EA Sports has posted the initial rankings for each team in Madden NFL 17, and one Super Bowl contender in particular suffers a substantial hit in rankings.
As anyone associated or remotely interested in the NFL will know, Peyton Manning retired from the quarterback position shortly after winning the Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos. Since then, the team has been phishing for potential recruits to take over the position in his stead; and according to the Madden figures, the drop in quarterback certainty seems to have affected the overall offensive score. This in turn puts Denver behind the likes of Oakland Raiders, which, while the Raiders are still a talented team, may speak to the impact that a quarterback has to the offensive rank score.
The best teams in the NFC and the AFC are the Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots, respectively. These results are to be expected, since both teams remained intact, and even bolstered, through the offseason. For the Panthers, their offensive rank must be anticipatively accounting for the hailed return of Kelvin Benjamin, who sustained a season-ending injury during preseason practices.
These are mere initial numbers, and they’re more than likely subject to change once the season is underway and players prove their mettle. Take a look at what’s coming August 23 with the launch of Madden NFL 17. Where does your team rank among them?
NFC
Carolina Panthers [87]: OFF 91 // DEF 87
Green Bay Packers [85]: OFF 89 // DEF 85
Seattle Seahawks [85]: OFF 83 // DEF 89
Arizona Cardinals [84]: OFF 91 // DEF 81
Dallas Cowboys [84]: OFF 89 // DEF 83
Detroit Lions [80]: OFF 81 // DEF 83
New York Giants [80]: OFF 83 // DEF 83
Philadelphia Eagles [80]: OFF 83 // DEF 83
New Orleans Saints [80]: OFF 83 // DEF 79
Atlanta Falcons [81]: OFF 89 // DEF 79
Minnesota Vikings [81]: OFF 81 // DEF 87
Washington Redskins [79]: OFF 83 // DEF 81
Los Angeles Rams [78]: OFF 79 // DEF 81
Tampa Bay Buccaneers [79]: OFF 83 // DEF 81
San Francisco 49ers [75]: OFF 75 // DEF 79
Chicago Bears [74]: OFF 73 // DEF 77
AFC
New England Patriots [87]: OFF 89 // DEF 91
Kansas City Chiefs [85]: OFF 81 // DEF 93
Pittsburgh Steelers [85]: OFF 93 // DEF 81
Baltimore Ravens [83]: OFF 85 // DEF 83
Cincinnati Bengals [84]: OFF 84 // DEF 87
Oakland Raiders [84]: OFF 89 // DEF 85
Denver Broncos [82]: OFF 75 // DEF 91
Tennessee Titans [82]: OFF 85 // DEF 85
Buffalo Bills [81]: OFF 83 // DEF 83
San Diego Chargers [81]: OFF 83 // DEF 85
Houston Texans [81]: OFF 81 // DEF 85
Indianapolis Colts [78]: OFF 81 // DEF 79
Jacksonville Jaguars [78]: OFF 81 // DEF 81
Miami Dolphins [77]: OFF 81 // DEF 81
New York Jets [77]: OFF 77 // DEF 83
Cleveland Browns [73]: OFF 75 // DEF 77