Madden 19: Teams That Will Dominate Online with Elite NFL Player Ratings

Just like real life, not all teams are created equal in Madden NFL 19.

EA Sports' latest venture into the digital gridiron realm offers not just updated player ratings but even more ways for the game to accurately imitate life. These include the addition of specialist positions such as slot receivers and slot cornerbacks as well as the introduction of scheme percentages and fits based on the personnel of a roster.

Our official review chronicles these changes, which work better than ever to separate the best from the worst—a critical detail to know before going into online play.

When diving into the Madden community and looking to make some headway on the leaderboards, knowing which teams to avoid and which to target is a great first step. These are the bona fide dominant online teams to know in Madden NFL 19.

New Orleans Saints 

What—did you forget about the New Orleans Saints?

Drew Brees is still Drew Brees, believe it or not. He isn't as mobile as some other quarterbacks in the game, but he's still a 91 overall with a 99 rating in the awareness department—automatically making him a threat online. But it is the weapons around him who put the Saints over the top as an online option.

Michael Thomas is one of the game's best receivers at 91 overall. At running back, Mark Ingram is still an 86 overall and Alvin Kamara is two spots higher. The latter is the big prize in online play a year removed from not only rushing for 728 yards and eight touchdowns but also catching 81 passes for 826 yards and five more scores.

It helps the line up front is stacked, with Ryan Ramczyk leading the way at 87. Two other players on the line also check in above the 80 mark.

And this isn't some offensive-minded roster anymore, either. Cameron Jordan is the team's highest-rated player at 95. One of the game's most important positions, cornerback, has Marshon Lattimore sitting at a 90. Middle linebacker Demario Davis is an 85, safety Marcus Williams is an 84 and two more cornerbacks sit at 82 or better.

Clearly, the Saints' last-ditch effort to build a Super Bowl contender around Brees is working. Madden users online can benefit in a big way because of both Brees and the droves of talent at skill positions on both sides of the football.

Cincinnati Bengals 

It almost sounds like a joke to list an Andy Dalton-led team here. 

But it's all about the skill positions. 

The Cincinnati Bengals have plenty of those, led by wideout A.J. Green, who—at 93 overall—is the team's highest-rated player. It's easy to forget about Green because of Cincinnati's struggles over the years, but this is a guy who had a "down" year a season ago while catching eight touchdowns. 

Like real life, the other weapons prop up Dalton. Tight end Tyler Eifert is still rightfully an 89 overall, Giovani Bernard is an 84 out of the backfield and the up-and-coming Joe Mixon is an 81 with a 73 catch rating. While he's only a 76 overall, it would be silly not to mention John Ross, the former top-10 pick with a 97 speed rating—meaning few defenders in the game can match him if a user is running smart routes with him.

As always, the defense in Cincinnati isn't a slouch. Geno Atkins is still a 90-plus rated pass-rushing defensive tackle, edge-rusher Carlos Dunlap is an 84 and Carl Lawson is an 82. Vontaze Burfict in the heart of the defense is an 87. Keep in mind the new specialist roles make sure all these talented pass-rushers can be on the field at the same time.

This doesn't even mention the secondary, where breakout cornerback William Jackson is already an 84 and could rise more soon. Two other members of the secondary are ranked 80 or higher as well.

While it takes a little more finesse to win with Dalton as opposed to Brees, Dalton does have a respectable 76 speed mark, letting him do some interesting things on rollouts and while escaping. The supporting cast is too good to ignore if used by the right hands.

Pittsburgh Steelers 

The Pittsburgh Steelers are an interesting blend of the two aforementioned teams. 

Ben Roethlisberger is amazing on his own, not only because he's rated 88 but also because his ability to escape pressure and get the ball away amid chaos translates well to the virtual field. 

But this is mostly about the surrounding talent too. 

Antonio Brown is one of the rare players rated 99 in this year's game, and he's a sheer joy to use. When he isn't inhaling everything thrown his way, he's making plays on balls intended for other receivers because his stats are so amped up. Makes sense, seeing as he piled up 101 catches for 1,533 yards and nine touchdowns a year ago. 

Right behind Brown on the roster in terms of overall rating is Le'Veon Bell. Forget the contractual spat—Bell is still a 96 overall a year removed from running for 1,291 yards and nine touchdowns on an average of four yards per carry while also catching 85 passes for 655 yards and two scores. As expected, JuJu Smith-Schuster comes in at a strong 80 overall, and deep options like Darrius Heyward-Bey and rookie James Washington have speed ratings at 90 or better. 

Up front, the Steelers have guard David DeCastro at a 95. Right tackle Marcus Gilbert isn't too far behind at 86. Center Maurkice Pouncey is an 85. 

While there aren't too many defenders among the Steelers' top-ranked players, the ones who show up are critical to online success. Cameron Heyward is an 88 and combines with the 86-rated Stephon Tuitt to collapse pockets. Joe Haden plays the all-too-important premium cornerback role at an 85 overall and he gets help from safety Morgan Burnett, who checks in at 84.

While it's a top-heavy roster for the Steelers, it's a dangerous one online because pass rush isn't as effective as it is against most teams. Falling behind against someone who knows how to use the Steelers is often a recipe for disaster—which is plenty true in real life too.