Part of the fun of sports gaming is recreating the amazing moments that we get from the live versions of the games we love. The twists and turns, the dominance and the upsets. But what if the games were so realistic they could predict the future?
In this series, we will be using Madden 20 to predict the best game of the week and see how close it can get to the real outcome.
We start with an explosive matchup with the reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes and his Kansas City Chiefs heading to Baltimore to battle the exciting Lamar Jackson and the rest of the Ravens.
Both teams are 2-0 in the NFL this season, and the last time they played was December 2018 when the game went to overtime with the Chiefs winning a 27-24 thriller. The Chiefs have a high-powered offense, but will need to be switched on to stop the emerging talent of Ravens QB, Lamar Jackson. The Ravens are flourishing this year, but there's no doubting that the Chiefs are their first proper test.
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS) Point spread: Chiefs -6.5
The Teams
Two weeks into the season the Chiefs are the 3rd best offense in the league. They are 1st passing the ball, and only 26th rushing it. So you know what to expect. Their superstar players are focused around passing game with the superstar QB Patrick Mahomes, who is also the Madden 20 cover star. His main outlet is the rock at TE - Travis Kelce.
READ MORE: Best playbooks in Madden 20
The Chiefs are not as good on defense, ranked 19th over 2 games and are average against both the rush and the pass. That said, over last year they were 2nd against the pass - so you can't rule out that it could just be a poor start.
The Ravens have started strong on both sides of the ball. They lead the league in total offense with 4th in passing and 1st in rushing. Their QB, Lamar Jackson, is adept at both and has Superstar qualities. On defense, they are 2nd in the league - but this is driven from their ability to hold teams to only 20 rushing yards per game. They are 18th against the pass and facing their first real challenge in the Chiefs. Watchout though, Earl Thomas made his name in Seattle and a probably future Hall of Famer is all over the field making defensive plays.
Results - Offense
In the sim, the offenses were evenly matched - Chiefs 349 yards to the Ravens 371.
Both the rushing and passing had a similar profile, with the only real difference being the 1 turnover the Chiefs gave up. The ball being spread around meant there wasn't really a standout player apart from Lamar Jackson's incredible 94% completion success rate;
Passing
Team | Player | Rating | Comp | Att | Comp % | Yards | TDs | INTs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ravens | Lamar Jackson | 155.7 | 17 | 18 | 94 | 246 | 2 | 0 |
Chiefs | Patrick Mahomes | 88.2 | 21 | 35 | 60 | 244 | 2 | 1 |
Rushing
Team | Player | Att | Yards | Avg | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ravens | Mark Ingram II | 26 | 105 | 4.0 | 1 |
Chiefs | LeSean McCoy | 16 | 69 | 4.3 | 1 |
Ravens | Lamar Jackson | 7 | 18 | 2.5 | 1 |
Chiefs | Patrick Mahomes | 5 | 30 | 6.0 | 0 |
Recievers
Team | Player | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | Tyreek Hill | 4 | 93 | 23.2 | 1 |
Ravens | Mark Ingram II | 4 | 85 | 21.2 | 1 |
Ravens | Nick Boyle | 5 | 68 | 11.3 | 0 |
Chiefs | Travis Kelce | 6 | 45 | 9.0 | 1 |
Chiefs | Demarcus Robinson | 4 | 40 | 10.0 | 0 |
READ MORE: 7 tips to improve your offense
Results - Defense and Special Teams
With the offenses being so evenly matched - the defenses made a real difference. Holding the Chiefs to only 2 of 9 3rd down conversions (22%) and 1 of 5 4th down attempts (20%) the Ravens pulled away. Their 3 FGs also helped keep the pressure on the scorelines.
Interceptions
Team | Player | INTs |
|---|---|---|
Ravens | Anthony Levine Sr | 1 |
Sacks
Team | Player | Sacks |
|---|---|---|
Chiefs | Alex Okafor | 2.5 |
Chiefs | Frank Clark | 2.0 |
Ravens | Matt Judon | 1.5 |
Ravens | Pernell McPhee | 1.0 |
Chiefs | Derrick Nnandi | 0.5 |
Ravens | Jimmy Smith | 0.5 |
Team | Player | FGM | FGA | FG% | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ravens | Justin Tucker | 3 | 3 | 100.0 | 47 |
Final Result
READ MORE: How to dominate with RPO plays
Chiefs 21 - 37 Ravens
Jacksons laser arm with the Ravens ability to be successful on both sides of the ball was the difference in this clash of the titans. They went toe-to-toe throughout the battle but Baltimore pulled away in the 4th quarter with a Jackson rushing TD and multiple FGs.
It seems Madden disagrees with the moneymen in Vegas but agree with the experts - who do you think will win the matchup?
