Before we start the predictions, I want to take a moment and talk about the longevity and success of this league. 18 years ago, I was a 21 year old kid with an idea to create an online madden league, but really had no idea how it worked. With the help of Dolan (Lhu27) we created the MOF. We had some bumps and bruises in our first few seasons, but 56 seasons later here we are. One of the most prestigious leagues out there. As we enter our 57th season, a number that not many leagues have seen, I want to thank every single one of you for making this league what it is. I say this all the time, but this is a wonderful hobby for all of us. Something to get our minds off the everyday grind and have a place to escape for a few hours a week. I take pride and pleasure in providing that for you guys, so again, thank you for making the MOF great!
Welcome to the Season 57 Predictions! The first season of Madden '21! Madden '20 was a fantastic cycle, we got 6 seasons in and we saw 4 different champions. The most recent was Coach KnightNoles who made his debut in Season 55, lost that Super Bowl and then came back Season 56 and beat the mighty Coach Betts. The defending champion has decided to roll with the Broncos this cycle, can he repeat as champion? We also saw some shakeups during the team draft. Coach Jfon is no longer with the Buccaneers, as he laces up his cleats in Cincinnati. Coach Q had a chance to draft Dallas, but opted with the Saints instead! We saw Pettigrew, Krayzie, Tex, and Commish Jeff go back to their favorite teams! All of these new storylines, divisional rivalries, and more are some incredible storylines to look forward to this season. Without further ado, here are your Season 57 predictions!
*Remember all these predictions are very in depth. We go game by game with the current schedule and predict games 1 by 1 and that's how we come up with our algorithms. Remember this is all in good fun and for some, some bulletin board material! Enjoy
by Commissioner Jeff 
September 1, 2020
Biggest Off-Season Addition: WR Stefon Diggs - BUF (92 Ovr)
Biggest Off-Season Subtraction: QB Tom Brady - NE (90 Ovr)
Best Draft Selection: QB Tua Tagovailoa - MIA (73 Ovr)
This AFC East is going to be fun! The only returning coach from last cycle is Shawtypizzle, but instead of Buffalo he's manning up the Miami Dolphins and that young core. The veteran of the division is Coach Pettigrew95. Pettigrew has been to 4 Super Bowls, winning 2 of them. He was recently inducted into the MOF Hall of Fame in 2019, and he's made the playoffs 21 out of his 30 seasons here. So knocking him off will be a tall task. Speaking of which, the New England Patriots come into this season without Tom Brady for the first time since we began the MOF. Instead they come into the season with Cam Newton, who is rated 78 overall which I'm sure will go up as the season progresses. The Patriots have a very strong defense led by Dont'a Hightower and Stephon Gilmore. Will Pettigrew hang on to those players or trade them to try and rebuild a new dynasty? Either way, the Patriots are my favorite to win this division. Pettigrew has the skills, the experience, and i believe his team is good enough to be atop the standings. The New York Jets are being coached by SonGoku this cycle. We don't know a whole lot about Coach SonGoku just yet, we do know that he went 9-7 in his first two seasons with the Ravens, so quietly we know he can ball. The problem is the Jets are a weak team on paper. The loss of Jamal Adams hurts, however they did receive some nice compensation for him. The Jets are a rebuild, there's no doubt about that. To their offensive line, to their receiving corps, to their defense. They need some help. I believe that will hold SonGoku and the Jets back this season a bit, I still expect some competitiveness out of them, but not enough to challenge for the division and possibly a long shot at the 7th playoff seed as well. The Miami Dolphins come into this season as one of the youngest, gun blazing teams in the game. Coach Shawtypizzle abandoned all loyalty to his Buffalo Bills and signed onto Miami. The temptation of Tua Tagovailoa will do that to you. Miami is in the same boat as the Jets. These guys have a lot of rebuilding and improving to do. They do have some nice pieces, in Tua, Breida, and DeVante Parker. But their defense is not looking too good. The Dolphins will be a project and I think Shawty can handle it. They have a lot of draft picks in their pocket that they can use for trade bait or to develop some new young talent. It will be fun to watch Coach Shawty in Miami for the next few seasons, but I think the first season will be a rebuilding one. The Buffalo Bills are coached by none other than Coach Buffalo Bill! What a perfect scenario. Coach Bill initially drafted the Chargers, but then traded them to Coach MackDaddy for these Buffalo Bills. The Bills are probably the most complete team in the AFC East at this moment. In a win now move, they were able to trade for Stefon Diggs who instantly becomes the #1 receiver on the team. The offensive line is solid, Josh Allen is solid, and the receivers are nice as well. However, I think Buffalo Bill will need to improve on his skill to have a shot at this division. Bill has spent 2 seasons here in the MOF and his career record is 9-23, albeit that was with the Detroit Lions, we still are not convinced that he can compete in a division with a hall of famer. We hope he proves us wrong!
Biggest Off-Season Addition: DE Calais Campbell - BAL (95 Ovr)
Biggest Off-Season Subtraction: RG Marshal Yanda - BAL (88 Ovr)
Best Draft Selection: QB Joe Burrow - CIN (77 Ovr)
The AFC North is seeing some brand new faces enter their division. Jfon with the Bengals, DoubleD with the Steelers. Gouch will stay put in the division but with Baltimore, and a familiar face in Coach MrWitness36 is back with the Browns. MrWitness returns to a team where he won a Super Bowl title back in Season 45. Witness also won a title in Season 55 with the Eagles, so we know Witness can ball. With the Browns being one of the youngest explosive teams in the game, Witness will be a force to be reckoned with the entire cycle. I expect the Browns to win this division, but it might be closer than we all think. The real question is will Witness trade OBJ or will he keep him? The Cincinnati Bengals have a new look for the first time in a while. Coach Jfon who hasn't left Tampa Bay since re-joining the MOF back in Season 34 will have to lace up with a new team. It will be odd to see it, but maybe a change of scenery will be good for Jfon. Jfon has made the post-season 4 straight seasons, his best streak of his career, and we believe that it can continue here in Cincinnati, especially with that new 7th seed added. The Bengals have themselves a franchise QB in Joe Burrow, that will be a fun task improving him. Joe Mixon and AJ Green fill out the skill positions, but this offensive line will need some help. The Bengals still have ageless wonder Geno Atkins on the line, with newly acquired D.J. Reader. Also the addition of Trae Waynes helps out a secondary that is young. If Jfon can get a hold of these guys early, he can absolutely battle Witness for the division. The Baltimore Ravens are one of the best rated teams in the game, Coach Gouch (pronounced Gooch) has the x-factor amongst all x-factors, Lamar Jackson, at his finger tips. We all know Jackson will be an absolute stud for Gouch, but the question is can he control himself? A lot of coaches with versatile Quarterbacks tend to take off and run too much resulting in fumbles and injuries. If Gouch can stay poised, he can be very dangerous. The Ravens offense will be fun, but their defense will be solid as well. With the addition of DE Calais Campbell these guys are in win now mode. I expect the Ravens to have a solid season, but I do think the first season with the Ravens will be an adjustment period for Gouch and they will fall short of a playoff berth. The Pittsburgh Steelers are coached by the top GM in the league, DoubleD187. DoubleD made a great off-season signing when he selected Devonta Freeman in the free-agent draft. He will start immediately. The question mark will be Big Ben's health and age. How many seasons will he get out of Ben? There's no doubt Coach DoubleD will be looking to either draft a QB or make a trade for one for the up coming seasons. Regardless, the Steelers have a nice team, they are average at most spots, no real glaring holes so i expect the Steelers to be solid. DoubleD did not have the greatest Madden '20 cycle, only making the playoffs 1 time. I do think the Steelers will be in the same boat with the Ravens. Will be a good season, not great, and not enough to get to the playoffs.
Biggest Off-Season Addition: DT DeForest Buckner - IND (87 Ovr)
Biggest Off-Season Subtraction: WR DeAndre Hopkins - HOU (98 Ovr)
Best Draft Selection: CB C.J. Henderson - JAX (76 Ovr)
The AFC South looks eerily similar to Madden '20 cycle with the Jaguars and Titans not changing out coaches. Dre is back with the Jags, and Roc is back with the Titans. However we have some new kids on the block as well, well you can see new "old" kids. Coach Trig with the Colts and Coach Bengalsonly7 with the Texans. We do start off with the Jaguars. Coach BigDre245 is currently driving from Alaska to Florida in an RV so he won't be ready for the start of the season, he shouldn't miss more than 1 or 2 games but that might derail his chances of winning this division. Maybe. Dre and the Jags just have a way of doing things. Dre is lucky we did not start the season after the real life Jaguars cut Fournette and traded Yannick. The Jaguars are one of the lowest rated teams in the game. It starts at the helm. Who will be the QB for the Jags? Minshew? Dobbs? Will it matter? I still like Dre to win a very competitive division, despite missing his first 1 or 2 games. Coach MrRoclo and the Tennessee Titans are feeling disrespected, and they should. You're telling me Coach Roclo, a Hall of Fame candidate year in and year out won't be able to win this division, especially with a 2 game lead to start? Yes. That's what I'm saying. The Titans have a very underrated squad. Derrick Henry is an absolute beast and he might be the rushing champion at the end of this season, and possibly cycle. Ryan Tannehill is the starting QB, but the signing or re-signing of Cole McDonald might give Tannehill a run for his money. The receivers could use some help, but I'm sure Roc could find a gem in the draft, as he did last cycle. The defense is led by Kevin Byard who is a 91 overall rated safety that will knock your block off. I think the Titans will battle for this division, if they don't win it, I think they will narrowly miss the playoffs, but i wouldn't be surprised if they made it either. The Indianapolis Colts were a sexy team entering the team draft, but they wound up falling to Coach Trigrdan at number 24. Kind of surprising. Trig had himself a very nice cycle with the Cardinals in Madden '20 but this team is not the Cardinals. They couldn't be more opposite actually. Philip Rivers will be the starting QB at least for the first season, with Jacoby Brissett waiting in the wings. Nyheim Hines I'm sure will have a nice season with that 93 speed, and T.Y. Hilton will be a massive thorn in the side of the rest of the division. I think it will take Coach Trig a little bit to get used to the Colts style, but eventually he will be a playoff contender, I just think this first season he will fall short. The Houston Texans will be coached by Bengalsonly7 who coached the Raiders last cycle, and made the playoffs 1 out of 6 seasons, however he finished 9-7 three other times. Coach Ben (can i call you that?) is one of those sneaky good coaches. You don't hear much from him in the chat, he doesn't put up huge statistical numbers, he doesn't win 15 games a season. But he will sneak one by you if you're not careful, and he will pretty much always finish around .500 and be in the playoff chase. I think this division will be a little stronger than Madden '20 and the first season, I don't expect much from them, especially with the enormous loss of Hopkins. There will be some building to do, and eventually the Texans will be a force.
Biggest Off-Season Addition: CB Chris Harris Jr. - LAC (89 Ovr)
Biggest Off-Season Subtraction: CB Kendall Fuller - KC (86 Ovr)
Best Draft Selection: WR Henry Ruggs III - LV (76 Ovr)
The AFC West welcomes Coach MackDaddy back to the Los Angeles Chargers as he duped us all by drafting the Bills but then trading for the Chargers. That spells bad news for the rest of the division. The Chiefs with Coach Enzo, the Broncos with Knightnoles, and the Las Vegas Raiders with BigMaine! First off, this division will be the best and toughest in the league. MackDaddy won the most regular season games last cycle, made 3 superbowls and won 1. KnightNoles made 2 Super Bowls in his first 2 seasons and won last season and Enzo is a perennial division winner and playoff contender. We begin with MackDaddy's Chargers. Mack will be the favorite to win this division, until he is consistently knocked off, he will continue to be the favorite. The Chargers come into this season with a rookie QB in Justin Herbert and veteran Tyrod Taylor backing him up. The word isn't out on who will start just yet, but whoever it is, expect them to be in the running for MVP. The Chargers did lose Melvin Gordon III who has a force last cycle. It looks like Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson will get the brunt of the carries. Of course Keenan Allen and Mike Williams will both be solid receivers for Mack. The defense will be strong as well, with Joey Bosa and Chris Harris leading the way. These guys will win a lot of games, even if for some reason Mack doesn't win the division he will be in the playoffs. Coach KnightNoles selected the Denver Broncos in the team draft, probably a little higher than most thought. Not much is known yet about Knight, who came into the MOF in Season 55 and immediately put his foot in the room of the elite. He's made the Super Bowl in both of his MOF seasons, which is an incredible accomplishment, and he won the Super Bowl last season with the Miami Dolphins, beating the mighty Coach Betts and the Washington football team. This cycle he has a nice fresh start and can build his team the way he wants. The Broncos have nice pieces, they are a young team with Dre Lock at QB, Phillip Lindsay and Melvin Gordon III at HB, and a very nice young WR corps in Sutton, Jeudy, and Hamler. Don't forget Noah Fant at TE. They will be very very good under coach Knight. The expectations are very high for Denver, as Coach KnightNoles has some immediate pressure entering his 3rd MOF season in a juggernaut division. The Kansas City Chiefs were the first team taken in the MOF Team Draft by Coach Enzo. Enzo spent last cycle with the 49ers where he won 3 division titles. The playoffs were not Enzo's strong point, as he reached the NFC Championship twice, losing both times. He figures to reverse his playoff failures with the best QB in the game, Patrick Mahomes. Stack that with Kelce and Hill and you have the best offense in the game. Enzo is more known for his running game, but we will see him throw that rock and become very good at it. Enzo is always right there when the dust settles, and I don't expect anything less. The Chiefs will battle the Chargers and Broncos for that division, I do think the Chiefs will be the odd team out, however I do expect them to still make the playoffs. The Raiders are coached by TheBigMaine this season and a new look stadium and city for the Raiders who are now known as the Las Vegas Raiders. It still sounds weird. TheBigMaine debuted last season, Week 7. So he still is considered a rookie since he has not completed a full season yet here in the MOF. The unfortunate reality is that the BigMaine went 0-10 in his first 10 games here in the MOF, and he is now in the toughest division in the game. Mad props to him for coming to the AFC West, but it might not be a very successful cycle for him. The Raiders however, have a solid team. There's no word on who the QB will be. Carr or Mariota, we are leaning towards Carr. The Raiders also have 2 90+ rated offensive lineman and an 87 rated RT. So their line is very good. Josh Jacobs lacks speed but he is a solid RB that should do some damage. The bottom line is the Raiders will have to work extra hard to make noise in the MOF this season and the next few seasons, we are hoping TheBigMaine can surprise us all.
Biggest Off-Season Addition: CB Darius Slay Jr. - PHI (90 Ovr)
Biggest Off-Season Subtraction: LT Trent Williams - WAS (92 Ovr)
Best Draft Selection: DE Chase Young - WAS (80 Ovr)
The NFC East is manned again by Coach NYRed... i mean Portisss26. It doesn't matter what name he goes with, Coach Betts is back with Washington once again. The rest of the division sees all fresh faces. The Giants have Coach Estrada, the Eagles have rookie Coach Trunks, and the Cowboys have veteran Texmexgalvan. However we begin with the 7-time Super Bowl Champion Coach Portisss26 and the Washington Football Team. Coach Betts won the first 3 Super Bowls of Madden '20 and he lost the last Super Bowl to the Dolphins. So that's 4 Super Bowl appearances in 6 seasons of Madden '20. Impressive to say the least, but we already knew this about Betts. He is all over the record books, he's the all-time leader in playoff wins, super bowl appearances and titles. He is the Vince Lombardi of the MOF. The only thing that could hold him down is the talent of this team. Washington has some holes. Especially on the offensive line. They also lost the top player of Madden '20 Derrius Guice. With that said, I still expect Washington to win this division pretty handedly. Look for Bryce Love to emerge as the top back on the team. Terry McLaurin will have a huge season, and Dwayne Haskins Jr. will be in the running for NFC MVP. I also have two words for you, Chase Young. Expect him to be an absolute stud. The New York Giants will be coached by Estrada who spent the last few seasons of Madden '20 with the Green Bay Packers. Estrada started off his MOF career with a bang. Season 54 he went 13-3 in his debut season but was knocked out of the wild-card round against JFon's Buccaneers. The following 2 seasons were mediocre and he missed the playoffs. Now with the Giants, they have a lot of rebuilding to do. Thankfully the skill positions look nice. Barkley and Daniel Jones are something to build around. The thing with Estrada though is he likes to make moves. He likes to trade. So what you see now on this team, could be completely different by the end of the season. It looks like no one on the roster is safe. I expect to see some good things from Estrada, not enough to make the post-season, but he'll come close and finish 2nd in the division. There is a new coach in town in Coach Trunks who is a true 100% rookie coming into the league. There's no doubt that Trunks has the ambition and activity to make his mark known on the rest of the league. He showed that he has the skills to compete as he defeated the Commish in his tryout game in overtime and from the looks of it he really is going to be a fun coach to have in the league. So let me be the first to tell you, welcome to the MOF! Now, the bad news. We never give rookies much credit in these predictions, basically because we don't know much about their game play or skill level. All we know is what we know, and the team you are controlling. Unfortunately Trunks is in a division with arguably the greatest coach in MOF history. However, that's what he wanted and it's admirable. The Eagles have some nice weapons as well. Fletcher Cox, Zach Ertz, and newly acquired Darius Slay Jr. Their offensive line is tops in the game, or maybe 2nd to Dallas. Wentz is a young stud QB, and Mike Sanders is an underrated HB. There's no doubt the Eagles have the skill to compete, but like we said before, I'm just not convinced yet that the Eagles can be a playoff team. Prove me wrong rookie. The Dallas Cowboys have a familiar face back in the saddle in Coach Texmexgalvan. A lot of us expected Coach Q to come back to the Big D but he chose to pass up on that and it left the door wide open. Coach Tex had some bright spots in Madden '20 with the Chargers. He was a rushing monster with Melvin Gordon III so i expect Ezekiel Elliot to be fed ALOT and Dallas is set up that way, with that offensive line. So Tex could really surprise us this season and fight for a wild-card spot. However, his schedule is brutal. That will hold them back and even though we aren't predicting a very good record out of Tex and the Cowboys, I still think he will have a solid season with Elliot and he might break off an upset or two in the process.
Biggest Off-Season Addition: DT Michael Pierce - MIN (91 Ovr)
Biggest Off-Season Subtraction: WR Stefon Diggs - MIN (92 Ovr))
Best Draft Selection: CB Jeff Okudah - DET (76 Ovr)
The NFC North, one of my favorite divisions season in and season out. We have seen some new but old faces back in this division. We see Krayzie back with his Vikings, Remo back with his Bears, and Hova back with his Lions (i think that's his Lions) Anyway, the unfamiliar face will be the tremendous Coach Bhicks14 and the Green Bay Packers! The Packers have been used to Coach Lhu27 (Dolan) running the franchise, but unfortunately Dolan left us in the middle of Madden '20 and has not returned. So the door is now open for Bhicks to bring his talents to Green Bay. Hicks and Rodgers together spells disaster for the rest of the MOF. It instantly makes Hicks a Super Bowl contender. Hicks was able to make a Super Bowl in Madden '20 with the Chiefs but lost to Washington in Season 53 by a score of 19-10. That's how close he was to winning the big one. Now with the Packers, which I believe will win the division by Week 6, Hicks has another stud QB in Aaron Rodgers. The question will be is will Rodgers decline after 1 season? We saw it last cycle, will it happen again? Hicks must prepare ahead of time, and Jordan Love might not be the answer. The team is stacked a very good offensive line, Aaron Jones (who Hicks put on the trade block) and Davante Adams are as good of a 1-2 punch of anyone. Hicks was able to also sign Delaine Walker in the free-agent draft to start at TE. The Pack could probably use some help on defense, but I think they have enough to win this division and go on a deep playoff run in Hicks' first season. The Minnesota Vikings see the return of Coach Krayzie300 who spent the last cycle in New England where he did not have much success. Krayzie failed to make the playoffs in all 6 seasons, so he hopes to turn that around in Minnesota, Year 1. The Vikings have a very solid team, even with losing Stefon Diggs to the Bills, they still have Adam Thielen and the newly acquired Josh Gordon. Dalvin Cook is a very nice back, and Kirk Cousins is a solid starter. The Vikings are set up to win with Danielle Hunter, Michael Pierce and the newly signed Cameron Wake. The defense is very good, the offensive is very good, there aren't many holes here. The only thing holding them back will be Coach Krazie. Can he compete with Hicks' Packers? Can he win the games he should win? I expect the Vikings to make a serious push for the playoffs, I don't think he will win the division, but I expect playoffs in Krayzie's first season back. The Chicago Bears have a familiar face returning in Coach Remo357. This will be Remo's 12th straight season in Chicago. Last cycle wasn't great for Remo, all 6 seasons he finished under .500 with no playoff appearances. The skill level is there though, as Remo was absolutely getting better and better especially with the rushing ability of Khalil Mack who is back once again as a top rusher. The Bears signed Nick Foles to compete with Trubisky and we do not know who will be starting for Coach Remo's Bears, but whoever it is, he will need an upgrade. One of the most interesting tidbits of the season will be Cordarrelle Patterson who was moved (in real life) from WR to HB and it looks like he will start for the Bears at HB. I also expect Montgomery and Cohen to get a lot of time as well. The backfield will be crowded but also fun to watch. The Bears also have Allen Robinson who is an underrated stud at WR. The Bears have a solid team, like the Vikings, it all depends on the skill level of the coach and if Remo can turn his MOF career around and get into a winning mode. We hope he does! Last but not least, the Detroit Lions and Coach Hovadagod_23. Coach Hova was stuck with the last pick in the team draft and was awarded the worst rated team in the game, the Detroit Lions. The good news, he was able to pick Damon Harrison Sr. with the first overall pick in the free-agent draft. Also bad news, they traded Darius Slay Jr. but good news, they drafted Jeff Okudah who should become a top CB in the next few seasons. The talent is just not there in Detroit. They have lack luster players at their skill positions, a weak offensive line, a slow receiving corps, and a terrible linebacker corps. Coach Hova is in for a long rebuild unless he can unload some of the talent left on this team and stock pile draft picks. It's a big job, and if Hova can focus and become more active he can do it. I just think this first season might be a real disaster for these Lions.
Biggest Off-Season Addition: TE Rob Gronkowski - TB (92 Ovr)
Biggest Off-Season Subtraction: DT Gerald McCoy - CAR (85 Ovr)
Best Draft Selection: DT Derrick Brown - CAR (78 Ovr)
The NFC South has its staple of coaches. The Falcons and BigReg, the Panthers and Dpanther95, the Buccaneers and ... rPowers? Yes you heard that correctly. RobPowers, who is now known as the homer killer, has drafted the Buccaneers 12th overall in the team draft. Does that mean he will make some noise? Maybe. But we start off with another new old face in the division. The New Orleans Saints and CoachQKP35. Coach Q had probably his worst edition of Madden in his MOF career. Missing the playoffs all 6 seasons with the Eagles and then the Seahawks. Although he had more success with Seattle, he just never got over that hump. Q is determined to turn things around with the Saints and we believe it will happen as well. The Saints offense is rated the highest in the game, and it should. Alvin Kamara, Michael Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, oh and Drew Brees. All incredible and all ready to explode. This offensive line also, Ryan Ramczyk (91 overall) and Terron Armstead (95 overall). The Saints are built to win now, and Coach Q knows this. Drew will probably retire after the 1st season, so it's time to make a run right now! I expect the Saints to be right there at the end of the season, if not a division title, absolutely a wild-card berth. The playoff drought will be over for Q. The Atlanta Falcons will have Coach BigReg back once again as he looks to build off a strong Madden '20 cycle. Reg has won the NFC South the past 3 seasons and he's not going to go down without a fight this season. The Falcons lost Devonta Freeman to free-agency but they signed Todd Gurley II who absolutely dominated Madden '20 in broken tackles. Odds are he won't be the same RB but he could be close to it. Ito Smith will also still be there, who was a stud in the last few seasons of M20. Matt Ryan will be back as a very accurate QB along with his favorite target Julio Jones. Don't forget Calvin Ridley and Taylor Gabriel as well. The Falcons are stacked on offense. Defense could use some work in the secondary, but they do have Deion Jones who is one of the fastest LBs in the game. I am not worried about Reg. He has his team, he knows how to play with them, and he will be a force season in and season out. He will battle Q for that division, I think both teams will get into the post-season it just depends on where they will be seeded. The Buccaneers will be coached by someone other than Jfon for the first time in 24 seasons. Coach RobPowers who spent Madden '20 in Dallas will get a shot at the new look Bucs. Tom Brady was the talk of the town when he decided to skip New England and go somewhere new, he also took Rob Gronkowski with him and turned the Bucs into a juggernaut team. The 43 year old Brady will probably stick around for 2 seasons so Rob will have to come up with a plan other than Blaine Gabbert. The receivers on this team are dynamite to say the least. Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Scotty Miller, Gronk and OJ Howard. Wow. The running game will need some work, with Ronald Jones II looking to be the starter. The Bucs secondary is probably the weakest part of the team, so they will need to work on that moving forward. Now do I think Rob and Tampa Bay will be a playoff team? I think they can be. I think they will have a tough time with Atlanta and New Orleans. I expect them to finish 3rd and fight for that 7th seed, but fall short. It will take some adjusting for Rob to be a passing coach instead of a rushing coach. Coach Dpanther95 is back with Carolina once again. This is his 20th straight season in Carolina, the longest streak in the league. During those 20 seasons, the best record Dpanther has had was 6-9-1 back in Season 47. Winning has not been Coach D's strong suit, but longevity, sportsmanship, and respect definitely is. We say it every single season, but there's nothing more i want to see than for Coach Dpanther95 to make the playoffs. With the addition of the extra wild-card this cycle, it becomes more of a possibility. However, with the loss of Cam Newton, it really leaves a hole at QB that Coach D doesn't need to afford. Some will say, Teddy Bridgewater is better, I'll say no. But, Christian McCaffrey is the best HB in the game and he will just need the rock 25-30 times per game if Dpanther wants to win games. The loss of Luke Keuchly also hurts, a ton. The linebacker unit just doesn't look the same. The Panthers will finish last this season, but the hopes are high, especially with McCaffrey, that he can upset some teams along the line.
Biggest Off-Season Addition: WR DeAndre Hopkins - ARI (98 Ovr)
Biggest Off-Season Subtraction: LB Jadeveon Clowney - SEA (92 Ovr))
Best Draft Selection: LB Isaiah Simmons - ARI (77 Ovr)
The wild NFC West, that's what we're going to call this division moving forward. We see the Commish back with his favorite squad, the 49ers. We see Coach Canesbucs1 grabbing the Cardinals with the 5th pick in the team draft, we see Mindenplaya back with Seattle, and we see rookie coach Showkiller with the Rams. It's going to be a real fun division. The 49ers have Commish Jeff back this cycle. The last time Commish ran with the 49ers was Madden '18 where he finished 9-7, 2-2, 8-8, and 12-4. Last edition he was the Rams, where he made the playoffs 2 out of 6 seasons, and lost in the NFC Championship both times. Commish is known for his running game and middle linebacker play and the 49ers are set up very nicely for him in both departments. Raheem Mostert is the fastest HB in the game, but they also have depth. Tevin Coleman, Jerick McKinnon, and the newly signed Frank Gore round out one of the deepest backfields in the MOF. Jimmy G is an average QB, with erratic accuracy once in a while that could cause Commish to lose a few screws. George Kittle is the top rated TE, and Deebo Samuel, and this young receiving corps looks like a nice build. The defense is where this team shines. Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead and rookie Javon Kinlaw will be real nice in the Commish's 3-4 defense. Speaking of which, all 4 starting linebackers have speeds of 84, 85 and 87 respectively. The secondary is led by Richard Sherman (91 overall). I expect the 49ers to battle for the division, even if they don't win it, I think Commish is a playoff team with this highly rated team. The Arizona Cardinals bring in Hall of Fame coach Canesbucs1 and he looks to make an immediate impact. This Cardinals team is stacked, young and ready to make some noise. Kyler Murray is a QB who has 90 THP and 91 speed. He is Lamar Jackson Jr. Murray had some serious fumbling issues in Madden '20 that will need to be fixed moving forward, or Coach Canes will end up trading him. RB Kenyan Drake will be the starter over there, who is very quick. The receivers on this team is where the bread and butter is. DeAndre Hopkins, the ageless wonder Larry Fitzgerald, Christian Kirk, and Madden '20 stud Andy Isabella (95 speed). Coach Canes also traded for TE David Njoku, so all the weapons are there for these guys to be a scoreboard lighting juggernaut offense. The defense is led by rookie, yes rookie, Isaiah Simmons who has as 93 speed at linebacker, wow. It looks like Canes is going to use him as an edge rusher instead of a middle linebacker, which will be scary. Patrick Peterson also still has a lot left in the tank at age 30 and rated 88 overall. I expect the Cardinals to be very good, it will depend on Murray's ability to limit the turnovers. The Cardinals will battle for the division, and be a playoff contender as well. I expect them to be there. The Seattle Seahawks see the return of Coach Mindenplaya who was there for Madden '19. During his tenure with the Seahawks Coach Mindenplaya posted 4 playoff appearances in 5 seasons. Last edition Minden had the Texans where he posted 3 playoff appearances in 6 seasons. So the talent is undoubtedly there for Coach Minden. We are still waiting for him to make that push into the elite but the playoff success just has not been there for him. Enter in the Seattle Seahawks. Who fell in the team draft all the way to 27. The cycle preview turned a lot of coaches off to the Seahawks who are going to have some money troubles coming up soon. But that's neither here nor there. The Seahawks have an extremely talented team, and I'm honestly shocked they dropped to 27th in the draft. They have 3 players in the 90s. Bobby Wagner, Russell Wilson, and Jamal Adams. Their offensive line is so-so, but they have Russell Wilson, who can escape the pocket and throw on the run. Their running attack is suspect, but Rashaad Penny should be the starter, and should have a solid season. D.K Metcalf is where it's at. 6'3" and 95 speed, he's about to be a breakout star. Enter Dorsett and Lockett and the Seahawks have a very fast receiving corps. The defensive line needs some help, but Bobby Wagner and Jamal Adams are thumpers on the defensive side of the ball. I expect the Seahawks to also battle for this division, however with their schedule I think they might be the team on the outside looking in. The game vs Krayzie's Vikings during the season might be the determining factor as to who earns that 7th seed. The Los Angeles Rams are coached by Showkiller, who technically is still a rookie since he has only played 14 games in the MOF. He went 8-6 with the Saints and looked pretty good during the season. Not much is really known about Showkiller, but we do know the Rams have some holes. They have Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey and that in itself will probably win him some games single handedly. But they lost Gurley and Cooks which really hurts. They are hurting in the backfield and should look to improve there, as Malcolm Brown or Darrell Henderson look to carry the rock. Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods, along with Josh Reynolds make up a pretty solid receiving squad, even with the loss of Cooks. Showkiller was able to sign Earl Thomas to the secondary, and it really puts them up there with John Johnson and Ramsey in overall secondary rating. The weak spot looks like it will be the linebackers. The Rams have talent, but they are weak in spots that are really important and i think that will hinder their progress this season. I expect them to be around .500 and fighting for a wild-card spot, but they will just fall short.
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