By Matt Papiernik
SteelerNation.com
Just a couple weeks before the highly anticipated release of Madden 20, the ratings for all players in the game were released to the public. Several players posted their reactions on Twitter or Instagram after they saw the ratings, mostly the players who felt they got snubbed. EA Sports took a different approach to doing their ratings this year, as they stretched out the ratings so that it emphasized the gap between Pro-Bowl calibers players and replacements. This change is likely the culprit for many of the gripes that players had with their ratings.
Overall, the Pittsburgh Steelers came in as the 9th overall ranked team in the game, which I feel isn't too far off from where they should appear in terms of overall talent. Even though they are only ranked 9th overall, they will likely be a top choice of many people going into the season. The Steelers lack a large amount of star players in the Madden Launch Ratings (Only David DeCastro has a rating above 90), but they have very few weaknesses with only one starter rated below a 72. Many may say 72 isn't a great rating, but with the changes to the Madden ratings, only 41% of players are rated a 70 overall or higher.
There are a few players on the Steelers who I feel are probably a little underrated, and also a few players who are going to be favorites to play with, regardless of the team you follow.
Underrated Players: Ben Roethlisberger (85), Matt Feiler (65), Sean Davis (72), and JuJu Smith-Schuster (88)
Ben Roethlisberger isn't on this list for being an 85 , because that doesn't mean he will hurt you that much when playing with the Steelers in Madden. He is on this list because he is the 9th rated QB in the game. Ben is coming off a great year in which he lead the league in passing yards and threw for the fifth most touchdowns. I can see they may think he is aging and has a chance for regression, but if that is the case, they didn't share that same train of thought for other aging QB's like Phillip Rivers and Drew Brees.
Matt Feiler being rated a 65 just tells me the people doing the launch ratings at EA Sports didn't actually watch any games. Feiler started 10 games for the Steelers last season, and at worst was an average starter. Feiler should be one of the biggest jumpers over the first month of the regular season in the Madden ratings.
Sean Davis is one I am sure not everyone will agree with. While Davis hasn't been a star playmaker, he deserves to be rated higher than a bottom end starter. Davis has slowly made improvements each year to his game, and while he isn't a Pro Bowler just yet, the incremental improvements he has been making has made him a solid piece in the Steelers secondary.
JuJu Smith-Schuster is one person on this list I am sure many people will ask why I say he is underrated since he has a pretty high rating of an 88. The reason being is he was tied sixth in the NFL in terms of receptions and had the fifth most receiving yards last season. Even though he had such a great season, he still only got rated as the 17th overall wide receiver? No one will complain about having an 88 overall receiver in Madden, but that doesn't always paint the whole picture.
Potential Madden favorites: Ryan Shazier (84), Devin Bush (72), Diontae Johnson (69)
Ryan Shazier will be one of the most popular players in Madden for multiple reasons. One is because he plays the most popular positions to control on defense, and he possesses great speed and agility. People love to play with middle linebackers in Madden, and the main thing they want while controlling a player is speed. Also, Shazier is a great story in the NFL right now as he is working his way back to a normal life from his injury, so he is always a headliner.
Another player who people will love to play with is Shazier's potential replacement, in Devin Bush. Bush is a player very similar to Shazier (especially in terms of Madden) as he is a very fast middle linebacker. Also, since he has a lower overall, he will be a cheaper option in most game modes as opposed to some higher overall players with the same skill set.
Diontae Johnson is going to be probably the Steelers favorite offensive weapon who isn't already a star. Johnson has high ratings in the key areas that lead to success in Madden as a wide receiver. Those areas are speed/agility, route running, and catching. The rest of the stats for a wide receiver you can live with, but with those key stats being rated high, Johnson will be an easy contributor.
It's always interesting to see the launch ratings for Madden, but this year will be even more interesting once the game is released to see how the difference in ratings by EA will change the game play. You can find the entire list of the rating for the Pittsburgh Steelers at EA Sports website.
Comment below to let us know your opinions on the Steelers Madden 20 Launch Ratings!
Follow me on Twitter: @Matt_Papiernik
#SteelerNation
