With Madden 21’s release date on the horizon, EA Sports has slowly been releasing the ratings for this year’s game. They started with the rookies and now have revealed who will be in the coveted 99 rating club for this year.
The club has just four players to start the year: Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (obviously), Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald, and Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
Now personally, all four of these guys deserve their 99 rating given the season that they had in 2019. I’m not here to debate that. What I am here to debate is if EA dropped the ball on other players who are deserving of a 99 rating. If we’re going off of 2019 stats and play, here are some players who should’ve been in the 99 club as well.
Michael Thomas
It’s fun to pick on Thomas and the Saints offense for just dumping the ball off to him over and over at the line of scrimmage because Drew Brees can’t throw five yards downfield, but you can’t ignore the fact that Thomas set an NFL record last year for most receptions in a season. 149 catches for 1,725 yards at 11.6 yards per catch and nine touchdowns (plus a mind-blowing 80.5% catch rate) is well worthy of a 99 overall in my opinion. What kind of numbers do you need to put up to be considered a 99 wide receiver?
T.J. Watt
99 may seem high for Watt as he didn’t lead the NFL in sacks, but he did so much more than just rush the passer. In fact, Defensive Player of the Year was between Watt and Gilmore so it makes sense to me to have Watt at the very least in the high 90s. Watt had 14.5 sacks (4th), 37 quarterback hits (2nd), 14 tackles for loss (T-7th), eight forced fumbles (1st), and two interceptions. That is what we in the business call a stat-sheet stuffer.
George Kittle
People may be begging for Travis Kelce to be admitted into the club over Kittle, but those people are stupid. And Chiefs fans. Kittle not only is a dominate pass catcher, he also is an elite blocker, something that is an equally important part of the whole “playing tight end” thing. He’s without a doubt the most complete tight end in the NFL right now and worthy of a 99 rating in my book. Hopefully EA will make him a 98 so he can get his invite to the party right after the season starts.
Quenton Nelson
This is actually a crime. The fact that Nelson hasn’t been a 99 since entering the league is absolute trash and I am not afraid to say it. The man has been terrorizing defensive linemen and tossing grown men like rag dolls since the moment he was drafted and he’s done plenty to solidify himself as the best offensive lineman in the NFL. If he’s rated as anything under a 98.5, we—and I speak for all of the world when I say this—riot.
Lamar Jackson
Jackson’s ratings have come out and he’s a 94 overall, which actually seems about right for him, but given how unstoppable he is on the ground, I wouldn’t have been surprised if EA had given him the 99 gold jacket. I think he’s really a year away from the 99 club, but I had to throw him in here since he is the cover boy this year. That tends to be a surefire way to get the invite. Maybe they’re just considering all the OP moves that they’ve given him this year to make up for the lack of a 99 rating.
Who do you think deserves to be a 99 overall in Madden 21? Check back for more reactions to Madden 21 ratings as they come out.
Poll
Who should’ve been rated 99 overall?
This poll is closed
-
27%
Michael Thomas
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8%
T.J. Watt
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14%
George Kittle
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31%
Quenton Nelson
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7%
Lamar Jackson
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10%
None of them, EA got it right