Coming off back-to-back playoff seasons with Jordan Love as the starting quarterback, the vibe around the Green Bay Packers is generally optimistic. Love and Co. are geared up for another run at the postseason in 2025. But if Madden‘s beta ratings are to be believed, the Packers will be a huge disappointment.
The annual updates to Madden are consistently polarizing. The naysayers are very loud and stubborn. Many who praise the game wear blinders and shy away from critique.
The Madden folks have released the beta version of this year’s edition, and with it come team rankings that EA hasn’t yet confirmed for the game’s official release.
Green Bay’s overall team ranking was 81, tied for 22nd behind the New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Indianapolis Colts.
Is this a joke?
New Orleans grabbed an 83-overall team rating. This is the same Saints team that Green Bay drubbed 34-0 at Lambeau Field two days before Christmas and saw Derek Carr retire in the offseason. They will see 2025 second-round pick Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler square off for the starting quarterback spot. It’s a battle that could be compared to seeing two D-list celebrities trying to fit in courtside at a Los Angeles Lakers game.
That Saints team received a higher team ranking than Green Bay.
Some of this has to do with age. The Packers haven’t been shy about reminding the masses that they’ve had the youngest roster in the NFL two years in a row. Madden ratings can be tricky for younger players. Those who calculate the ratings want to see proven results before putting players on a pedestal. That’s one element we can forgive in an otherwise laughable team rating for the Packers.
Green Bay’s rating is tied with two other teams, the Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders. They’re only one notch higher than the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, and Tennessee Titans.
The New England Patriots hired Mike Vrabel, and he should eventually find success. Drake Maye began to look the part at quarterback in 2024, but who’s he throwing to in 2025? Stefon Diggs is busy partying on boats while Mack Hollins is making dozens of “how-to” videos on TikTok. Those were their two big free-agent wide receivers.
Can anyone objectively look at New England’s roster and confidently say it’s right there with Green Bay’s?
While the Patriots won a grand total of four games last year, the Titans won just three and had the No. 1-overall pick. They used it on Miami quarterback Cam Ward, and somehow narrowed the gap between them and the Packers in the eyes of the Madden rating gurus.
Green Bay had 11 wins last year, while the two teams with the same team rating combined for nine.
Chicago hired Ben Johnson as its new head coach. The Raiders underwent a complete overhaul, with Pete Carroll taking over as head coach and Geno Smith coming over from Seattle as the new starting quarterback. They also took Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty in the first round, a star in the making.
Has the offseason of either team warranted the same rating as Green Bay? Or are the rankings indicating that the Packers got far worse?
Jaire Alexander left for Baltimore. That was the only significant roster loss for the Packers. Even so, Alexander played only seven games for Green Bay in each of the last two years and was off the field more than he was on it. The Packers bring back nearly every major contributor outside of that on a roster that, while young, should see improvements as the young players further settle into the NFL.
Inside linebacker Edgerrin Cooper is a favorite pick to take a massive Year 2 leap after shining as a rookie without a full workload. Evan Williams looked the part of a dynamic starting safety as a rookie and should do the same. Running back MarShawn Lloyd missed almost his entire rookie season with injuries and should get plenty of looks now that he’s healthy in his second year.
In free agency, the Packers added left guard Aaron Banks to an already well-established offensive line. They also brought in cornerback Nate Hobbs. On top of that, Green Bay used a first-round pick on a dynamic wide receiver in Matthew Golden.
Still, the Packers received the same team rating as last year from Madden, with an 81, behind 10 teams that didn’t make the postseason.
Love received an 81 rating individually in the game last year. It’s possible the team rating reflects how some feel about Love as a quarterback who hasn’t taken a big leap forward yet as he enters his third year as the starter.
The ratings can and likely will shift before the game officially releases in August. For now, Packers fans are left scratching their heads about how the Madden analysts view their squad.