, Darius Leonard
Lumberjack	Guaranteed tackles and reduced fumble chance with successful cut stick	Derwin James
Enforcer	After hit-sticking the ball carriers expect a guaranteed tackle	Jamal Adams, Bobby Wagner, Harrison Smith
Deflator	Increased ball carrier fatigue on non-conservative tackles	Lavonte David, Myles Jack

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