EA FC 26 PC – Crazy 2s Input Delay & 100% CPU Spikes (Only in Rivals/Champs)

I’m an IT Analyst, so I’ve tried all the standard troubleshooting, but this game makes zero sense. I need some help from the community.

The Issue: I’m getting massive 2-second input delay in online play. When I press a button, the power bar fills up instantly, but the player doesn't execute the move until way later. The delay actually gets worse as the match progresses. During these lag spikes, my CPU and RAM usage randomly pin at 100%, even though I have plenty of overhead.

The Twist: The game runs perfectly in Rush, Squad Battles, and Career Mode. If it were a hardware bottleneck, it would happen in every mode. This feels like a specific optimization bug with the online engine.

My Specs:

CPU: i5-13420H

GPU: RTX 4050 (6GB)

RAM: 16GB DDR5

Net: 2GB Fiber (Stable 12-15ms ping)

Settings: 1080p, All Low settings. I’ve tried capping at 60 FPS (half refresh rate), V-Sync off, and disabling dynamic resolution. Locking it at 60 FPS worked for a week, but now the issue is back.

I’m down to try anything—BIOS tweaks, clean installs, benchmarks—you name it. Has anyone found a fix for these specific resource spikes in competitive modes?