The Madden 16 player ratings are out and two Denver Broncos rank among the top five at their respective positions: Von Miller and Chris Harris Jr. Noticeably absent from the list were two of Denver’s offensive stars, Peyton Manning and Demaryius Thomas
Miller is the No. 1 outside linebacker with a 97 overall rating. According to the Madden 16 site on easports.com:
Miller returned to form last season with 14 sacks. He grades out as the game’s best outside linebacker with 93 BKS/99 FNM/89 PWM. He also brings 94 Tackle and 98 Pursuit.
It was a one-point overall gain for Miller, who rated out at 96 in Madden 15 when he also took the top spot.
Harris, meanwhile, cracked the Madden list for the first time by way of a 94 rating, good for fourth among cornerbacks. It’s a bit of redemption for Harris who was left off the NFL Network Top 100 Players of 2015. The Madden 16 site had this to say about Harris:
Harris Jr. made his first Pro Bowl last year after coming off an ACL injury. He starts Madden NFL 16 with 89 Speed, 95 Play Recognition, 98 Man Coverage, 97 Zone Coverage, and 78 Press.
Missing from the top five at their positions are the Broncos’ two most important offensive weapons, Manning and Thomas.
Manning’s disappearance from the list comes as the biggest surprise, as the 39-year-old quarterback was the No. 1 player at his position just last year with a 98 score. Andrew Luck, with a score of 94, was this year’s lowest-rated QB in the top five, which also saw Russell Wilson come off the list. Luck and Ben Roethlisberger are among the top five quarterbacks in Madden 16 who were not last year.
Thomas was considered a snub last year, so after posting his first 100-reception season and more than 1,600 yards, it’s surprising that yet again Thomas didn’t crack the top five wide receivers. Brandon Marshall fell out of the top five from last year to this year, as did Andre Johnson and Julio Jones. But Thomas could not find a way in, instead losing out to Antonio Brown (this year’s No. 1), Julio Jones and Odell Beckham Jr.
Cover image credit: easports.com