Ahead of the 2023 season, EA Madden NFL 24 has released their ratings for the top quarterbacks and Los Angeles Rams starter Matthew Stafford has seen his rating dip greatly after an injury plagued 2022 campaign. Madden has Stafford rated at a 74, putting him tied with Jacoby Brissett of the Washington Commanders as the 23rd ranked quarterback in the league.
In last year’s edition of Madden, Stafford came in as the 10th-highest ranked quarterback with a rating of 85 so he is far below that level to start this year. But perhaps this will give him a little bit of extra motivation to raise his rating as the season goes on.
Stafford was limited to just nine games last season and simply wasn’t at the level he was in the prior year. He suffered two concussions during the year and a spinal cord contusion would end his season. While he completed 68% of his passes for 2,087 yards, he threw just 10 touchdowns compared to eight interceptions. Additionally, the Rams had a record of just 3-6 in the nine games he started.
Even still, it seems like a bit of a steep drop for Stafford just a year after he led the Rams to the Super Bowl. The likes of Ryan Tannehill (78 rating), Jimmy Garoppolo (77), Mac Jones (75) and Daniel Jones (75) having higher rankings than Stafford seems pretty surprising and he’s just one point ahead of Matt Ryan and Andy Dalton.
At the top of the list to the surprise of no one is Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes with a 98 rating. Following him is Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals, Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens and Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers. Dak Prescott, Jalen Hurts, Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins and Tua Tagovailoa round out the top-10.
The Rams have already been well represented with some high Madden ratings. Superstar defensive lineman Aaron Donald set the standard for all players with his seventh consecutive season at a 99 rating, breaking the all-time record he previously shared with retired quarterback Peyton Manning. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp also found himself amongst the top-10 wide receivers with a very solid 96 rating while Cam Akers and Tyler Higbee are an 81 and 80, respectively.
In the end, what matters most is how Stafford performs on the field in helping the Rams turn around an awful 2022 season. As long as he comes back better from his injury, that virtual rating will reflect that change.
