Madden 13: Re-Ranking EA Sports' Top 10 Running Backs

There is no better player in all of Madden 13 than an elite running back, and this year’s edition has put a new emphasis on rushing features of their game.

With incredible improvements in the physics of the game, the elite runners will be able to avoid the tackles and capitalize on the wake of destruction they are leaving behind them.

EA really made rushing the ball fun again.

The ratings, on the other hand, were just a little out of order. Nothing your friendly armchair Madden quarterback couldn’t handle, though.

EA Sports’ Top 10 Running Backs

1. Maurice Jones-Drew (Jacksonville Jaguars) 97 overall

2. Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings) 97 overall

3. Arian Foster (Houston Texans) 96 overall

4. LeSean McCoy (Philadelphia Eagles) 95 overall

5. Ray Rice (Baltimore Ravens) 95 overall

6. Matt Forte (Chicago Bears) 93 overall

7. Frank Gore (San Francisco 49ers) 92 overall

8. Steven Jackson (St. Louis Rams) 92 overall

9. Jamaal Charles (Kansas City Chiefs) 91 overall

10. Michael Turner (Atlanta Falcons) 91 overall

Donald Wood’s Re-Ranked Madden 13 Top-10 Running Backs

1. Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings) 99 overall

2. LeSean McCoy (Philadelphia Eagles) 98 overall

3. Maurice Jones-Drew (Jacksonville Jaguars) 97 overall

4. Arian Foster (Houston Texans) 97 overall

5. Ray Rice (Baltimore Ravens) 96 overall

6. Jamaal Charles (Kansas City Chiefs) 95 overall

7. Steven Jackson (St. Louis Rams) 95 overall

8. Frank Gore (San Francisco 49ers) 94 overall

9. Matt Forte (Chicago Bears) 93 overall

10. Michael Turner (Atlanta Falcons) 93 overall

What Changed?

More so running backs than any other position in the game, the top 10 was a classic case of all the right pieces being there, but the order just being a bit off.

Some fans can try to argue this fact, but there is no question that Adrian Peterson is the league’s best running back, injured or not. He deserves the No. 1 spot.

As we saw in 2012, Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy is the real deal in both the rushing game and the passing attack and deserves the honor of being No. 2. While the top-four RBs were right, they were just out of order.

The biggest jump up in the rankings was that of Kansas City Chiefs star running back Jamaal Charles.

While I couldn’t slide Charles into the top five without complete assurance his knee is 100 percent, there is little doubt that the man that took over the NFL with his production in 2010 can do it again and earn that distinction again.

Nothing will stop all of this second guessing more than some real football.

What Stayed the Same?

Despite the major shakeup at the front of the ranking list, the remainder of the players stayed in about the same positions.

Baltimore Ravens star running back Ray Rice is a perfect example of this; coming in fifth in both EA Sports’ and my rankings.

Steven Jackson and Frank Gore fell back slightly, but remained in the general vicinity of where the Madden developers ranked them, while Michael Turner brought up the rear in both rankings.

EA Sports earns much respect for remaining impartial during the ranking process, but they missed the rankings for the running backs this year. Not by much, though.

Check back for more on the National Football League as it comes, and don’t miss Bleacher Report’s NFL page to get your fill of all things football.

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