In a display that shows just how big of a cultural phenomenon the Madden football franchise is, ESPN is running a series that slowly unveils the overall team ratings for each NFL division. In other words, a video game number for a sports team is major news that deserves a slow unveiling. That’s how far we’ve come.
As for the AFC West, fans of the Kansas City Chiefs should be quite pleased with the overall rating of 84. The Chargers are still rated one spot higher at 85, but the ratings position them well to compete against each other atop the division while the Raiders and Broncos are nearly ten points lower at 76 and 74 respectively.
ESPN’s Jon Robinson also points out that Jamaal Charles is among the top rated players in the division in his quick take when he writes, "Jamaal Charles was one of the surprises of the “Madden” cover vote, showing strong support throughout his campaign. His reward? EA Sports makes him one of the most feared backs in Madden with 98 speed."
Madden ’12 will be released August 30.