TLG
01-27-2015, 01:09 AM
Tom Brady is about to leave Seahawks fans deflated.
So says EA’s annual Super Bowl simulation, at least. If the Xbox One version of Madden NFL 15 is to be believed, the ball-obsessed QB will nab his fourth Super Bowl ring this Sunday when the New England Patriots top the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 to win Super Bowl XLIX.
According to the sim, it’ll be a nailbiter.
The Patriots struck first with a 21-yard touchdown pass from Brady to tight end/surprising foodie Rob Gronkowski. Seattle answered back with a field goal, and after trading TDs in the 2nd quarter, the vaunted Seahawks defense finally stepped up when cornerback Earl Thomas III intercepted a Brady pass for a 58-yard pick six, giving Seattle a 17-14 edge going into the half.
Beastly running back Marshawn Lynch rumbled his way to a 9-yard TD on Seattle’s first possession, but another Brady-Gronk connection kept it a tight 24-21. A fourth quarter defensive standoff kept both teams off the scoreboard until the waning moments, when Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis snatched an errant Russell Wilson pass for a timely interception. That set up Brady for one final drive, which he capped with a game-winning TD pass to Julian Edelman as time expired, giving the Pats a come from behind 28-24 victory.
On the strength of 355 yards and 4 touchdown passes, Brady took home his third Super Bowl MVP award. Lynch was a bright spot for Seattle with 118 yards and 2 touchdowns.
That’s how it played out on an Xbox One running Madden NFL 15, and while it might sound totally ridiculous, this is the twelfth year EA has run its annual Super Bowl prediction, and the game’s actually got a decent track record of 8-3.
It’s coming off a bad loss, however. Last year’s Madden NFL 25 predicted the Broncos would beat the Seahawks 31-28, which was just a hair off the actual outcome of 43-8, Seahawks. Only missed it by 38 points, guys.
They botched two others: the Steelers/Packers matchup in 2011, and the Patriots/Giants game in 2008 (though pretty much everyone screwed that up). Over the last seven Super Bowls, Madden's gone a totally mediocre 4-3.
But it’s occasionally been brilliant. In 2013 it correctly picked the winner, point spread, and MVP of Super Bowl XLVII, and was two completions away from perfectly nailing 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick’s stat line. Madden was even more prescient in 2009 when it was one point off from the final score and managed to predict the exact number of receiving yards for Steelers wideout Santonio Holmes. Here’s a look at its full track record:
- Super Bowl XLVIII
Madden: Broncos, 31, Seahawks, 28
Actual score: Seahawks 43, Broncos, 8
- Super Bowl XLVII
Madden: Ravens, 27, 49ers, 24
Actual score: Ravens, 34, 49ers, 31
- Super Bowl XLVI
Madden: Giants, 27, Patriots, 24
Actual score: Giants, 21, Patriots, 17
- Super Bowl XLV
Madden: Steelers, 24, Packers, 20
Actual score: Packers, 31, Steelers, 25
- Super Bowl XLIV
Madden: Saints 35, Colts 31
Actual score: Saints 31, Colts 17
- Super Bowl XLIII
Madden: Steelers 28, Cardinals 24
Actual score: Steelers 27, Cardinals 23
- Super Bowl XLII
Madden: Patriots 38, Giants 30
Actual score: Giants 17, Patriots 14
- Super Bowl XLI
Madden: Colts 38, Bears 27
Actual score: Colts 29, Bears 17
- Super Bowl XL
Madden: Steelers 24, Seahawks 19
Actual score: Steelers 21, Seahawks 10
- Super Bowl XXXIX
Madden: Patriots 47, Eagles 31
Actual score: Patriots 24, Eagles 21
- Super Bowl XXXVIII
Madden: Patriots 23, Panthers 20
Actual Score: Patriots 32, Panthers 29
EA already has one prediction win in its pocket this year, having correctly picked Germany to win the World Cup a good month before the tournament began. We’ll see if they can keep the (slightly, but legally, we think) deflated ball rolling this Sunday.
So says EA’s annual Super Bowl simulation, at least. If the Xbox One version of Madden NFL 15 is to be believed, the ball-obsessed QB will nab his fourth Super Bowl ring this Sunday when the New England Patriots top the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 to win Super Bowl XLIX.
According to the sim, it’ll be a nailbiter.
The Patriots struck first with a 21-yard touchdown pass from Brady to tight end/surprising foodie Rob Gronkowski. Seattle answered back with a field goal, and after trading TDs in the 2nd quarter, the vaunted Seahawks defense finally stepped up when cornerback Earl Thomas III intercepted a Brady pass for a 58-yard pick six, giving Seattle a 17-14 edge going into the half.
Beastly running back Marshawn Lynch rumbled his way to a 9-yard TD on Seattle’s first possession, but another Brady-Gronk connection kept it a tight 24-21. A fourth quarter defensive standoff kept both teams off the scoreboard until the waning moments, when Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis snatched an errant Russell Wilson pass for a timely interception. That set up Brady for one final drive, which he capped with a game-winning TD pass to Julian Edelman as time expired, giving the Pats a come from behind 28-24 victory.
On the strength of 355 yards and 4 touchdown passes, Brady took home his third Super Bowl MVP award. Lynch was a bright spot for Seattle with 118 yards and 2 touchdowns.
That’s how it played out on an Xbox One running Madden NFL 15, and while it might sound totally ridiculous, this is the twelfth year EA has run its annual Super Bowl prediction, and the game’s actually got a decent track record of 8-3.
It’s coming off a bad loss, however. Last year’s Madden NFL 25 predicted the Broncos would beat the Seahawks 31-28, which was just a hair off the actual outcome of 43-8, Seahawks. Only missed it by 38 points, guys.
They botched two others: the Steelers/Packers matchup in 2011, and the Patriots/Giants game in 2008 (though pretty much everyone screwed that up). Over the last seven Super Bowls, Madden's gone a totally mediocre 4-3.
But it’s occasionally been brilliant. In 2013 it correctly picked the winner, point spread, and MVP of Super Bowl XLVII, and was two completions away from perfectly nailing 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick’s stat line. Madden was even more prescient in 2009 when it was one point off from the final score and managed to predict the exact number of receiving yards for Steelers wideout Santonio Holmes. Here’s a look at its full track record:
- Super Bowl XLVIII
Madden: Broncos, 31, Seahawks, 28
Actual score: Seahawks 43, Broncos, 8
- Super Bowl XLVII
Madden: Ravens, 27, 49ers, 24
Actual score: Ravens, 34, 49ers, 31
- Super Bowl XLVI
Madden: Giants, 27, Patriots, 24
Actual score: Giants, 21, Patriots, 17
- Super Bowl XLV
Madden: Steelers, 24, Packers, 20
Actual score: Packers, 31, Steelers, 25
- Super Bowl XLIV
Madden: Saints 35, Colts 31
Actual score: Saints 31, Colts 17
- Super Bowl XLIII
Madden: Steelers 28, Cardinals 24
Actual score: Steelers 27, Cardinals 23
- Super Bowl XLII
Madden: Patriots 38, Giants 30
Actual score: Giants 17, Patriots 14
- Super Bowl XLI
Madden: Colts 38, Bears 27
Actual score: Colts 29, Bears 17
- Super Bowl XL
Madden: Steelers 24, Seahawks 19
Actual score: Steelers 21, Seahawks 10
- Super Bowl XXXIX
Madden: Patriots 47, Eagles 31
Actual score: Patriots 24, Eagles 21
- Super Bowl XXXVIII
Madden: Patriots 23, Panthers 20
Actual Score: Patriots 32, Panthers 29
EA already has one prediction win in its pocket this year, having correctly picked Germany to win the World Cup a good month before the tournament began. We’ll see if they can keep the (slightly, but legally, we think) deflated ball rolling this Sunday.