Madden Releases Their 2020 Player Ratings

With Madden 20 just over two weeks away from its release, EA Sports proceeded to release their player ratings on Monday. And like every year, there’s controversy surrounding how some players are rated.

Every year around this time, there is always a bit of anticipation around the NFL and gaming world because EA Sports’ Madden releases their player ratings for their upcoming game. And with the franchise’s newest installment slated to hit stores August 2, 2019, they felt that mid-July was a perfect cushion to reveal all their ratings.

Of course, not everyone is going to be happy with how some of the athletes are rated- even over a simple video game. In fact, some players have publicly expressed their disapproval of what they have taken as being slighted.

In this article, let’s take a look at some of the biggest names from the Los Angeles Chargers and Rams and how Madden viewed them, with a final verdict of whether he was rated too high, too low, or just right.

Philip Rivers, QB, Chargers- 94 rating

The 37-year-old quarterback is coming off a strong 2018 season in which he threw for over 4,300 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions on nearly a 70% completion rate. But even at 37 years of age, Madden does not think the veteran will be slowing down anytime soon, as he is rated as the third-best quarterback behind just Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady. This means he is ahead of guys like Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers, which may be a reach for some.

There’s a legitimate argument to be made that Rivers should not be a 94 if Brees is a 92 and Rodgers a 90, respectively. But Rivers’ rating is boosted by his 98 Short Accuracy, 94 medium Accuracy, 93 Deep Accuracy, and 96 Throw Under Pressure while having an 87 in Arm Strength.

On the flip side, Brees’ play diminished over the Saints’ final six games last year, and Rodgers struggled with health once again, while having a down year. And 94 just feels right.

Verdict: Just right

Jared Goff, QB, Rams- 83 rating

The 24-year-old was on his way to being squarely in the MVP discussion before a rough stretch towards the end of the season. Nonetheless, he threw for almost 4.700 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions while completing 64.9% of his passes.

Madden has him tied with Baker Mayfield as the 11-best quarterback, ahead of other young passers such as Carson Wentz, Deshaun Watson, and Dak Prescott.

They’ve given him sneaky speed with a 78 rating but may have underestimated his Medium Accuracy (88), Deep Accuracy (85), and Play Action Rating (87) while overestimating his ability under pressure (81).

Verdict: About right, maybe a tick or two too low

Melvin Gordon III, Chargers, RB- 92 rating

Another year, and another season with over 1,000 yards from scrimmage for Gordon III. And this time, the running back added in 14 touchdowns, en route to being rated as the third-best running back in Madden, alongside Le’Veon Bell.

His ratings concerning his physical (speed and acceleration) and rushing (carrying and awareness) attributes all seem fair (all in the low-to-mid 90s). It’s with his catching where the 26-year-old is lacking.

Gordon has a 69 catch rating and 64 catching in traffic, both surprisingly low for a running back with back-to-back 50+-catch seasons and a catch percentage better than the best receivers in the game.

Verdict: Just right

Todd Gurley II, RB, Rams- 97 rating

The 24-year-old was en route to a historic season before he started to show cracks physically, forcing the Rams to sit him at the end of the regular season. But he still finished with over 1,800 yards from scrimmage and a league-leading 21 touchdowns in just 14 games.

As a physical specimen and talent, you can understand why Gurley owns the highest rating among running backs. Throw in his elite production, and it’s easy to see why he earned it.

But, his knee problems hampered his ability towards the end of 2018, and there aren’t any signs of them going away, which puts his former status of “Best Running Back in the NFL” in doubt.

Verdict: Too high

Keenan Allen, WR, Chargers- 89

I’ll just let him explain why he’s not high enough.

Verdict: Too low

Melvin Gordon III and Joey Bosa, DE, Chargers- 88 each

These two form, perhaps, the best defensive duo in the league, and they happen to be rushing the quarterback from either side of the D-Line, making it a scary task for the offense.

Ingram had what one would consider a down year (by his standards), but the 30-year-old was still someone that caused havoc for opposing offenses. Bosa, on the other hand, made his presence felt in his seven games (six starts), picking up from where he left off in years past.

Both were a bit penalized in their ratings to shed blocking, which is shocking because it’s a significant aspect of what makes a really good, or elite, pass rusher just that.

Verdict: Too low for Bosa but just right for Ingram

Aaron Donald, DT, Los Angeles Rams- 99 rating

One of just four players to achieve the special honor of a 99 rating. No surprise here.

Verdict: Just right

Others

Hunter Henry, TE, Chargers- 86 rating (Too high)

Adrian Philips, SS, Chargers- 77 (Too low)

Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks, WR, Rams- 87 (Just right)

Cooper Kupp, WR, Rams- 84 (Just right)

Clay Matthews, OLB, Rams- 78 (Too high)

You can find the full rankings of every player from each team if you click here. Madden 20 hits stores on August 2, so preorder if you have not already! If you are interested to learn more about us and receive email updates and newsletters on your favorite team(s), click here!