Madden NFL 20 will be released on August 2, but EA Sports has already given fans a look at the player ratings for all 32 teams.
Although it was already known the Carolina Panthers would not have any players with the prestigious 99 rating – as previously announced, Aaron Donald, DeAndre Hopkins, Khalil Mack, and Bobby Wagner are the only ones this season – they do have a player in the next tier of great players.
Luke Kuechly is one of only three players in the NFL with a 98 rating. Wide receivers Antonio Brown and Julio Jones also received a 98 rating. Kuechly is the second-highest-rated linebacker next to Wagner in the game, but fell one point after being part of the ’99 Club’ in 2018.
The only other Panthers player with a rating above 90 in the game is Christian McCaffrey. He received a 91 rating, which is sixth-highest among running backs.
It makes sense that both Kuechly and McCaffrey are the two highest-rated Panthers on Madden NFL 20. Both players are coming off outstanding seasons. Kuechly recorded 130 tackles, one interception and two sacks en route to his sixth consecutive Pro Bowl appearance.
McCaffrey finished with 1,965 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns while setting multiple franchise – and NFL – records.
Madden Sucked Big Time this year, 76 is some bullshit
— Mario Addison (@HIT_STIQ4) July 16, 2019
Veteran Greg Olsen, despite playing in only nine games last season, has the fifth-highest rating among tight ends. Only Travis Kelce (96), Zach Ertz (93), Delanie Walker (92) and George Kittle (90) have higher ratings at the tight end position.
The next highest Panther players on Madden NFL 20 are center Matt Paradis (88), Gerald McCoy (86) and Kawann Short (85). First round pick Brian Burns received a 75 rating.
For those who are wondering, Cam Newton has an 84 rating, which is the 10th-best among quarterbacks in the game. Patrick Mahomes, who won the 2018 NFL MVP, is the highest-rated quarterback with a 97 rating; Tom Brady has the second-best rating in Madden 20 at 96.
The two fastest Panthers players in Madden 20 are Donte Jackson and Curtis Samuel, who both received a 95 in the speed category – the Panthers’ top two receivers, Samuel and DJ Moore, both sport 93s when it comes to acceleration.
Madden wasn’t impressed with some pieces of the Panthers’ revamped offensive line – Trai Turner, who went to the Pro Bowl for the fourth consecutive season in 2019, dropped from a 82 (his 2019 grade) to an 80 in the latest iteration, while rookie Greg Little, expected to start at left tackle, is a 65.
Former Panthers left tackle Matt Kalil is a 69.
@EAMaddenNFL 😂😂😂.. 🤡’s
— Trai Turner (@trai_turner) July 15, 2019
This year, Madden NFL 20 is doing what they call a “player rating stretch” – they have reevaluated the way they did their ratings from years past. According to their website, EA Sports wanted the star players for each team to stand out more than they did before. That’s likely why Madden 20 has certain players that will have Superstar X-Factor abilities.
Kuechly is one of the 50 players that has Superstar X-Factor Abilities in this year’s game, being given the ‘Shutdown’ Zone Ability, which allows his coverage to be tighter, and interceptions are more frequent on contested catches when he’s ‘in the zone’.
For a full set of the ratings for each team, fans can check out EA Sports’ Madden 20 database. Remember, EA Sports will provide ratings updates weekly throughout the season, so expect these numbers to change – particularly if Curtis Samuel (78) has the breakout season many expect.
