The most important position in all of sport doesn't live on FIFA 20 or NBA 2K, or even F1. It lives under center on Madden.
Despite all the new features Madden 20 will boast, throwing the ball will still be the single most important part of the game. So having a quarterback you can rely on is the best way to get your team to the Super Bowl.
Some teams have been blessed with an excellent quarterback for years, while others are suffering with a mediocre one. Those with quality under center can complete for the Super Bowl, while those without are simply looking to secure the next great passer.
If you want to dominate your friends online or simply challenge for a Super Bowl right away in franchise mode then you need to use the teams with the best quarterbacks, but who are they?
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (97 OVR)
Age: 23
Best Stats: Throw On The Run (97), Throw Under Pressure (97), Throw Power (96), Deep Accuracy (94), Short Accuracy (94), Medium Accuracy (93), Awareness (92)
Patrick Mahomes burst onto the NFL scene in 2018 after being taken 10th overall in the 2017 draft by Kansas City and sitting behind Alex Smith in his rookie year. He terrorized defenses with not only his sensationally strong arm but his accurate passing and quick feet.
Mahomes finished the season with 50 touchdowns and 5,097 yards as he walked away with league MVP honors. In the playoffs his amazing play continued but he couldn't quite steer the Chiefs past New England.
In Madden 20 Mahomes could be unstoppable. His ability to get the ball out both on the run (97) and under pressure (97) is exceptional and all his accuracy stats (94 short, 93 medium, 94 deep) are terrifying if you lineup against him.
He has incredible arm strength (96) and the agility (88) and acceleration (87) to avoid defenders in the open field too.
Tom Brady, New England Patriots (96 OVR)
Age: 42
Best Stats: Awareness (99), Short Accuracy (99), Medium Accuracy (98), Play Action (99), Throw Power (91), Throw Under Pressure (90)
READ MORE: Everything you need to know for Madden 20
The legend of Tom Terrific is known by all. A six-time Super Bowl winner, the architect of a million comebacks, and the breaker of many dreams. 2018 was another wildly successful year for Brady, who once again led the Patriots back to the top of the mountain when few expected him to.
The New England quarterback threw for 4,355 yards and 29 touchdowns as he showed little signs of aging.
In Madden 20 Brady's exceptional accuracy (99 short, 98 medium, 89 deep) is his greatest strength. He has terrific awareness (99) and can deceive defenses with his ability on play action (99).
Brady's athleticism is far from great (agility 70, speed 60) but with good throw power (91) and the ability to throw under pressure (90) he is still an elite option in Madden.
Philip Rivers, Los Angeles Chargers (94 OVR)
Age: 37
Best Stats: Awareness (98), Short Accuracy (98), Play Action (98), Throw Under Pressure (96), Medium Accuracy (94), Deep Accuracy (93), Throw Power (87)
Philip Rivers has been the nearly-man of his generation. He's played on incredibly talented Chargers teams that fell at the feet of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or Ben Roethlisberger. He has played in just 2 AFC championship games and never made a Super Bowl thanks to the giants in the AFC.
Over his career Rivers has put up 54,656 yards and 374 touchdowns for the Chargers and won 118 games, can you take him to a Super Bowl at last?
In Madden 20 Rivers is extremely accurate (short 98, medium 94, deep 93) and has terrific awareness (98) to diagnose defenses and pick them apart. He is excellent in play action (98) and under pressure (96), though does lack ideal arm strength (87) to drive the ball across the field.
Rivers is a pure pocket passer and one that experienced players will love to use this year.
Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints (92 OVR)
Age: 40
Best Stats: Short Accuracy (99), Awareness (97), Play Action (96), Medium Accuracy (95), Throw Under Pressure (93), Deep Accuracy (90), Throw Power (85)
Drew Brees has long been an assassin under center. Initially drafted by the San Diego Chargers, Brees arrived in New Orleans in 2006 and formed a deadly combination with head coach Sean Payton that delivered the city's one and only Super Bowl title in 2009.
Brees has been a stat accumulator over his career and already holds the all-time record for passing yards and pass completion percent. He should add passing touchdowns to that list after the 2019 season too.
In Madden 20 Brees is deadly on short throws (99) and play action (96). He has the ability to complete medium (95) and deep (90) passes too, but his throw power (85) means you should try to keep the ball in the intermediate to underneath areas.
He has the awareness (97) to feel pressure and can get the ball away (93) but like many older passers he is a bit of a statue (agility 68, speed 68).
READ MORE: 5 underrated players in Madden 20
Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts (92 OVR)
Age: 29
Best Stats: Awareness (96), Short Accuracy (96), Throw On The Run (93), Deep Accuracy (92), Play Action (91), Medium Accuracy (91), Throw Power (89), Throw Under Pressure (88)
Andrew Luck was the #1 pick in the 2012 draft and the supposed savior of the post-Manning Colts. Luck's play has been pretty terrific since he arrived, but they have made just one AFC championship game in which they got run over by the Patriots.
Luck has also suffered some serious injuries, missing 9 games in 2015 and the entire 2017 season. He came back in 2018 with style though, passing for 4,593 yards with 39 touchdowns as he made his fourth Pro Bowl appearance and took Indianapolis to the playoffs again.
In Madden 19 Luck is highly accurate (short 96, medium 91, deep 92) and has the very good accuracy on the run (93) too. He has excellent awareness (96) and is good on play action (91).
He's got enough mobility (acceleration 86, speed 83) to pick up yards with his feet consistently too, which is always something defenses hate.
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks (91 OVR)
Age: 30
Best Stats: Throw On The Run (98), Play Action (95), Awareness (93), Agility (93), Deep Accuracy (92), Short Accuracy (91), Acceleration (90), Throw Power (89), Medium Accuracy (89), Throw Under Pressure (85)
Russell Wilson has quickly become one of the most dynamic and entertaining quarterbacks in the NFL. He was just a third-round pick in 2012 but in 2013 led the Seattle Seahawks to their first Super Bowl victory and nearly repeated in 2014.
Wilson is known as a scrambling machine that can torment defenses with his running but also with his deep passing and pinpoint throws. In 2018 he averaged a stellar 8.1 yards per attempt as he picked up 3,448 yards and 35 touchdowns through the air.
READ MORE: 99 OVR players in Madden 20
In Madden 20 Wilson is a true dual threat. He has superb athleticism (agility 93, acceleration 90) and good accuracy (short 91, medium 89, deep 92) to pick apart defenses.
He is excellent on the run (98) and in play action (95) so if you like using boot plays and holding the ball then Wilson is the guy for you.
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers (90 OVR)
Age: 35
Best Stats: Short Accuracy (96), Throw Power (94), Throw On The Run (92), Deep Accuracy (91), Awareness (91), Play Action (89), Medium Accuracy (87), Throw Under Pressure (87)
Aaron Rodgers has long been considered the most talented quarterback in the NFL, but injuries, age, and the end of a fragile relationship with former head coach Mike McCarthy led to a disappointing 2018.
Rodgers did pass for 4,442 yards with just 2 interceptions, but he only threw 25 touchdowns as the Packers went 6-9-1 and missed the playoffs.
In Madden 20 Rodgers is still a threat, even if he is someway below the 99 OVR he got to start Madden 19. He has elite throw power (94) and short accuracy (96) to punish teams, but he is also good on the run (92) and in play action (89). He has the deep accuracy (91) to really rack up the points and enough athleticism (agility 82, acceleration 82) to still do some damage with his feet.
Player | Team | OVR | Age | THP | SAC | MAC | DAC | PAC |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Patrick Mahomes | KC | 97 | 23 | 96 | 94 | 93 | 94 | 87 |
Tom Brady | NE | 96 | 41 | 91 | 99 | 98 | 89 | 99 |
Philip Rivers | LAC | 94 | 37 | 87 | 98 | 94 | 93 | 98 |
Drew Brees | NO | 92 | 40 | 85 | 99 | 95 | 90 | 96 |
Andrew Luck | IND | 92 | 29 | 89 | 96 | 91 | 92 | 91 |
Russell Wilson | SEA | 91 | 30 | 89 | 91 | 89 | 92 | 95 |
Aaron Rodgers | GB | 90 | 34 | 94 | 96 | 87 | 91 | 89 |
Matt Ryan | ATL | 89 | 34 | 88 | 95 | 92 | 88 | 92 |
Ben Roethlisberger | PIT | 85 | 37 | 91 | 89 | 89 | 87 | 82 |
Cam Newton | CAR | 84 | 30 | 93 | 88 | 84 | 82 | 93 |
Jared Goff | LAR | 83 | 24 | 89 | 93 | 88 | 85 | 87 |
Baker Mayfield | CLE | 83 | 24 | 93 | 89 | 83 | 88 | 88 |
Deshaun Watson | HOU | 82 | 23 | 89 | 87 | 85 | 84 | 85 |
Carson Wentz | PHI | 82 | 26 | 90 | 87 | 87 | 84 | 88 |
Kirk Cousins | MIN | 81 | 30 | 86 | 90 | 86 | 86 | 94 |
Dak Prescott | DAL | 81 | 25 | 87 | 89 | 86 | 85 | 84 |
Derek Carr | OAK | 80 | 28 | 91 | 88 | 84 | 86 | 86 |
Andy Dalton | CIN | 80 | 31 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 85 | 84 |
Marcus Mariota | TEN | 79 | 25 | 88 | 88 | 85 | 87 | 83 |
Matthew Stafford | DET | 79 | 31 | 94 | 86 | 82 | 84 | 86 |
Jimmy Garoppolo | SF | 78 | 27 | 90 | 89 | 83 | 82 | 85 |
Nick Foles | JAX | 77 | 30 | 87 | 87 | 83 | 83 | 82 |
Alex Smith | WAS | 77 | 35 | 84 | 92 | 82 | 79 | 79 |
Lamar Jackson | BAL | 76 | 22 | 89 | 83 | 78 | 78 | 82 |
Jameis Winston | TB | 76 | 25 | 90 | 86 | 81 | 80 | 83 |