I really shouldn’t be surprised that an EA-made game has dumb ratings. The full list of Madden 24 QBs has been released, and it is once again a massive slap in the face for dozens of QBs around the league.
I pray for the day when EA’s grasp on the Madden franchise and NFL games comes to an end.
Electronic Arts and Madden have finally released the Madden 24 ratings for the 2024 edition of the game (which adapted the 2023 season…obviously), and the QB ratings list was an utter abomination as numerous well-known and consistent QBs were trashed by the rating evaluators. And I’ve absolutely had it with these awful Madden ratings.
What actually goes into a Madden rating? Is it solely the previous season, which would be the 2022/23 NFL season in this case, that determines how a player is rated in the game, or are their previous accomplishments also taken into account as they should? I mean, if it is the former, how dumb is it to only grade a player based on how he played in a single season of his career when there’s ample evidence of either greatness or mediocrity across a number of previous seasons.
Take Aaron Rodgers Matthew Stafford for example.
The former Packers (now Jets QB) and the Rams QB both had pretty disappointing seasons as neither threw for 4,000+ for the first time in two seasons (Rodgers had a 4k yards streak of 4 years, Stafford had one of two), neither threw for more than 20 TD passes for the first time in two seasons as well, both suffered from debilitating injuries (Rodgers had back and throwing hand issues, Stafford had neck woes), and both of their teams flamed out of the postseason mix in dramatic fashion (Packers missed out on the final day of the season, Rams had the worst defending Super Bowl season ever).
So, Rodgers getting stuck with an 86 overall and Stafford a woeful 74 overall kind of makes sense…if you didn’t know the history these two QBs had in the league.
Rodgers was a back-to-back MVP coming into this season with four consecutive seasons of 4,000+ yards and 25+ TDs, while Matthew Stafford was the reigning Super Bowl champion QB and threw for 4,886 yards and 41 TDs in 2021/22. And these two both get knocked down 10+ points because they had one bad season?
Again, I get it if the ratings are only based on last year’s results, but that system is such a dumb idea if it is being used as that doesn’t accurately represent the “overall rating” of a QB. Their body of work, success or failures in the league, and a gradual rate of performance decline should be calculated to determine their rating.
Not a single season of bad luck and injuries issues.
Nevertheless, I also hate how underrated so many QBs are in this game as there is only 12 QBs in the entire league rated 80 or above in Madden 24…even though 17 QBs threw for over 3,000 yards last season.
(Electronic Arts-Madden 24-Official Reveal Trailer)
Guys like Russel Wilson (76), Daniel Jones (75), Justin Fields, Jimmy Garoppolo (77), Jared Goff (79), Mac Jones (75), Kyler Murray (79), Deshaun Watson (78), Derek Carr (77), Ryan Tannehill (78), and Matthew Stafford (74) all fell in the 70s overall category, which is just an utter disgrace for the body of most of these guys have put up in their careers.
Sure, not all of these guys deserve and 80 overall rating, but Russell Wilson, Jared Goff, Kyler Murray, Derek Carr, and Matthew Stafford can’t break into the 80 overall club? Seriously?
How is throwing for 3,000 yards/season for a career average, which all of these guys currently have, not worthy of at least and 80 overall rating? The Madden evaluators do realize that throwing for 4,500+ yards is an incredible achievement and one of the most difficult things a QB can do in a regular season, right?
Along with Patrick Mahomes, the regular season MVP, throwing for 5,000+ yards this season, 40+ TDs this season, the Super Bowl winning QB, and Super Bowl MVP not being a 99 overall (he’s ranked lower than Zack Martin, Travis Kelce, Justin Jefferson, and Aaron Donald right now at a 98), these Madden ratings are just so widely inaccurate that’s its insane people still buy these games.
Oh, that’s right, EA has a monopoly over all NFL video game products. Hooray!
Images Source: Featured Image: (Electronic Arts) (Madden 24 Official Reveal Trailer – YouTube)
In Text Image 1: (Electronic Arts) (Madden 24 Official Reveal Trailer – YouTube)
