Russell Wilson’s Madden rating is his worst to open a season since his rookie year

Jul 21, 2023, 10:57 AM

Senior Broncos Writer

Like when an NFL team issues a depth chart for public consumption, the Madden ratings reflect change more than they forecast it.

And in the case of Broncos QB Russell Wilson, the rating reflects his worst season as a pro.

The powers that be at EA gave Wilson a 77 rating.

Some of the notable sub-categories of Wilson’s rating include:

Speed: 85
Acceleration: 89
Strength: 59
Agility: 90
Awareness: 75
Throw power: 92
Throw accuracy short: 86
Throw accuracy medium: 78
Throw accuracy deep: 85
Play-action: 92
Throw on the run: 88
Breaking sacks: 86
Throw under pressure: 80
BC vision: 85
Injury: 97
Toughness: 98
Stamina: 98

Last year, Wilson opened with an 87 rating. That placed him tied for eighth among quarterbacks with Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson. Wilson trailed only Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Dak Prescott and Justin Herbert.

Now, Wilson sits tied for 17th with Jimmy Garoppolo.

A SHARP DECLINE

Midway through the 2020 season with Seattle, Wilson had a 99 rating. At that time, he appeared to be on track for his best season and his first NFL MVP award.

But he faded down the stretch, as did the Seahawks. They lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round.

Still, Wilson opened 2021 with a 97 Madden rating. He also had that mark in 2020 to start the year. But he struggled with a finger injury and Seattle had its first losing season with him at QB.

This is Wilson’s worst season-opening rating since his rookie season, when he began with a 80 rating. He began the 2013 campaign with an 89 rating, and from that point forward, never had a season-opening Madden rating below 87 …

… until now.

Life moves pretty fast, as Ferris Bueller says. But those same speedy winds that sent Wilson down the rankings can propel him back to the top if Sean Payton helps him return to the form of his salad days in the Pacific Northwest.