Players across the NFL had their ratings in “Madden NFL 20” revealed on Monday and just like every other year, there were plenty of people upset about the numbers. Several Los Angeles Rams players have reasons to feel disrespected by their Madden ratings, including safety Eric Weddle.
Granted, not everyone can have an 85-plus rating in the game and there has to be a gap between the best players and backups, but a few members of the defending NFC champions should be higher.
Here are four Rams who deserve better ratings in “Madden 20.”
RT Rob Havenstein: 82 OVR
Havenstein was an absolute stud last season, yet he’s only the eighth-best right tackle in the game. His 82 overall rating feels especially low when compared to Andrew Whitworth’s 93 and Austin Blythe, who is just one rating point shy of Havenstein at 81 overall. Havenstein should at least be ahead of players such as Bryan Bulaga (85 OVR), Marcus Gilbert (84 OVR) and Mike McGlinchey (83 OVR).
Pro Football Focus graded Havenstein as the seventh-best offensive tackle – including left and right tackles – in the league last season, so he certainly played at a high level. Perhaps a longer track record will get Havenstein the recognition he deserves as a premier right tackle.
MLB Cory Littleton: 75 OVR
Despite putting together a good 2018 season as a starter, Littleton is rated lower than Samson Ebukam, Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett, Dante Fowler Jr. and Blythe. No disrespect to those players, but Littleton was more impactful and better than all of them last season. His 73 Strength is indicative of his play on the field and weighs down his overall rating, so that’s one area he must improve.
If Littleton gets off to a hot start and improves as a run defender, he should see his 70 Block Shedding increase and drive up his overall rating. Regardless, he should be closer to 80 overall.
QB Jared Goff: 83 OVR
Goff is right on the fringe of being a top-10 quarterback in the NFL, which is exactly where Madden puts him. He’s the 11th-best quarterback in the game, tied with Baker Mayfield and just below Cam Newton. Madden tweaked the way quarterbacks are rated, creating a larger gap between the elite passers and great ones, which led to just seven quarterbacks with an overall rating of 90-plus.
It’s difficult to say where Goff should rank, but 83 feels too low for someone who’s made back-to-back Pro Bowls and was an MVP candidate for much of the 2018 season. His 85 Deep Accuracy is below just about every other quarterback rated near him, which shouldn’t be the case, and his 85 Awareness is the worst by a wide margin among the quarterbacks ahead of him in overall rating.
At the very least, he should be rated higher than Mayfield and closer to Matt Ryan (89 OVR)
FS Eric Weddle: 81 OVR
John Johnson (85 OVR) probably deserved a higher rating, too, but Weddle’s is more shocking. There are 28 safeties ahead of Weddle in Madden’s ratings, which would suggest he’s the 29th-best safety in the NFL. That’s simply not true, even at his age. He’s lost a step and isn’t as quick as he used to be, but Weddle is still one of the better safeties in football.
He’s tied with Kenny Vaccaro, Jessie Bates III and Ricardo Allen in overall rating, which seems unfair. Weddle is also rated lower than Tashaun Gipson Sr. (82), Marcus Williams (83) and Lamarcus Joyner (85). Athleticism plays a big role in Madden’s ratings, but Weddle’s awareness and play recognition should more than make up for it.
