Carolina Panthers Will Win Super Bowl 50, Predicts ‘Madden NFL 16’
The world might be conspiring to give Peyton Manning his second Super Bowl ring, but according to one increasingly trustworthy source, Cam Newton will steal the show at Super Bowl 50.
So says Madden NFL 16, at least. For the 13th straight year, EA Sports has simulated the big game using the latest version of its football video game franchise, and the results are in: Despite a spirited performance by old man Manning, the Panthers will beat the Broncos 24-20 to cap off their impressive season and bring the Vince Lombardi trophy to Charlotte for the first time.
EA’s simulation, this year run on an Xbox One, pits the computer against itself on the All-Madden difficulty setting using freshly updated rosters and stats. Madden NFL 16 produced a dramatic game punctuated by each team scoring in bunches and stepping up big defensively. Roll the highlights:
The Panthers went ahead early. Dangerous kick returner Ted Ginn Jr. did his thing with a huge runback, setting up a Cam Newton to Greg Olsen touchdown pass. Shutting down Denver’s offense, Carolina added a field goal, then poured it on when running back Jonathan Stewart rumbled into the end zone for another touchdown to end the half.
Down 17-0, Manning started puling the Broncos together for what was shaping up to be an all-time comeback. A TD toss to Emanuel Sanders, two field goals, and Denver’s stout defense turned the shutout into a 17-13 contest to end the third. Manning started the final quarter with another touchdown pass, this time to Demaryius Thomas, to make it 20 unanswered points.
Trailing 20-17, the Panthers would look to their own Pro Bowl QB for some last-minute heroics. Late in the fourth, Newton led the Panthers downfield and called his own number for a goal line TD rush. Manning’s last-ditch effort to steal victory from the jaws of defeat ended unceremoniously and, perhaps, symbolically: the clock simply ran out on the future Hall of Famer.
Related: Review: Energetic ‘Madden NFL 16’ Airs It Out, Hauls It In
Newton’s performance — 19 of 26 for 216 yards with one TD and one interception — was good enough to earn him the Super Bowl MVP. Running back Jonathan Stewart scurried for 47 yards and a TD, while tight end Greg Olsen caught Newton’s only TD pass and tallied 79 total receiving yards. Cornerback Josh Norman came up huge defensively with six tackles and a big interception.
Manning had a pretty good game too, racking up 241 yards, two TDs and one interception on 21 of 37 passes. Six of those went to Thomas, who turned them into 98 yards and one TD. Manning’s other TD was one of five caught by Sanders for 65 yards. Denver cornerback Aqib Talib nearly matched Josh Norman with five tackles and a pick.
If rattling off these stats seems absurd, you didn’t pay attention to last year’s eerily accurate Madden prediction. Not only did Madden NFL 15 correctly pick the winner (Patriots) and final score (28-24), it nailed Tom Brady’s touchdown tosses (4), was just 27 yards off his passing yards (355 to 328), and was an astonishing three yards and one catch away from perfectly calling wide receiver Julian Edelman’s entire game. That’s bananas.
And that wasn’t a total anomaly. In 2009, Madden was just one point off the final score of Super Bowl XLIII and predicted the exact yardage of Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes. When Madden hits, it hits like a bus.
But it misses too, and occasionally, it’s worse than your average bar drunk. In 2014, for instance, Madden lost its mind and picked the Broncos over the Seahawks by three. The final score? Seahawks 43, Broncos 8. The company made up for it by sticking Richard Sherman on the cover of the following year’s game, at least.
By and large, though, Madden’s got a track record any bookie would be proud of. Here’s a look back at the game’s Super Bowl prediction performance.
Super Bowl XLIX: Nailed It!
Madden: Patriots 28, Seahawks 24
Actual: Patriots 28, Seahawks 24
Super Bowl XLVIII: Wrong
Madden: Broncos 31, Seahawks 28
Actual: Seahawks 43, Broncos 8
Super Bowl XLVII: Correct
Madden: Ravens 27, 49ers 24
Actual: Ravens 34, 49ers 31
Super Bowl XLVI: Correct
Madden: Giants 27, Patriots 24
Actual: Giants 21, Patriots 17
Super Bowl XLV: Wrong
Madden: Steelers 24, Packers 20
Actual: Packers 31, Steelers 25
Super Bowl XLIV: Correct
Madden: Saints 35, Colts 31
Actual: Saints 31, Colts 17
Super Bowl XLIII: Correct (and really close)
Madden: Steelers 28, Cardinals 24
Actual: Steelers 27, Cardinals 23
Super Bowl XLII: Wrong
Madden: Patriots 38, Giants 30
Actual: Giants 17, Patriots 14
Super Bowl XLI: Correct
Madden: Colts 38, Bears 27
Actual: Colts 29, Bears 17
Super Bowl XL: Correct
Madden: Steelers 24, Seahawks 19
Actual: Steelers 21, Seahawks 10
Super Bowl XXXIX: Correct
Madden: Patriots 47, Eagles 31
Actual: Patriots 24, Eagles 21
Super Bowl XXXVIII: Correct
Madden: Patriots 23, Panthers 20
Actual: Patriots 32, Panthers 29
Not too shabby! We’ll find out if Madden can drive its record to an impressive 10-3 this weekend.
When Ben Silverman isn’t making terrible Super Bowl dip, he’s making terrible jokes on Twitter at @ben_silverman.
