Madden 13 Cover: Fans Forced to Vote for Cam Newton or Calvin Johnson in Finals

Who do you want to see on the cover of Madden 13?

The new edition of the long-cherished video game will feature a cover star chosen by the fans, and in the final round, they must choose between Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson.

This final matchup represents the culmination of a month-long, March Madness-style tournament in which 32 players were seeded 1-16 on each side of a bracket and fan voting narrowed down the list from 32 to two.

Newton was a No. 1 seed, while Johnson—an underdog of sorts—was a No. 6.

In the Final Four, Newton emerged victorious over 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis by a narrow margin, with 53 percent of the vote. Johnson somewhat surprisingly dominated Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, garnering 67 percent of the vote.

Fans can vote on ESPN.com until April 25, when the cover star will be revealed in a SportsNation special at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Former Auburn quarterback Newton, one of the breakout stars of the 2011 season, was the first overall pick in the 2011 draft and started all 16 games in his rookie season. He threw for 4,051 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Johnson, a wily, five-year veteran, was selected with the second overall pick in the 2007 draft. A two-time Pro Bowler, he registered a career-high 1,681 yards in 2011, good for a 105.1 yards-per-game average. The Georgia Tech alum also brought in a career-high 16 touchdowns last season.

Johnson isn't scared of being on the cover. He's more than willing to take on the responsibility of breaking the Madden Curse, and his teammates are behind him. Fellow Lions wideout Nate Burleson told the Detroit Free Press' Dave Birkett:

"

Of course, I would love to see my guy on the cover of Madden. I’m a big Madden fan. I do believe in the curse, but there’s certain curses that can be erased with dollar signs so we’ll see what happens. I’m just keeping it real. … If any guy can break the curse it’s Calvin. This dude is a monster. He’s strong enough to break tackles; he can break a curse.

"

So who will it be?

Johnson has the more impressive young career, but Newton was the league's most successful rookie quarterback in 2011, and he actually stands a chance of resurrecting the Panthers franchise.

Then again, if Panthers fans want him to continue his run of success, maybe they should vote for Johnson.

Don't forget to cast your vote on ESPN.com before next Wednesday. It's all up to you.