The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly: Steelers Madden Edition

Story by Yinzer Crazy Contributor Jayson Erwin. Follow him on Twitter @JaysonErwin2002

Man, EA sure puts the mad in Madden. Around this time of the year, EA gives out the ratings and grades for fellow players around the league and teams. This is also when the hype for not just a new Madden game, but a football game, starts to build up. But it wouldn't be a new Madden game hype-up without some controversy. Let's take a look at things from the black and gold point of view of the Pittsburgh Steelers -- and take a look at what EA got right, got wrong, and got so incredibly wrong that I'm probably going to say I'm not getting Madden this year (even though I know I'll cave.) Let's see what the electronic artists at EA drew up for the Steelers going into Madden 23!

The Good

DL Cameron Heyward, Rating: 93

Since getting drafted in 2011, Heyward has been a force on the defensive line and a lot of fans, not just of the Steelers, have said Cam hasn't been given enough credit. Which is fair, he has had 68 career sacks and even 2 interceptions! Son of the late great Craig "Ironhead" Heyward has made Pittsburgh and his father proud every game, as he is now the most experienced Steeler player on the roster and a locker room leader. With Heyward finally getting some credibility across the league, it's nice to see a player like Heyward get a solid 93 rating making him the second-best defensive lineman behind L.A. Rams Aaron Donald. Nothing to be ashamed of and congratulations to Cameron Heyward.

CB Ahkello Witherspoon, Rating: 79

79 may not seem like the greatest rating but it's deserved for Witherspoon! Making his Steeler roster debut last year in a trade with Seattle, Witherspoon got some attention as he only allowed 16 receptions off of 33 targets and got 2 interceptions in a game vs. Minnesota last year. A 79 may not be able to compare with a Jalen Ramsey or a Jaire Alexander, but it shows the Witherspoon must be doing something right as a 79 is a solid rating. The future is bright for him and other corners as a few new faces should help spice up the defense going into the new season.

WR Calvin Austin, Rating 70

A 70 isn't a very impressive rating and while that's true, you gotta take a closer look at it. Austin is shown to have 95 speed which is in the top 10 of all receivers in the game. A speed that impressive on the Steelers hasn't been showcased since Madden 16 with former running back Dri Archer's 96 speed. A welcomed rating from Steeler and Madden fans alike! And the Steelers have been searching for a receiver with pure, undeniable speed; could Austin be the answer? 

The Bad

QB Kenny Pickett, Rating: 68

Now nobody was expecting an insane rating for the new Steeler QB ,but this is kind of ridiculous. Pickett is the 3rd ranked rookie QB in Madden with Desmond Ridder (70) and Malik Willis (69) both rated higher than him. Kind of strange considering Pickett was the first QB taken in the draft. Normal ratings are in the low 70s for early drafted rookies so it was certainly deflating for Steeler fans to find out their potential new franchise QB got rated so low, and with two QBs ahead of him that were available to them at the time. Now we know Madden ratings aren't the be-all, end-all, but it had to make some people scratch their heads. 

But honestly, he could've been a 12 overall and we would be fine with it IF we were able to do the fake slide to our friends online.

HB Najee Harris, Rating: 85

This is one of those situations where the Steelers fans are mad at who is ahead of the breakout rookie running back. Now while an 85 isn't bad at all, the likes of Ezekiel Elliott, Saquon Barkley, and Kareem Hunt being higher than him had to turn some heads. People were at least expecting him to be around or in the top 10. Najee took the lead by storm with a great rookie year with 1200 yards and 7 touchdowns. He is ranked 16th best back in the league according to Madden. A truly questionable rating for one of the premier backs in the league. If I can say one nice thing about this though, the 96 carrying is respectable. 

Edge-Rusher T.J. Watt, Rating: 96

This one upset A LOT of people. During the middle of July, it was heavily rumored and even confirmed by some that T.J. Watt would be joining the prestigious 99 Overall Club and finally be given his well-deserved 99 overall in Madden. It was the perfect time to do it too. He tied the single-season sack record, won defensive player of the year, won team MVP, participated in the Pro Bowl, and got a massive contract that makes him the highest-paid defender in the league. With those 5 stones, all he needed was the 99 overall rating to complete the gauntlet.

Unfortunately, he didn't get it. Now, sure it was disappointing but why was everyone so mad? 96 is still a good rating and he'll likely get a 99 later in the year, so what's the big deal? Well, the fact there was someone in the same position who got the 99 above him didn't help. That alone made everyone mad, but for Steeler fans, it stung even worse for who it was. Cleveland Browns Edge-Rusher, Myles Garrett. The same guy who hit QB Mason Rudolph with his helmet. He got a 99 overall rating. It's not even like Garrett has better stats either. Watt has more sacks, tackles, forced and recovered fumbles, and has played fewer games compared to Garrett. Even if Watt didn't get 99, a lot of people probably wouldn't have minded too much if Garrett wasn't higher than him. Now Garrett is a phenomenal player but it just doesn't make a lot of sense --- but then again neither does Madden!

The Ugly



S Minkah Fitzpatrick, Rating: 89

At least for T.J. Watt, you can make the argument he is still in the top 10 for his position. But how can the highest paid safety in the league and one of the best in the league not even be in the top 10?! Minkah has proven to be one of the best, yes he didn't have a great season compared to his better seasons last year but even then he still had a great year. Led the team in tackles with 96. Had 2 interceptions and changed the defense with his sheer presence when he got traded to Pittsburgh in 2019. If you compare those stats, he has a better game than half the safeties listed before him. One of the shining examples of the rating system being absurd is Jamal Adams being higher than Fitzpatrick. Now no disrespect to Adams, but Fitzpatrick has better stats and has been more consistent than Adams as he has been struggling lately in his career. Fitzpatrick is a clear top-10 safety and if the contract he received this offseason doesn't exclaim that enough, then Fitzpatrick will just have to intercept your favorite QB some more.