EA Sports released the new ratings for Madden 20 on Monday, prompting the vast majority of NFL players to publicly state how underrated they are. These ratings have long been lambasted by both players and fans alike, often to the tune of “Madden hates my team!” In light of this, let’s take a look at some Atlanta Falcons player ratings on Madden in comparison to their most recent Pro Football Focus (PFF) ratings.
*PFF grades from these players are from the 2017 season due to disqualifying injuries in 2018.
Underrated:
Grady Jarrett
Jake Matthews
Matt Ryan
None of the underrated guys are drastically misplaced. Jarrett and Matthews are slotted roughly five spots too low, but that’s not a huge surprise for un-sexy line play. Madden slots Matt Ryan in line with his most recent PFF grade, but this discounts his track record over many years and is likely a few spots too low (a near tradition for quarterbacks without a Super Bowl ring).
Overrated:
Devonta Freeman
Keanu Neal
Desmond Trufant
Austin Hooper
Vic Beasley
Duke Riley
So...this list is significantly more substantial than the "Underrated" list, but some of these are less egregious than others. For example, Devonta Freeman and Keanu Neal rate as above average starters according to PFF, while Madden rates them as top five or top ten players at their position. Desmond Trufant and Austin Hooper check in as fairly average players via PFF, but Madden places both as borderline top ten players at their position. In fairness, Trufant has been at that level in years past, so it’s always possible he can get back there. Hooper has been a serviceable tight end, but has never been at that level and has succeeded primarily due to the QB and other offensive weapons that draw attention. And then there’s Vic Beasley and Duke Riley. According to PFF, both players should be fighting for (and possibly not getting) roster spots. Madden has both players rated roughly 50 spots higher than PFF, viewing them as as solid, young rotational players.
Nailed It:
Julio Jones
Deion Jones
Alex Mack
Mohamed Sanu
Ricardo Allen
Damontae Kazee
Calvin Ridley
Takk McKinley
Adrian Clayborn
The properly rated players largely fall into two categories: top tier players at their position and solid contributing players. Julio Jones, Deion Jones, and Alex Mack are all top five players at their position by nearly every opinion or metric, so it’s no surprise that Madden and PFF agree here. The remaining players have all contributed to the team, and all are generally considered solid-but-not-great players due to youth and lack of track record (Calvin Ridley, Takk McKinley, and Damontae Kazee) or to a long track record of being solid but rarely spectacular players (Mohamed Sanu, Ricardo Allen, and Adrian Clayborn).
On an individual basis, a case can be made for changing the ratings for a large number of players, but when you step back and look big picture, it's hard to conclude that Madden has underrated the Falcons as a whole coming into the 2019 season.
So, does Madden really hates your favorite team and players? Or do the nerds at Pro Football Focus have their heads stuck up a calculator?
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