Madden 21 ratings are interesting. How did EA Sports evaluate the Baltimore Ravens? Let’s start with the good:
The best thing about the Madden ratings for the Baltimore Ravens is that they got some serious respect at offensive tackle and the defensive line. Their top ranked player is Calais Campbell at a 95 (who somehow edges out the cover athlete). Ronnie Stanley is the third best player according to EA Sports with a 93.
Orlando Brown Jr. is an 83, which seems about right for a young right tackle that was just a Pro Bowl alternate. On the defensive side of things the Ravens have plenty of talent in the defensive front. Brandon Williams is an 86, Matt Judon is an 83 and Derek Wolfe is a very functional 79. If you look at Wolfe’s full rating it’s kind of encouraging He has an 82 in block shedding, an 85 in pursuit, an 86 in play recognition and a 79 in power moves. If you hit the right buttons, he’s going to be a force for you in the game.
Lamar Jackson, who is the cover athlete, is going to be unstoppable in this game. He has a 96 in speed, a 92 in throwing power, a 95 in change of direction, an 82 rated spin move and a 95 in throwing on the run. He was called a cheat code in Madden 20 and now he’s got an amazing rating. One thing I really like here is that in all the ways that matter to the actual game play, Jackson is incredible. Is it weird that the reigning NFL MVP is the second best player on his team and the third rated quarterback? Yeah, EA Sports, what’s up with that? However it doesn’t matter. Jackson is easily the biggest reason to play this game and your stats with him are going to be off the charts, whether you’re all that good or not. I repeat, he’s a cheat code.
I like how functional the ratings are. Considering every player gets rated on everything, for some inexplicable reason, these ratings are for the most part fair. The things that really matter to how a player does make the overall rating less important in several cases. That’s clearly the case for Wolfe and Jackson.
I really like Marquise Brown being rated an 80. You have to figure that number will go up this season, yet it’s the only fair rating. He was really good in flashes and he’s never shown any red flags in terms of performance. He only had 46 receptions last year, but there’s no question he made them count. Madden’s rating basically means they know he’s good but they can’t go too crazy just yet. With a 97 in speed, a 94 in acceleration and an 85 in catching, his rating is irrelevant. Throw it deep. Throw it deep.
I’m also thrilled that some of the role players were given some serious respect. Patrick Ricard is an 81 as a fullback who doesn’t get the ball a lot. That’s awesome. Nick Boyle is a good tight end and he’s the kind of good that doesn’t always show up in these kinds of things. The blocking tight end is has a solid 78.