5 NFL players who were too overpowering in Madden feat. Michael Vick

NFL Madden users have thrown their hands up in frustration more times than they can remember. While the video game franchise has done an incredible job at coming close to replicating the actual product on the field, at times, certain players have been given seemingly unfair attributes.

With the franchise releasing the newest addition to their stable in Madden 23, it has us thinking. Who are some of the most unstoppable players the franchise has ever created? Let’s dive into it.

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#5. Michael Vick

Michael Vick

Michael Vick was about as dynamic as they come during his early years with the Atlanta Falcons. Taken with the number one overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft, Vick’s arm talent was both incredible and a bit underwhelming.

By and large, no one in the league had better arm strength. Still, even with his ability to launch the football out of a stadium, Vick was never the most accurate thrower around.

Ultimately, Vick made his name with his legs, rushing for countless yards and leaving his defenders in the dust. While Madden programmers continued to watch his game closely, they practically decided to make him unstoppable in 2004.

In total, Vick possessed a rating speed of 95 and checked in with a 92 rating. Players of the video game, on most occasions, had no use for Vick throwing the ball. Instead, they often tucked the ball underneath his arm and made their way down the end zone.

There was essentially nothing anyone could do to stop him. If you played Vick honest, he would launch the ball over a defender's head. And, in other instances, he would simply juke the opposition out of their cleats as he made his way to the end zone.

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#4. Randy Moss

Randy Moss

Certain NFL wide receivers were great, but others were flat-out nightmares. Randy Moss, over a near 10-year stretch, was about as good as it gets on the field.

In 2007, in particular, Moss was downright unfair. On the year, Moss was unstoppable. The New England Patriots, his team at that point in time, cruised to a perfect record through 16 regular-season games.

In large part, it was due to the role played by Moss, as he racked up 1,493 receiving yards, 23 touchdowns, and 98 receptions.

If playing against Moss was a headache in real life, imagine how it felt going up against him in a video game. Simply put, Moss toyed with his defenders in the franchise game, catching practically everything thrown in his direction and scoring with relative ease.

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#3. Marshall Faulk

Marshall Faulk

Marshall Faulk played an enormous role in the St. Louis Rams being considered 'The Greatest Show on Turf'.

Chosen as the cover athlete for Madden in 2003, Faulk was rated a 99. Considering his overall production over the years, his incredibly high rating was well warranted.

Still, even Madden’s greatest players had some sort of weakness. Fast forward nearly two decades later, and we're still attempting to find the flaw in Faulk’s game.

For gamers, it was simple. Once Faulk was given the ball in the backfield, no matter who was standing across from him, he was bound to leave them in the dust. If the box was stacked, Faulk would merely spread out and catch the ball. The results were the same. Once he turned the jets on, there was no catching him.

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#2. Jerry Rice

Jerry Rice

Rating systems are fairly easy to follow. If a player is great, they’ll normally be rated somewhere in the 90s range. If he were mediocre, you’ll likely find them hovering around the 60 mark. In some rare instances, a player that is clearly head and shoulders above everyone else will check in at about a 99 or 100.

In the case of Jerry Rice, however, Madden programmers believed that they would be doing him a disservice if they simply rated him 100.

In what still stands as the absolute highest rating ever, in Madden 98, Rice was rated a 189. As we glance upon Rice’s outrageous numbers, Madden may have been onto something.

Currently, the Hall of Fame wideout ranks number one in receiving yards with 22,895, receiving touchdowns with 197, receptions with 1,549, and all-purpose yards with 23,546.

There’s nothing left that can be said about Rice. He consistently finds himself on a shortlist of greatest players ever. But playing against him in Madden was simply unfair, he caught literally everything that was thrown in his direction.

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#1. Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning

Once Peyton Manning got his legs underneath him, he figured out the game like few others have or ever will.

While he was never known as the most athletic player on the field, Manning was ridiculously accurate with his passes. For nearly a decade, Madden rewarded him with a rating of 99. Considering that he’s the NFL’s only five-time league MVP, we aren't exactly surprised.

Playing against Manning was a nightmare. It never seemed to matter if opposing defenders were playing flawless man-to-man defense or threw out complicated zones, Manning effortlessly laced the ball into the waiting arms of his receivers.

The best anyone could do to stop him was when he opted to give the ball to one of his running backs, something he didn't do often.