Madden 13 Player Ratings: New England Patriots and Top-Rated Receivers Corps
No team in Madden 13 has the receiving options the Patriots have.
Not only are they the only team with two players among the top 10-rated receivers/tight ends, but they also have a second tight end in Aaron Hernandez who would be the best on all but five teams in the game.
Hernandez is rated No. 88 overall on Madden with an 89 speed rating. That is second only to Vernon Davis at the position.
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Considering I didn't even factor Hernandez in when I made these ratings, it's even more of a tribute to how much respect Madden 13 gives to the Pats' passing weapons.
Here are the top three receiving corps in the game.
(The top four-rated receivers and the top TE were factored into the rankings.)
The overall rating is in parentheses.
1. New England Patriots (Combined Rating - 437)
Wes Welker (95), Brandon Lloyd (88), Deion Branch (79), Jabar Gaffney (78), Rob Gronkowski (97)
The Pats are dangerous in almost every passing formation. When they put Gronk, Hernandez, Welker, Lloyd and Branch on the field they are devastating.
The only thing they don't have is a receiver on the outside that can go up and get the ball on a fade route.
Beyond that, this unit has it all.
2. Green Bay Packers (Combined Rating - 425)
Greg Jennings (93), Jordy Nelson (89), James Jones (79), Donald Driver (78), Jermichael Finley (86)
The Packers' receivers are faster than the Pats' receivers, but they aren't quite as sure-handed. The primary culprit for that fall-off is Finley. His catch rating is only an 85, and if you've watched a lot of Packers games, you know this is justified.
Finley 14 dropped passes in 2011 per Pro Football Focus. That's nearly a drop per game.
Even with that, this is still a stellar group second only to the Pats' attack.
3. San Francisco 49ers (Combined Rating - 418)
Randy Moss (84), Michael Crabtree (83), Mario Manningham (82), Ted Ginn (74), Vernon Davis (95)
The Niners went from having receiver as a position of need to now possessing one of the strongest receiving corps in Madden 13. Alex Smith isn't on par with Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, but his weapons can nearly match the two all-pros.
Moss and Manningham are the key additions, but Davis is still the man that makes the unit special. His speed at TE stretches defenses like no other player at the position.
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