“Madden 17” is just a couple of weeks away from its much awaited debut but EA Sports has already been receiving criticism because of one team – the Jacksonville Jaguars.
For NFL pundits keeping track of the offseason, the Jacksonville Jaguars are one of the teams that improved considerably in the offseason. While the actual season is still unknown, most believe that the Jaguars deserve a bit of a boost in the ratings department.
Were the "Madden 17" rankings consistent?
The Jaguars did get such, giving the Jaguars a 78 rating based on the team ratings released for "Madden 17." The ranking included Jacksonville getting an 81 for both offense and defense, a bit improvement from last year pegged at 73.
But the kicker is in the overall ranking. The Jaguars are tied as the sixth-worst team, tied with the Indianapolis Colts and the Los Angeles Rams. The controversy arose when "Madden 17" had several teams ranked higher. These were the San Diego Chargers, Detroit Lions and the Tennessee Titans.
Of the mix, the rank the Titans got drew some flak, especially since the team didn’t do much to rebuild like the Jags did. In short, the rankings given are drawing a lot of heat.
Cleveland Browns ranked among the worst?
Aside from the teams mentioned, there is another team that EA didn’t rank so well. The Cleveland Browns garnered a 73 rating, just behind the Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins.
A lot of these may have been due to the player rankings, something that is also being questioned. Joe Haden, Paul Kruger, Gary Barnidge, Joel Bitonio, Tramon Williams and Andy Lee got overall ratings in the 80s. Josh Gordon's ended up with a 76, believed to be due to his time away.
EA has yet to react on the backlash. Just the same, here are the rankings released for "Madden 17." The game is expected to be released on Aug. 23.
