Every year, outlets and content creators use the latest version of the Madden NFL franchise to simulate the upcoming NFL season. This is a fun yearly exercise that puts Madden’s simulation prowess to the test. This year, Sports Gamers Online ran our own sim of the 2021 season. We’ve got a few weeks of the season under our belt, so we have had the opportunity to hold our simulation up to a chunk of the real season. Let’s take a look at how our Super Bowl LV holds up.
Beware of spoilers ahead for the rest of the 2020 NFL season, because I’m confident we nailed it.
Super Bowl LV – Seattle Seahawks vs Kansas City Chiefs
It doesn’t get much safer than this, to be honest. Our Super Bowl LV match-up pits two all-time great quarterbacks against each other. The Kansas City Chiefs are, of course, defending Super Bowl champions. The Chiefs have been Super Bowl contenders since drafting hotshot QB Patrick Mahomes in 2017. The Seahawks are in the same boat, but have been in that boat since 2012. Since winning the starting job in 2012, Russell Wilson and the Seahawks have only missed the playoffs once. Wilson lead the Seahawks to a Super Bowl victory over the Broncos back in 2014, and led them back to the Super Bowl in 2015.
In our 2020 season, the Seahawks surge into the playoffs at 12-4. The Chiefs sneak in at 9-7, which forces them into a tough road for a shot at back-to-back titles. This is a Super Bowl we’d only hope to see someday. So, who pulls it out?
In a nail biter, Wilson leads the Seahawks to yet another Super Bowl title in a 31-30 win. Super Bowl LV enters the fourth quarter tied at 24, though the box score shows a that the Seahawks lead in almost every statistic. The 9-7 Chiefs found a way to stick around, as they had our entire 2020 season, but couldn’t quite run away with it.
SGO’s 2020 NFL MVP
Looking at the MVP race, we’ve already got two powerhouse QBs in the super bowl. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is having a potentially all-time great season. Cam Newton is finding new success in New England. This year is oozing with MVP candidates. Which one did Madden 21 choose? Why, Ryan Tannehill, of course.
Let’s ignore that the simulation Tennessee Titans went 8-8. There’s reason to believe that Tannehill, who earned Comeback Player of the Year during a fairy tale season last year, could have played well enough to earn MVP this year. The Titans are 3-0 headed into a game with the Bills that may never happen. Unfortunately, Madden 21Â doesn’t have the language to simulate a global pandemic. Tangentially, I hope the real 2020 season treats poor DeShuan Watson better. At 0-4, there’s still opportunity for a 9-7 MVP runner-up quality year. The Texans will have to find a better coach first.
SGO vs The Odds – How Do We Stack Up?
Like I mentioned before, our prediction is pretty safe. That also means it’s pretty accurate. According to online odds makers, The Chiefs and Seahawks have the first and third highest odds to win the championship this year. That’s the same across four of the most popular online sportsbooks. From an odds standpoint, our results are a pretty sure bet.
What about other Madden simulations?
Yahoo Sports’ Madden 21 simulation made headlines in August for predicting a dominating Bears performance. Lead by redacted nickname Nick Foles, the Bears achieved a league best 14-2 record on their way to defeating Mahomes’ Chiefs in the Super Bowl. It’s a bit unfair to pick at this prediction now that we’ve got 5 Bears games under our belt, with Foles only starting two games. However, the Bears are sitting at 4-1, and have 50/1 odds in Vegas if you believe in the magic.
The NFL ran its own simulation this year. Their simulation ran in Madden 20, but the results are still less exciting than Yahoo’s. The Ravens, who top the Chiefs in the AFC championship, take on the “Tompa Bay” Buccaneers, who beat the Packers to represent the NFC.
In all these simulations, the Kansas City Chiefs are consistently Super Bowl-adjacent. The Packers always have a good year, and the Ravens are contenders. Interestingly, our simulation is the only one that gives the Seahawks any credit, much less a league-leading record and a Super Bowl victory.
Have you simulated the 2020 season in Madden 21? What’s your Super Bowl look like? Sign up for our forums and let us know. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook to make sure you don’t miss any news, tips or videos.
