Madden Immediately Dropped the Ball on Vikings
We are less than three weeks from the latest Madden NFL iteration. That means the fine folks at EA Sports are set to start teasing game and roster information. The problem is that the fine folks missed the mark with the first Minnesota Vikings news.
Madden Immediately Dropped the Ball on Vikings
Last season, the Minnesota Vikings struggled due to poor play and injury issues. Among those critical injuries was superstar wideout Justin Jefferson. He returned after a multi-week absence and still surpassed 1,000 yards for the fourth time in his career. Apparently, that greatness wasn’t good enough for EA Sports, though.
After previously being part of the coveted “99 Club,” Madden 25 kicks off with Justin Jefferson’s just a 98 overall rating. That makes him the second-best wide receiver in the game, behind Miami Dolphins Tyreek Hill. Jefferson had previously been a 99 overall player and would have been a logical choice to wear the cover of this year’s game.
Instead of leaning into the largest non-quarterback deal in NFL history, EA Sports opted for Christian McCaffrey to grace the cover and snubbed Jefferson from the “99 Club.” It isn’t as though a position can’t have multiple players with 99 overall ratings, and at virtually no point has Tyreek Hill been the better player while Justin Jefferson has been in the league.
At 98 overall, Jefferson is the second-best wideout in Madden. Despite getting it wrong, it’s a bit of a positive that EA Sports didn’t have him further down the line. While Sam Darnold is a new quarterback for the standout pass catcher, he should have little problem re-asserting his dominance while being fully healthy this season.
Jordan Addison was also not among the top ten wide receivers in the game. A strong rookie campaign put him on the map, but it probably hasn’t elevated him to that status yet. However, Tampa Bay Buccaneers veteran Mike Evans rounded out the group at 91 overall. Evans has been doing it for a long time, but his game has taken a bit of a dip as he has aged. Addison may be able to climb to that level by season’s end.
Of course, if Addison is going to miss time due to an expected suspension, his numbers will lag behind the competition.
At the end of the day, EA Sports may consider Addison in the future, but they missed badly on Jefferson.
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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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