Detroit Lions: Madden rankings throw shade towards Matthew Stafford

The Madden rankings for the video games’ 2021 edition have been revealed, and somehow the Detroit Lions franchise quarterback isn’t considered a top-ten player at his position.

Of course, we can’t take the Madden rankings too seriously, but it still gives us a glimpse at how the Detroit Lions are perceived across the county. Although it’s a video game, the Madden creators do take their ratings reasonably seriously.

The group tries to provide us with a game that’s the most realistic as possible. They’ve ranked Matthew Stafford‘s arm strength third at 94 out of 99. The only two arms considered more robust are Patrick Mahomes at 97 and Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills at 99.

Detroit Lions fans know Stafford has a cannon for an arm, so that’s nice to see others around the country realize it too. It’s not just arm strength that’s important for a quarterback, it’s accuracy, being able to put some touch on the football is also critical. Stafford uses that arm strength to his advantage, zipping the football accurately into tight windows.

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Last season, Stafford was on pace to amass 5,000 yards passing, along with potentially totaling 40 touchdowns, before that lingering back injury from the year prior reemerged. Stafford was looking dangerous during his first eight starts with the teams’ new offensive philosophy implemented by Darrell Bevell.

I can’t help but be excited to see how this Detroit Lions offense performs in year two of Bevell’s vision. Detroit returns the same receivers from a year ago, plus have added D’Andre Swift to the backfield, and the team is expected to use the explosive Jamal Agnew as a gadget player on offense this season.

It should be a Detroit Lions offense that finishes as a top ten offense in 2020-21. That being said, why isn’t Stafford considered to be a top-ten quarterback?

Stafford should be considered a second-tier quarterback, right? I understand he’s not elite (top-four), he’s not Brees, Wilson, Mahomes, Brady, or Jackson. But he’s absolutely in that next group with Rodgers, and Watson, right? Madden doesn’t think so; he’s not even ranked in the top ten, yet Dak Prescott and Matt Ryan both are, now it’s personal.

https://twitter.com/espn/status/1282716459911786496?s=20

I’ll take Stafford over both Ryan and Prescott without thinking twice. How can the game justify ranking Wentz over Stafford?

The game gets Stafford’s arm strength correct but fails to provide us with an accurate overall rating. The game does change the player rankings week-to-week as they perform during the season, Stafford will play his way into a high 80s ranking after he gets off to another hot start to the season.

Next. 3 positions that could still use some upgrading. dark

The initial rankings though, just prove the Detroit Lions continue to be overlooked at the National level.

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