With the National Football League season coming up soon, the number one NFL video game, Madden 23, has been released.

The game is one of the most popular franchises in the world and this next installment will feature late great coach, John Madden, on the cover of the game. Although this might be a memorable moment, something else that will be memorable are the ratings that the Madden ratings adjustors give to each player in the game.

For those who do not know, the Madden ratings system ranks NFL players on a scale from 1 to 99 overall based on that player’s attributes and different skills.

The ratings of Madden games in the past have been controversial, but this year’s was very surprising to many in the Madden community and even NFL players themselves. Many of the actual athletes are saying they need to keep improving while others are completely insulted.

For instance, Ja’Marr Chase, a second year wide receiver from the Cincinnati Bengals, was rated an 87 overall. This may be because he was a rookie last season, but he was a pivotal part in the Bengals’ Super Bowl run. (I’m even surprised by this and I am a Steelers fan.)

Another wide receiver, Cooper Kupp, from the Rams was rated a 98 overall, and Kupp was the Super Bowl MVP last year. This left fans wondering how he did not get a 99 overall like only one other wide receiver, Davante Adams, did.

The controversy does not stop on the offensive side of the ball. On the defensive side, Pittsburgh Steelers star outside linebacker T.J. Watt was only rated a 96 overall. This surprised many in the Madden community because he tied the NFL sack record and won Defensive Player of the Year, and he still did not get a 99 overall. Another notable defensive player was strong safety Derwin James from the Los Angeles Chargers, and many of his teammates and others from the NFL said he should have been higher than a 93 overall.

Although out of all the groups of players, the quarterbacks in the league are, in my opinion, the most accurate ratings. The top 10 all had good seasons last year, but I would personally switch the top two, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. Many other Madden fans and I believe that Aaron Rodgers should be ranked above Tom Brady. This is because Rodgers won overall NFL MVP the past 2 seasons, and he has lead his team to the playoffs every year – yet he is rated a 96 overall in Madden 23.

This list of players and their overall ratings are very hard to judge because of vastly differing opinions. So who is to say what the true ratings of each player are except the Madden ratings adjustors.

As a Steelers fan, I expected most of the rankings and wished some were higher just like other fans of different teams. Now we will have to see how they play this season.

The Madden 23 game was released Aug.19 on Xbox and PlayStation, and I cannot wait to play and use all my favorite players no matter their overall ranking.