[ad_1]
Now that the 2020-21 NFL season is over, we can take a good look at each player’s performance and determine whether or not they deserve to make the cover of “Madden NFL 22.”
Winning the title of Madden Cover Athlete is something that many players cherish. Lamar Jackson called it “a dream come true” and said he shed tears looking at himself on the cover.
Although there has been a short run of “Madden Curse”, which has been all but eliminated in recent years. In reality, four of the last five players on the cover just played in Super Bowl 55.
While the first edition of the video game was “Madden NFL 95”, players didn’t start appearing on the cover of Madden until 2000. In previous editions, John Madden would have simply graced the cover. It should be noted that in 1998 49ers running back Garrison Hearst made the cover of the PAL version, which is released in markets outside of North America.
MORE: Full story of the Madden coverage athletes
But in 2000, EA Sports completely switched to nothing but gamers on the cover. Since then, EA Sports have gone too far with quarterbacks, choosing the position to honor nine of its 21 covers, more than any other position. The running backs follow with five covers. The wide receivers made four covers. There have only been three defensive stars, and one of them was on shared coverage.
With all of that in mind, we’re trying to make our best predictions for who will be on the cover in Madden 22.
1. Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers seems like the logical choice for the cover of Madden 22. He is fresh out of an MVP win, and Madden’s last two revivals were the previous year’s MVP winner. Additionally, Rodgers has been one of the most dominant players for the past decade and has never made the cover of Madden. I feel like it’s time. But I almost feel like he won’t make the cover because it seems like the obvious choice. EA Sports may want to break the trend from MVP winner to athlete. Additionally, a quarterback has been on cover for three of the past four years.
2. Derrick Henry
As we mentioned earlier, running backs have been a staple of Madden’s covers in the past. But the last time we had an active running back on the cover was Madden 12, with Peyton Hillis (Barry Sanders was on the cover of Madden 14). Derrick Henry is a great candidate for Madden 22 as he just finished a 2,000-yard season and an offensive player of the year award. Also, with the Madden 21 meta being so pass heavy, I got to see EA Sports go the other way around Madden 22 and try to add more features to encourage people to run the ball. And what better way to highlight some additional operating features than by looking back on the cover?
3. Aaron Donald
There have only been two solo defensive stars on the cover of Madden – Richard Sherman in Madden 15 and Ray Lewis in Madden 2005. The only other defensive player was Troy Polamalu in Madden 10 alongside Larry Fitzgerald. Aaron Donald just won Defensive Player of the Year, an award he’s won three times now, and would be a good Darkhorse candidate for cover. Despite being the third solo defensive player to occupy cover, he would be the first defensive lineman to succeed. Donald has also been a member of the 99 Club (players who score 99 overall at Madden) for a few years now, so he seems to be the best defensive candidate to cover.
4. Travis Kelce
Travis Kelce is just one of six players to complete Madden 21 with an overall rating of 99. One of those players has done the cover before (Mahomes) and the other is a player we mentioned before ( Donald). Kelce would be another unique option as there has only been one other tight end to cover Madden – Rob Gronkowski in Madden 17. Kelce certainly deserves the accolades as he’s been on an absolute tear as of late. He’s had five straight 1,000-yard seasons, with 2020 being his best yet. He finished with career highs in receptions (105), receiving yards (1416) and touchdowns (11). Kelce feels like a fun choice, a break from the norm, but a well-deserving player.
5. Davante Adams
We mentioned that the three big positions for earning cover honors are quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers. I went with Davante Adams as my choice on wide receiver, but there are other deserving candidates here as well. DeAndre Hopkins (another 99 Club member) finished with more receiving yards than Adams, and that’s a potential option. Tyreek hill is a popular player in Madden for his speed of 99, and is a very good player in the game (but would come with a serious drawback given its history off the field). Stefon Diggs led the league in receiving yards last year, and that’s another option as well. But Adams feels like he has the best luck of all these players. He led the league in receiving touchdowns (18) and had more yards per game (98.1) than any other player. He is also a member of the 99 Club, which gives him the impression of being an outstanding candidate.
Darkhorse Candidate: Josh Allen
If EA Sports pick a quarterback for cover this year, it looks like it should be Rodgers, which is why we ranked him No.1. But Josh Allen is a fan favorite, and he’s a young quarterback. -back who has just come out of an impressive season. . However, there are some issues with Allen making the covers. For starters, he’s not even rated 90+ in the game and he plays for a small market team in Buffalo. If EA Sports wanted to have fun with their pick this year, I could see Allen as a potential cover athlete.
Bold Prediction: Tom Brady
EA Sports has never used a cover athlete more than once, but that’s exactly why Tom Brady feels like a potential choice. It would be a great marketing ploy to include Brady on the cover of Madden 22. He’s with a different team, so the cover would have a new look, and that would essentially cement his status as a GOAT (Greatest of All Time). Brady comes out of an incredible race where he finished with a Super Bowl ring and a Super Bowl MVP. If EA Sports wanted to be bold and pick a doubles cover athlete, it looks like Brady is the one who really deserves it. And he doesn’t have many years left to play, so this year would make the most sense to do so if that’s something EA Sports wants to consider.
[ad_2]
