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Once again, Yahoo Sports simulated an entire NFL season in the latest edition of Electronic Arts’ “Madden” video game.
Last year the simulation completely derailed when Nick Foles won the Super Bowl MVP leading the Bears to their first Lombardi Trophy since the 1985 season. This time around, things were. principally more realistic, but there were still some surprises, always with the NFC champions.
Here’s what “Madden NFL 22” predicts for the 2021 NFL season.
“Madden 22” cover stars shine
This year’s version of “Madden” featured last year’s Super Bowl QBs on the cover of Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes. Fittingly, the two were absolute monsters during the simulated season. Mahomes put on perhaps the best offensive season in history, throwing a record 5,663 yards and a TD-INT ratio of 54-7 and winning both the NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year awards. During Brady’s 44-year-old season, he threw for what would have been a record 5,548 yards with 43 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Brady also made 70 percent of his passes and landed the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Welcome back Dak
The Cowboys have locked the NFC East with the return of Dak Prescott, who was on MVP pace last season before suffering a horrific ankle injury. In “Madden,” Prescott showed no signs of injury holding him back as he led the Cowboys offense with a throwing for 4,823 yards and a career-high 41 touchdowns. Dak’s return also paved the way for Ezekiel Elliott’s return to form. Elliott ran for 1,426 yards – his highest total since 2018 – and scored 18 rushing touchdowns, which tied the league lead with Seattle’s Chris Carson.
Colin Kaepernick has his chance
Remaining in the NFC East, the Eagles signed Colin Kaepernick to be their starting quarterback. While it seems incredibly unlikely unless Jalen Hurts is injured in real life, Kaepernick just happens to be rated higher than several starting QBs, including Hurts. The former 49ers star hit career highs in yards (4,679) and touchdowns (33) with the Eagles, but Philadelphia was third in the division at 7-10 and missed the playoffs.
The next generation rides in ‘Madden 22’
As impressive as Mahomes and Brady are, newcomers Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields have proven they are ready for the NFL. Lawrence threw for 4,523 yards with 33 touchdowns and 14 INTs, while Fields threw for 4,518 yards, 37 touchdowns and 13 INTs. More importantly, the two rookie QBs managed to win their divisions and advance to the playoffs. The 49ers also won their division and reached the playoffs with the help of Trey Lance, who threw for 2,301 yards and 16 touchdowns in a half-season. When it comes to Zach Wilson and the Jets, things haven’t gone well overall. Wilson had a strong rookie season, with 4,042 yards, 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, but the Jets finished with the league’s worst record at 3-14.
Cam pushes Mac Jones back to New England
Jones, the fifth QB taken in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, failed to make it to the field as Cam Newton locked the starting post in New England. The Patriots, who seem to have a good QB dilemma in real life, won the AFC East behind Newton’s 4,434 yards, 37 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.
After an offseason that saw several teams make changes to the quarterback position, the biggest trade was when Detroit and Los Angeles knocked down Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff. While many expect Stafford to thrive under Sean McVay this season, “Madden” has felt differently. Stafford struggled to guide the Rams’ offense, throwing just 16 touchdowns, his lowest full-season touchdown tally since his rookie year, and leading the team to a 4-13 record. Goff, meanwhile, had a strong season with 4,490 yards and 28 touchdowns. Detroit had a better record than Los Angeles, but still missed the playoffs finishing 7-10.
Nick Chubb has an all-time season
At just 25 years old, Chubb is already one of the NFL’s most explosive runners and “Madden” recognized him in the simulation. The Browns running back came close to becoming the ninth player in NFL history to run for 2,000 yards in a single season. Chubb finished with 1,993 rushing yards and added 17 touchdowns for the 13-4 Browns, who also finished with the 2nd best overall offense in the NFL.
Years of rebound for Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey
After injuries kept two of the most dangerous offensive weapons off the field for most of the 2020 season, Barkley and McCaffrey rebounded in the ‘Madden’ simulation. Barkley posted a career-high 1,607 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns while McCaffrey had a similar career year with 1,537 yards and 17 touchdowns. The main difference came from Carolina, as McCaffrey also led the team in receiving with 1,096 yards and added 233 punt return yards, giving him an NFL record 2,866 all-purpose yards.
Which coaches have been made redundant?
There was no mid-season layoff during the simulation, but at the end of the season the Bengals, Rams and Washington football team all decided to part ways with their coaches. As previously mentioned, the Rams’ offense struggled and finished tied for the second-worst league record, costing Sean McVay his job just three years after making the Super Bowl. A year after winning the NFC East – albeit with a 7-9 record – Washington has moved on from Ron Rivera after a 5-12 record. The Bengals failed to jump, going 5-12 in Joe Burrow’s sophomore year at QB, and cost Zac Taylor his head coach job.
Playoffs and Super Bowl LVI
In the AFC, five of the seven playoff teams were the same as last season, with division winners Jacksonville and New England crushing the party in the simulation. The Ravens locked in the seed, forcing Kansas City to win three games en route to advance to their third straight Super Bowl. In the NFC, only the Bucs – who won the No.1 seed – and the Bears returned from 2020. The Cowboys, 49ers, Giants, Falcons and Panthers NFC champions (led by season Sam Darnold’s 36 touchdowns) were all newcomers.
Chefs become champions again
Mahomes and Kansas City beat Carolina 38-26. Mahomes added to his impressive trophy harvest by capturing the Super Bowl MVP for the second time in three seasons.
Other laureates
Urban Meyer won the Coach of the Year award in his first NFL season, leading the Jaguars to an 11-6 record and the AFC South title. Von Miller won the Defensive Player of the Year award with 21 sacks. Fields’ impressive year in Chicago earned him Offensive Rookie of the Year against No.1 pick Lawrence. Browns second-round pick, linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah won the defensive rookie of the year with 112 tackles and two interceptions, a team-high.
Notable retreats
Here is a list of notable retirements that occurred after the 2021 “Madden” season: Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco, Larry Fitzgerald, Adrian Peterson, LeSean McCoy, Frank Gore, Stephen Gostkowski, Malcolm Jenkins, Calais Campbell, Jason Peters, Emmanuel Sanders , Janoris Jenkins, Golden Tate.
For the first time since we started these simulations, Tom Brady has not retired.
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