MSR ends it 26th season, 3rd on Madden 21. We have a new top improver so let's jump right in:

1. New York Jets
2. New York Giants
3. Los Angeles Chargers
4. Miami Dolphins
5. Washington Football Team

The New York Jets are this years most improved team. They improved everywhere but most notably on the defensive side of the ball. They had 11 more sacks, 25 more interceptions, and allowed 5 less points per game compared to last season, #MSR25. They also had 7 more wins which really boosted them up to the top of the list!

Next we have the top 5 teams who took a step back from last year:

1. Houston Texans
2. Indianapolis Colts
3. Green Bay Packers
4. Minnesota Vikings
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

A lot of surprise on this list but the Texans take the cake this year. They really struggled on both sides of the ball where their only positive stat was they forced and recovered 1 more fumble and threw for 3.5 more yards per game compared to last year. Everything else took a hit. They play will need to improve at every aspect in order to get back to their normal form.

We cap off MSR25 with the finish of our second season on Madden 21. With two seasons in our rear view, we can now start comparing how each team changes from year to year.

The Arizona Cardinals were the most improved team from a year ago. There were a number of reasons why they improved so much but I would like to highlight their offense. They turned into a run first offense where thay ran for 75 more yards per game compared to years past. This also resulted in 28 less interceptions throw and 6 more points per game.

The top 5 improved teams are as follows:

1. Arizona Cardinals
2. Denver Broncos
3. Detroit Lions
4. New England Patriots
5. Philadelphia Eagles

On the other end of the spectrum, we have teams that didn't quite perform as they did last year. The team that tops the list this year are the San Francisco 49ers. They declined in just about every measured category which is never a recipe for success. They will need to find their identity in MSR once more if they want to succeed.

The bottom 5 teams are as follows:

1. San Fransisco 49ers
2. Kansas City Chiefs
3. Dallas Cowboys
4. Los Angeles Chargers
5. Minnesota Vikings

As always, at the end of the regular season will we look at the regular season stats and compare them to previous years. This year is the first year with Madden 21, so instead of comparing users against their previous year, we will compare league stats of Madden 21 versus the entire Madden 20 cycle (9 seasons).

We will start out with the top teams in Madden 21:

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Wakanda)
2. San Francisco 49ers (Tom)
3. Los Angeles Rams (Hop)
4. Indianapolis Colts (Taco)
5. Minnesota Vikings (CFrank)

Wakanda had a dominate season going 16-0 in the regular season. While he may be looked at primarily for his offense, he also had a great defense which only allowed 21 points per game (2^nd lowest). He had the highest season score since the grading has been implemented (1006).

The 5 bottom teams of Madden 21 were:

1. New York Giants (Coach Martin)
2. Detroit Lions (Red)
3. Chicago Bears (Kolb)
4. Arizona Cardinals (Lil Bear)
5. Baltimore Ravens (Colestang)

The New York Giants had a rough year, going through multiple owners they were never able to get a good footing. They were able to avoid the dreaded 0-16 season by getting just one win. They will have much to improve on moving forward.

Madden 21 vs. Madden 20

With the release of Madden 21, MSR moved over to the new game which showed to produced different stats when compared to Madden 20. Below is a summary comparing the two games (note: Madden 20 is a combination of 9 seasons while Madden 21 is just 1 season):

As you can see, Madden 21 had more in every category but sacks. In a year, each team would have doubled their Madden 21 numbers. This is a huge difference that can be attributed to the lack a strong pass rush and the ability to throw out of sacks more often. Another major difference is the yardage and points per game. In these categories, Madden 21 takes the cake averaging about 70 more yards per game (each team) and 7 more points (1 touchdown, per team) each game.

The Titans offseason got off to a slow start as coach Von Hofman was took a couple personal days to travel. As a result, the Titans placed zero bids on the top free agents before their final decision was made. However, he did grace the league with his presence during the last advance. Making a huge splash in free agency by signing a pair of WRs: Chester Rogers and Isiah Ford. At 74 and 71 overall, respectively, they were merely depth players.

Onto the draft, the Titans had the 11^th overall pick in each of the 7 rounds.

In the first round, the Tennessee Titans selected WR Brendon Robertson. Robertson is 6’0” with blazing 94 speed and 95 acceleration. He will add much needed speed to the Titans offense to spread out the defense. http://www.daddyleagues.com/genesis/player/28128779/attributes

Titan’s second round pick was LT Max Fernandez. At 6’6” 308lb, Max will add youth and additional depth to the Titan’s offensive line that has struggled since the trading away for RT Jack Conklin. Max comes into the league a solid pass blocker but will need some fine tuning to become a successful run blocker in the NFL. http://www.daddyleagues.com/genesis/player/28128780/attributes

Moving into the third round, the Titan’s did not know where they wanted to go with this pick. They decided to take a shot in the dark and select MLB Morgan Edwards. Edwards turned out to have great value for where he was selected. At the young age of 21, he is sure to progress quickly as a center point of the Titan’s defense in 2019. http://www.daddyleagues.com/genesis/player/28128781/attributes

To help protect Mariota even more, in the fourth round, the Titan’s selected another LT in Matt Payne. Like Max, Matt comes into the league with some pass blocking ability but needs a lot of work in the run blocking department. Do not expect to see Matt out on the field in 2019 unless there are injuries in the offensive line. http://www.daddyleagues.com/genesis/player/28128782/attributes

After the fourth round, things seem to be a blur for Von Hofman. He seemed to write down a list of players to select for the remainder of the draft and left to do “more important things.” Leaving it to the supporting staff, the Tennessee Titans selected LOLB Dwight Ray. With the departure of OLB Brian Orakpo in the offseason, the Titans needed plenty of help in the pass rushing department. Dwight adds pass rushing ability from day one, but his lack of speed may hinder his ability to take down the quarterback in time. http://www.daddyleagues.com/genesis/player/28128783/attributes

In rounds six and seven, the supporting staff decided to go back to back WRs. In an already crowded WR core, it was very questionable to go after a WR at this point in the draft. Selected in the sixth round, WR DeMarcus Russell adds some height to the WR group sitting at a modest 6’5”. However, his jumping ability at the combine may make going up for those jump balls quite difficult in the NFL. And lastly, in the seventh round, WR Malik Barr was selected. Fans wondered what the staff saw in this player coming out of college, he isn’t fast, can’t catch, nor jump. Expect Malik to be cut from the 53 man roster prior to start of the regular season. http://www.daddyleagues.com/genesis/player/28128784/attributes http://www.daddyleagues.com/genesis/player/28128785/attributes

Coming later this week, the Titans will have press release announcing their starting lineup.