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Madden 26: Caleb Williams massively disrespected in video game rating

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI
By Pete Martuneac | Last updated Aug 1, 2025 12:38 PM ET

As the Chicago Bears' 2024 season spiraled into pure chaos, and in the midst of another 10-game losing streak, national pundits and analysts got in plenty of jokes. The Bears had done it again. They'd ruined yet another promising young quarterback in Caleb Williams, who was once seen as a generational prospect.

It was always nonsense, but it's especially ridiculous in hindsight. Grading Williams' rookie season fairly reveals a solid debut year. Additionally, no NFL analyst can sweep under the rug the Bears' coaching failures that held Williams back, not after the bombshell reports that came out this offseason.

With all that in mind, it's understandable if people are apprehensive about projecting Williams' future. Even the most ardent Bears fan can accept the 'wait and see' attitude adopted by most analysts. But EA Sports' latest Madden game contained a truly shocking rating for Caleb Williams, giving him an overall of just 75. That's 23rd out of all quarterbacks.

The rating itself is bad enough, but the context around it is even worse. That is a one-point drop from last year, Williams' rookie season. I realize Williams didn't live up to the wildest of hopes in 2024, but to say he got worse is truly a leap in logic. And that's not all! Out of the four first-round rookie quarterbacks to see significant action in 2024, Williams is in dead last.

Jayden Daniels, the Offensive Rookie of the Year, of course ranked higher. That's no surprise. But Denver's Bo Nix, who threw twice as many interceptions as Williams, saw an 8-point jump up to 79 while Drake Maye went from a 74 to a 78, despite not even playing a full season.

As aforementioned, taking a wait and see attitude with Williams is fine. It's probably the best course of action. But to reduce his rating while every other rookie quarterback, including those who struggled just as badly at points, received big improvements in the game is just asinine. Hopefully the creative experts at EA Sports are forced to address this woeful underrating very early in the 2025 season.

This article first appeared on Chicago Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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