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Related: Looking for the next Patriot to make the Madden NFL cover
Ever since its introduction in the late 1980s, the Madden NFL video game franchise has been a part of NFL culture appreciated by fans and players alike. That said, as is the case with everything in sports, the game published by EA Sports has been a topic of debate seemingly every year — from changes to the game implemented from one edition to the next, to player ratings not properly reflecting reality or at least fans’ and players’ reception.
This year will not be any different, and a look at recently leaked ratings for this year’s game published by Heavy’s Brian Mazique offer a first basis for those debates. While Madden itself has already announced some ratings — the top quarterbacks as well as the first rookie position groups — the leaks give a broader overview of how certain players are viewed by the game’s creators heading into the 2020 season.
As for the New England Patriots, 15 ratings have so far been either leaked or reported by Madden NFL itself. They are as follows:
- CB Stephon Gilmore: 99
- S Devin McCourty: 92
- LB Dont’a Hightower: 88
- WR Julian Edelman: 86
- G Shaq Mason: 86
- G Joe Thuney: 85
- CB Jason McCourty: 85
- C David Andrews: 84
- S Patrick Chung: 83
- CB Jonathan Jones: 83
- QB Cam Newton: 78
- TE Devin Asiasi: 69
- RB J.J. Taylor: 67*
- QB Jarrett Stidham: 61
- QB Brian Lewerke: 54*
*official rating via Madden NFL
The name that stands out on this list for obvious reasons is Stephon Gilmore, who has received the maximum rating of 99. His rating makes the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year one of just four players to join the “99 Club” in this year’s version of the game. The other three players in this club, meanwhile, are Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey and Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald.
Gilmore is the latest member of the Patriots to earn a 99. Tom Brady (Madden 16, 17 and 19) and Rob Gronkowski (Madden 18 and 19) received the honor multiple times — the same goes for Ben Coates (Madden 99), Adam Vinatieri (Madden 04 and 06) and Randy Moss (Madden 09). Of those five players, two are still active and part of this year’s game as well: Brady and Gronkowski, now members of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, received a 90 and 95 rating, respectively.
Speaking of Brady, his successors in New England have not fared well on the Madden rating scale: Cam Newton has received a 78, which essentially makes him a middle-of-the-pack passer, while Jarrett Stidham received only 61 (for comparison, seven of the 13 quarterbacks drafted this year have received a rating higher than that).
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