EA Sports’ Madden franchise has the daunting task of ranking all NFL players and their attributes. While they have the ability to correct these rankings with in-season roster updates, there are some issues with the initial rankings of players. So, The Game Haus will be analyzing the most questionable ratings for players on every NFL team.
Here are the most questionable Madden 21 ratings for the Atlanta Falcons.
Calvin Ridley has been a touchdown machine since entering the league in 2018 (Getty Images)
Calvin Ridley has been a consistent number two receiver for the Atlanta Falcons since getting drafted to them in the first round in 2018.
Ridley was on pace to have close to 1,000 yards last season if not for an injury holding him out of the last three games. Ridley had 866 receiving yards and seven touchdowns last season. Many believe that Ridley will have a breakout season this year and emerge as one of the better wide receivers in all of football like Chris Godwin did this past year.
Veteran Saints receiver Emmanuel Sanders had three more receiving yards and two fewer touchdowns than Ridley last year in 17 games with the Denver Broncos and San Fransisco 49ers and is ranked an 87 coming into this year. New Carolina Panthers wide receiver Robby Anderson is an 84 overall receiver and had almost 100 less receiving yards and two fewer touchdowns than Ridley and is ranked an 84.
If Ridley is to have the breakout season many believe he will have is rating is going to jump. But Madden could have had ranked Ridley a little higher based on his production so far in the NFL.
Adjusted Rating- 85
Can Dante Fowler Jr. put up double-digit sacks for the second season in a row during his first season in Atlanta? (Photo by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Atlanta Falcons scrapped the bottom of the barrel and cut many veterans to sign one of the top edge rushers to hit the market last season Dante Fowler Jr. Fowler has spent the last season and a half with the Los Angeles Rams after getting drafted and playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars since 2015.
Fowler hit the market last offseason and could have signed a lucrative deal, but instead bet on himself resigning a one year deal with the Rams and had a career year. Fowler had 11.5 sacks which were tied for ninth in the league. He was also tied for fifth in the league in tackles for loss with 16.
Fowler had a better season than Colts defensive end Justin Houston and Chiefs defensive end Arik Armstead. He had half a sack and three TFLs more than Houston. Fowler also had 1.5 sacks and five TFLs more than Armstead. They all had two forced fumbles last season.
Fowler is supposed to be the saving grace of the Atlanta Falcons defense reuniting with former college coach now Falcons head coach Dan Quinn. But at an 81 overall, it is uncertain how much Fowler can do in Madden.
Adjusted Rating- 85
Takk McKinley has not had the best first couple of seasons in the league. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Takkarist McKinley seemed to be a perfect fit for Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. They traded up to get him so that way he could play opposite Vic Beasley Jr. right after losing the Super Bowl to the New England Patriots. But instead, McKinley has been disappointing.
In three seasons with the Falcons McKinley only has 16.5 sacks. This past season he only had 3.5 which ultimately led to the team declining his fifth-year option making him a free agent after this next season. This is a make or break year for McKinley, but there isn’t much faith that he will play to the team’s expectations of him.
Sam Hubbard of the Cincinnati Bengals and Montez Sweat of the Washington football team are both listed at right defensive ends like McKinley. Last season Hubbard had 8.5 sacks and Sweat had 8 sacks. But both are rated below McKinley. Hubbard is only a 75 and Sweat is a 76.
McKinley’s production compares more to an average situational pass rusher, but his 79 overall puts him in the category of a low end starting edge rusher.
Adjusted- 74
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