It’s been a good thirty plus years since the last time football and video game fans had to go a full summer without the thrill of a Madden instalment to put everyone’s football gaming talents to the test. With Madden 2022 gearing up to take the summer by storm, it’s time to talk about what we can be in store for. From seeing who NFL odds experts have as the favorites to grace the legendary game cover, to release dates and other info, let’s get down to talking some video game football action.
How Much Longer Until The Madden NFL 2022 Release?
There are certain dates that all football fans usually wait for after the end of every season. Given the fact that the NFL off season is usually a long, tortuous time for fans, glimmers of hope here and there are always welcome. Of those special dates there’s the draft, the start of the preseason and of course, the release date for the new Madden NFL video game. Seen as a classic of the sports video gaming industry, the Madden NFL game usually comes out in the first week of August each year, a month before the official start of the NFL regular season.
While with Madden 2021 the release date fell victim to the global pandemic that took over everyday life, being released until late August, it is expected for this season’s edition to not have any release date problems. According to gaming experts, predictions say that the game will be going on sale officially on Friday August 6th with an early access opportunity on August 3rd to fans who pre order the game. The other main prediction and the one in which football fans around the land are all waiting to see unfold is who will be the lucky player gracing the cover this year.
Will It Be Derrick Henry? Aaron Rodgers Maybe? Tom Brady Again?
As soon as it’s announced that a new Madden instalment is coming out, everyone starts wondering who this edition’s cover athlete will be. For 2022’s edition there’s already online betting polls who have some clear favorites to grace the cover of football’s most important video game. While at the beginning of the fuzz the word was that seven-time Super Bowl champion, Bucaneer’s QB Tom Brady would make his second appearance on the cover of the game, such rumor has silenced down as time has gone by with other candidates taking a lead in the race.
While his situation in Green Bay looks far from being over, the idea of Aaron Rodgers leaving the Packers feels more and more like a true possibility. But that still doesn’t take away from Rodgers’ talent and added to his MVP award winning season in 2020 you can’t take away from the possibility of the temporary Jeopardy presenter’s chances to be on the cover of this year’s Madden edition. On the other hand, and coming in just as strong as how he rushes the football on the field is Titans RB superstar Derrick Henry.
Henry has taken the league by storm ever since taking off. He has catapulted the Titans offense and team in itself to new spheres and alongside the likes of Dalvin Cook is considered the game’s most dominant running back. Given his 2,027 rushing yard season in 2020 which took him to nab the OPOY award, his sheer dominance in the game and the fact that there hasn’t been a running back on the cover since Peyton Hillis in 2012, it’s time for Henry to take his spot in the cover of the game.
Will There Be a New Member of the “99 Club”?
One of the main attractions of the Madden release season is when the player ratings are issued. Ratings are usually let out to the audience’s days before the actual release of the game and while we’re still a good chunk of time away, why not talk about who deserves to get the coveted 99 player rating?
While six players, Aaron Donald, Devante Adams, DeAndre Hopkins, Stephon Gilmore, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce all ended the Madden 2021 season with the 99 score, with 2022’s version some changes might happen. While all players are deserving of their ratings, there are a couple of names floating around that should be welcomed into the “99 club”. The most obvious one is Bills receiver and Josh Allen’s favorite human being Steffon Diggs. Diggs is coming off a 127 catch year, playing in what can easily be considered one of the most complete teams in the NFL right now and who will surely go into the 2022 season with a hunger for more.
Apart from Diggs, there are a couple more players that should definitely be at least taken into strong consideration. One of them of course being Tom Brady, especially since Tampa Bay has made it a fact to bring the vast majority of their roster back to go for another championship run. An 8th ring and a 99 rating for Tom? Yeah, it sounds about right. Last but not least, Derrick Henry. The Titans RB is redefining the role of a running back in the league and what better for him than to grace the cover of the game and get the maximum player overall rating. It just feels right.
