Falcons players react to their Madden ratings

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Damontae Kazee and Calvin Ridley did not seem too thrilled.

You know football is right around the corner when we get Madden talk going. The standard edition of the new Madden 20 will be released on August 2, with the “Superstar” edition of the game set for a July 30 release date.

As is customary with about two weeks left until the game’s release, the player ratings for the game have been revealed.

Some of my favorite videos at this time of year are of NFL players reacting to their new ratings within the video game franchise. The Falcons put together a video of such reactions from Josh Harris, Mohamed Sanu, Calvin Ridley, Kaleb McGary, Devonta Freeman, and Damontae Kazee, and some of the reactions are hilarious. Take a look.

Sanu seems to be a veteran of the video game rating system, as he correctly predicted his own 82 rating (which was the same from last year). That’s a solid rating which feels about right for a wide receiver who put up a solid stat-line of 838 receiving yards and four touchdowns last year.

McGary took his rating in stride, telling us that “it could’ve been worse” when told that he has a rating of 67. Madden seems to have gotten a bit stricter on rookie ratings this season than they have been in the past, but the 67 still feels a bit low for a first round draft selection (fourth round pick John Cominsky is also a 67, while third rounder Kendall Sheffield is a 68). McGary did express excitement when told of his 97 toughness rating, which is the highest on the team.

Freeman was satisfied with his 89 rating, and gave the camera a little smile and nod when told that his rating can be upgraded throughout the season with good play. He missed almost all of last season with injuries, but is a Pro Bowl level running back when healthy.

Long-snapper Josh Harris seemed shocked when told of 50 rating at the tight end position. In fairness, he did admit that he’s never played tight end before. Harris expressed interest in seeing how he stacks up against his peers when it comes to the long-snapper position. While LS ratings aren’t released the same way as other traditional positions, players do get their own specific ratings within this position in the game.

Damontae Kazee and Calvin Ridley each registered a rating of 79, which seems low for each of them, and neither was too thrilled about it.

Kazee, who led the league in interceptions last season, actually dropped down from an 81 in Madden 19. He was disgusted when told of the drop, saying that Madden’s rating adjusters are “full of sh*t.” Out of all of the ratings revealed in this video, this is the one that feels like the biggest mistake.

Ridley’s 79 was the same as his rating a year, despite the fact that he led all rookies in receiving yards with 821 and receiving touchdowns with 10. He too did not seem too happy — “Y’all need to re-do that. I’m better than a 79 now.” I’m sure most of us agree with Ridley’s assessment. When asked what his rating should be, he said 86 or 87. Hopefully it’ll get into that vicinity by the end of the regular season.

Neither Kazee nor Ridley are marquee names in the sport, and that seems to have hurt them within the ratings. Player popularity often moves the needle in Madden.

Julio Jones registered the highest rating on the team, and the second-highest among all WRs, with an 98. Deion Jones is the team’s highest-rated defender with a 90. And Matt Ryan registers an 89, which feels light after the monster season he just put up.

You can find the rest of the Falcons’ Madden ratings here.

If the Falcons have the bounce-back season most of us expect from them, expect these player ratings to adjust and increase as the season goes along.