By: Jordan DeFigio, @fidgenewton
SteelerNation.com
The national spotlight tends to shine anywhere other than on the Pittsburgh Steelers. So it's no surprise that, once again, their key players were snubbed in the rankings. This time, the culprit was EA Sports' player ratings on its newest installment of the Madden game franchise.
Only two players were fortunate enough to break the 90's, with guard David DeCastro landing at 91 and defensive tackle Cameron Heyward at 90. All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick found himself with a rating of 87, and candidate for Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, TJ Watt with a measly 86. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger didn't crack the team's top 10 rated players.
Let that sink in for a minute.
The two-time Super Bowl champion, captain of our team, 8th all-time in passing yards (56,545), career QB rating of 94.0, has-more-wins-in-Cleveland-than-any-other-active-quarterback, is at BEST considered to have a rating of 80 or 81 on Madden 21.
For some added perspective, Cincinnati Bengals rookie quarterback, Joe Burrow was generously given a 76 -- before playing a single down in the league.
And Roethlisberger wasn't even in his own team's top 10.
Give me a break.
Speaking of which, here's the full list of the Steelers' Top 10 Rated Players in Madden 21.
Many fans of the game and the NFL in general have lodged complaints that the overall quality and content of the game has steadily been on the decline, and that is due in big part to the questionable ratings of players within the game. And who can blame them? The absurdity of it all, from the numbers themselves, to the amount of stock the franchise seems to place on them, has been enough to deter people from purchasing it all together.
For me, it certainly is.
What are YOUR thoughts on the newest player rankings in Madden 21? Will you buy the game or will you skip it this year? Let us know in the comments below.
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