Does EA Sports Watch Football?
Ted Schwerzler
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The Minnesota Vikings are 9-2 with the second-best record in the NFL this season. Justin Jefferson has been arguably the best receiver in the league and trails only Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill for the lead in receiving yards. Someone should tell Madden creator EA Sports.
Every week the Madden NFL team does a rating update. You can find the player ratings here, and “big movers” are noteworthy in their own category. Unfortunately for the Minnesota Vikings superstar, Justin Jefferson doesn’t show up in that category, and his otherworldly performance also seems to have been disrespected.
Coming into the season, the Vikings standout was ranked as the 6th best wide receiver in Madden. His 93 overall had plenty of room to improve, even while generating some of the best totals the league has ever seen. Although Mike Zimmer kept Jefferson from an additional record last season, there’s been no denying what his ability looks like.
Now 11 games into his 2022 season and on pace to break Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving yard record, we have yet to reach the point where Jefferson is adequately represented. His new rating bump still has him just 4th in the NFL, and only one of those players has had a better 2022 campaign.
Over the years, Madden and EA Sports have suggested that ratings are traditionally generated on a rolling basis, factoring in previous performance. Considering the guys ahead of him, Jefferson is both younger and better at his age than any of them have been. He continues to go above and beyond statistically while being arguably the most impressive in 2022.
It remains to be seen what Jefferson will need to do to overtake Davante Adams for the top spot, but no one watching football in 2022 thinks the Los Vegas Raiders wideout is the best. It should be a question if Tyreek Hill can keep up his pace against better defenses, but Jefferson should only further excel against a softer schedule.
There’s no reason why Jefferson can’t join the 99 overall club by the time the year is over, and whatever trophy EA Sports wants to present him with prior to 2023 should already be in the works.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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