Football is back, and here's what you can expect to transpire this season if Madden 13's sim engine has its say.
We're so excited for the new football season that we don't want to wait to see how it actually unfolds in real life, so we've simmed the season in Madden 13 to see what happens. By the way, there's no way that most of this stuff happens (for instance, David Garrard just got released)!
Note: Sim is based on a single offline season in Connected Careers mode, and does not include any recent patches that developer EA Tiburon may have released.
THE REGULAR SEASON
AFC NORTH
Steelers-Y 9-7
Ravens 8-8
Browns 8-8
Bengals 4-12
- Ben Roethlisberger posts the league's best QB rating (101.4) with 4,078 yards, 31 TDs, and 12 INTs.
- Terrell Suggs leads the league in sacks with 18.
AFC South
Texans-Y 9-7
Jaguars-X 9-6-1
Colts 7-9
Titans 5-11
- Maurice Jones-Drew's holdout doesn't stop him from netting a league-high 1,746 rushing yards and 14 TDs.
- Number-one draft pick Andrew Luck turns in a stellar rookie campaign with a 85.1 QB rating, 4,126 yards, 28 TDs, and 19 INTs.
AFC East
Dolphins-Z 11-4-1
Patriots–X 11-5
Bills 7-9
Jets 6-9
- Tim Tebow is ineffective, throwing the ball only nine times for 37 yards and 136 rushing yards on 15 attempts for two TDs all season.
- Who knew that the David Garrard-led Dolphins would go toe-to-toe with the Henne-led Jaguars for a thrilling, rare tie? Nobody, that's who. Run this sim over a hundred times, and I bet this doesn't happen again.
AFC West
Chargers 8-8
Chiefs 7-9
Broncos 7-9
Raiders 6-10
- The AFC West is as up in the air as ever, with the Chargers not winning the division title until the last week of the season when they defeat the Raiders, and the Broncos lose to the Chiefs.
NFC North
Lions-Y 11-5
Bears-X 10-6
Vikings-X 10-6
Packers 8-8
- Adrian Peterson comes back from his injury and picks up where he left off with 1,613 rushing yards on 293 carries for 15 TDs. This may happen in real life, but no freakin' way are the Vikings getting more than six wins.
- Despite productive seasons from Aaron Rodgers, Greg Jennings, and Jordy Nelson, the Packers are the odd-man out in an all-NFC North wildcard.
NFC South
Panthers-Y 12-4
Saints 9-7
Falcons 9-7
Buccaneers 3-13
- The Panthers start off 11-1, cruising to a division title behind QB Cam Newton. The Saints never get out from under their tumultuous off-season.
NFC East
Giants-Z 13-3
Cowboys 9-7
Redskins 7-9
Eagles 7-9
- The Eagles' defense surrenders multiple 40- and 50-point losses, blowing its shot for a wildcard spot.
- Redskins' rookie QB Robert Griffin III does well in his inaugural season, passing for 3,481 yards with 28 TDs and 15 INTs.
NFC West
Cardinals-Y 8-7
49ers 6-10
Seahawks 5-11
Rams 5-11
- There is finally a decent QB in Arizona, and needless to say his name is not Kevin Kolb. It's John Skelton.
- A slight dip in Alex Smith's performance dooms the 49ers' lofty pre-season hype. It doesn't help that the Niners don't get their first win until after the bye in week 10.
Z - Clinched division and homefield advantage
Y - Clinched division
X - Clinched wildcard
THE PLAYOFFS
WILDCARD
Texans 24 - Jaguars 17
- Despite not getting into the endzone, Texans wideouts Andre Johnson and Roy Williams (whom they picked up in free agency) are the difference here, moving the chains enough to get the Texans the win.
Lions 48 – Vikings 27
- The Vikings' rags-to-riches 10-6 regular season comes crashing down in Detroit as they are smoked by four Matthew Stafford TDs.
Patriots 34 – Chargers 16
- Tom Brady is nearly flawless in a three-TD appearance, which is the opposite of Phillip Rivers' two INT meltdown.
Bears 41 – Cardinals 20
- John Skelton's three INTs are just as much of the culprit for the Cards' loss as the teams' paltry 57 rushing yards.
DIVISIONAL
Patriots 55 – Dolphins 6
- David Garrard starts the game for the Dolphins, which explains everything about this 55-6 thrashing at the hands of the Patriots.
Bears 16 – Giants 13
- The defending Super Bowl champion Giants commit four turnovers and let an otherwise tight game slip through their fingers.
Texans 39 – Steelers 7
- The Texans go to Heinz Field and dominate the Steelers' offense, restricting it to just 52 rushing yards and 138 passing yards.
Lions 35 – Panthers 29
- A 14-point fourth quarter by the Panthers is not enough to save the team after letting the Lions amass a 28-9 advantage at the half.
CONFERENCE
Texans 43 – Patriots 13
- Four turnovers doom the Patriots – three from the hand of Tom Brady. The Texans put up a monster 17-point third quarter to bury the Pats.
Bears 52 – Lions 37
- Whether through the air (Cutler puts up five TDs) or on the ground (Bears running backs combine for 202 yards), Chicago dominates the Lions in a shootout that ends up being closer than the score indicates.
SUPER BOWL
Texans 45 – Bears 23
- Texans running backs Ben Tate and Arian Foster combine for 180 yards on the ground, and quarterback Matt Schaub throws three TDs (but only 117 passing yards!?) for the win. The Bears never got going in this game, and racking up 85 yards in penalties didn't help their momentum either.
For more on Madden NFL 13, check out my review, as well as my guide to Connected Careers.