Have you ever been upset with what your favorite players were rated in Madden‘s latest installment? Did you ever want to let the developers know how you really felt about their ratings? Do you wish you could finally have your voice be heard? Well, there is now a Madden 23 ratings hotline out there, and when no one answers, fans can leave a voicemail explaining why their favorite player deserves better.
Is this a marketing ploy to drum up interest? Yes. Am I still going to use it? Yes. Here are six players who I believe are rated way too low in Madden 23.
Madden 23 Ratings Hotline
You weren't supposed to know about this but…
there's a #RatingsAdjustor hotline you can call for your favorite @NFL players 👀 pic.twitter.com/7cdyEXV9Rc
— Madden NFL 24 (@EAMaddenNFL) July 28, 2022
Offensive Players Rated Way-Too-Low in Madden 23
Cincinnati Bengals, Wide Receiver, Ja’Marr Chase — 87 Overall
The first player on this list must be Cincinnati Bengals’ wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, the 20th ranked wide receiver in Madden 23. Now, I could understand why they might want to wait a little before crowning the man, but the 22-year-old wide receiver did win Offensive Rookie of the Year a season ago, catching 81 balls for 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns. So after that season, it would be okay to rate Chase slightly higher.
It shouldn’t be long before Chase cracks the 90-overall mark and surpasses some of the wide receivers wrongfully listed above him. Chase will likely be one of the top-five players at his position for years to come. Heck, he might even join the 99-Club one day. But for now, that 87-overall rating is way too low, especially his 84 catch-in traffic rating.
Los Angeles Rams, Quarterback, Matthew Stafford — 85 Overall
Rams’ quarterback Matthew Stafford did make Madden 23‘s top-10 players at the quarterback position, but after the season he had in 2021, which landed the Los Angeles Rams the Lombardi, an 85 overall seems insulting. Last season with Sean McVay, Stafford threw for 4,886 yards and 41 touchdowns. So even if he was still rotting away in Detroit, Stafford deserves to be rated higher than an 85 overall.
Additionally, Stafford’s 83 medium accuracy rating seems a bit low, as does his 88 awareness. Maybe I think too highly of Stafford, but that 85-overall rating just seems way too low for me. Then again, I’d probably the say the same thing about Justin Herbert’s 88-overall rating or Lamar Jackson’s 87. There’s definitely some tweaks that need to be made, and the gap between some of these QBs is perplexing.
Washington Commanders, Running Back, Antonio Gibson — 80 Overall
There are only 32 teams in the NFL, and somehow Washington Commanders running back Antonio Gibson managed to rank as the league’s 30th RB in this year’s game. That’s right. The young running back that rushed for over 1,000 yards and scored seven touchdowns a season ago has an 80-overall rating in this year’s game. He’s sandwiched between Packers’ A.J. Dillon and the Lions’ D’Andre Swift — who also seems a bit low for my liking.
There’s no doubt that Gibson should be rated higher, but if there’s one rating that I think needs to be improved right way, it’s his 68-strength rating. Maybe this is because he’s still not fully healthy, but to say Gibson is seemingly weak? I disagree.
Bonus: Pittsburgh Steelers, Tight End, Pat Freiermuth — 79 Overall
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ young tight end is one of the best up-and-comers at his position. And being ranked 20th in Madden‘s tight-end ratings is way too low.
Defensive Players Rated Way Too Low In Madden 23
Pittsburgh Steelers, Safety, Minkah Fitzpatrick — 89 Overall
Survey players around the league to find out who the top-10 safeties are in football, and there’s a good chance most — if not all — would say Steelers’ safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. His career started out a little bumpy in Miami, but after landing on his feet in Pittsburgh with Mike Tomlin, Fitzpatrick has become a sideline-to-sideline free safety and unquestionably one of the top-10 safeties in football.
When combing through the stats, some that I believe need to be adjusted would be his change of direction rating being a little low at 88. Additionally, his pursuit (85) and man coverage rating (80) could probably be adjusted too. My issue may be that Madden doesn’t consider Fitzpatrick a top-10 safety and less about his Madden 23 rating.
Miami Dolphins, Cornerback, Xavien Howard — 89 Overall
Another player who didn’t land in the top-10 players at his position — despite being widely considered by his peers as one of the top cornerbacks in football — is Miami Dolphins defensive back Xavien Howard. Not only do I believe Howard should have been one of the best cornerbacks in Madden 23, but he should have had one of, if not the best, man-coverage ratings in the game. Instead, he wasn’t even placed in the top-10 best man coverage corners. Since 2017, no player in football has had more interceptions than Howard’s 27. However, his catch in traffic is a measly 77, and his change of direction (86) could be improved. And again, his man-coverage rating (89) is a bit low.
I’m a Dolphins fan, so I might be slightly biased, but it always seems like Miami’s superstars get overlooked in Madden.
Dallas Cowboys, Linebacker, Micah Parsons — 88 Overall
Some of the players on this list are fairly rated. I can admit that. But they’re just not rated as high as I believe they should be. Unfortunately, Dallas Cowboys’ do-it-all linebacker Micah Parsons fits that mold. In 2021, Parsons won Defensive Rookie of the Year for his impressive 84 tackles and 13.5 sacks he totaled. There was nothing he couldn’t do. So when looking over his stats, I’m disappointed. A 73-block shedding rating? Terrible coverage skills? A 78 power move rating?
This feels like the Justin Herbert or Ja’Marr Chase situation where EA doesn’t want to commit and crown some of these young players too soon. But after the season he had, every one of his ratings should be top-tier and equally as impressive as some of the other pass-rushers in the league. In my opinion, of course!
Bonus: Arizona Cardinals, Defensive End, J.J. Watt — 87 Overall
One year after being rated a Top-5 EDGE rusher in Madden 22 with a 94-overall rating, J.J. Watt plummets to an 87? I know he’s getting older, but come on, man!
What players did you think were too low in Madden 23? Let us know in the comments section below!
