It must be one of the strangest parts of being a player in the NFL: to be able to sit down in front of a gaming console and literally be yourself.
Members of NFL teams regularly play each other in Madden tournaments during downtime on the road. Some find it relaxing. Others enjoy the chance to get one over on their teammates.
Yet the newest issue of the Madden series, one of the most popular videogame franchises of all time, becomes a little thorny at this time of year. That’s because each year EA Sports simulates the outcome of the Super Bowl a week in advance, and the virtual runthrough has come up with predictions eerily similar to what has transpired in reality.
Suddenly, it’s not all fun and games anymore, but an accurate glimpse of what we might see at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday. The players love the game, but they’re not too fond of the Super Bowl simulation.
This year, Madden says, the Panthers will emerge victorious and lift the Lombardi Trophy. The simulation predicted Carolina would jump to an early lead, stave off a late Denver rally and win 24-20.
Madden has correctly picked nine of the last 12 Super Bowl winners — a decent hit rate but one that is getting better.
Last year, when the New England Patriots beat the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 in Super Bowl XLIX, the simulation correctly called the score and the winning touchdown scorer (Julian Edelman) and also guessed Tom Brady’s final passing yardage tally within a few steps of what actually happened.