2020 Early Season Top 15

15. Patriots (0-1) – The Patriots landed their first playoff appearance since the 2016-17 season, taking all 17 weeks of the regular season to clinch a wildcard spot.  They were bounced from the wildcard round but fans are optimistic for this team’s future as they have a lot of young solid talent on their depth chart. 

14. Texans (1-0) – The Texans came in to last season with high expectations after getting in to the playoffs the season prior but they failed to deliver not even getting a playoff berth.   They consistently field a top 10 offense but their defense still appears to be finding a way to keep opposing offenses from scoring.  Once this team finds a balance, expect them to get back to the playoff picture once again.

13. Bengals (1-0) – The Bengals turned a roster that had about as many holes in their depth chart as you could find and turned them in to a playoff team.  Many of their vacancies have been filled but they still need a lot of help especially on the offensive side of the ball.  They have a very tough schedule this season so time will tell if this is indeed a playoff caliber squad or if they were the beneficiary of an easy schedule a season ago.

12. Ravens (2-0) – The Ravens had an unexpected rebuild year the season prior, failing to make the playoffs and allowing the Bengals to take the helm in the AFC North.  The rebuild period appears to be short-lived as they landed highly-touted rookie QB Drew Diamond who is already putting up impressive numbers in his first 2 appearances.  With a newfound pass attack in their arsenal, look for the Ravens to reclaim a spot in the AFC playoff picture.

11. Vikings (2-0) – The Vikings were ownerless for a lot of last season which resulted in them not making the playoffs in what was a heavily contested NFC.  Their squad features a ton of talent on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball – especially in their defensive secondary - so expect this year’s Vikings to put some heat on what already is a volatile NFC conference.

10. Seahawks (1-1) – Many would consider the Seahawks’ season a year ago as one of the poorer they had in the Madden 17 campaign despite reaching the playoffs.  They were uncharacteristically shellacked in the Wildcard round by the Bears which is (unconfirmed) the only time this owner has been beaten in the Wildcard round of the playoffs.  They still field one of the better rosters in the league so we will see if this squad can get back to the dominance that was exhibited at the start of M17.

9. Chiefs (0-1) – The Chiefs open the season with arguably the toughest first quarter schedule in the league facing the Raiders, Bengals, Falcons, then Jets – all of whom were playoff teams a season ago.  This squad finished second overall in the AFC before falling to division rival Raiders in the Divisional round of the playoffs.  Team owners have hinted that this will be their last season at the Chief’s helm so we will see if they can leave with some hardware.

8. Cardinals (2-0) – The previous 3 season’s worth of deals and trades finally paid dividends for this Cardinals squad as they finished 12-4 and was one of the 3(!) NFC West teams to get in to the playoffs last season.  They were edged by division rival 49ers in the Wildcard but fans remain optimistic for this team’s future as they’ve come out already to a 2-0 start to the 2020 season.

7. 49ers (1-0) – This 49ers squad narrowly missed on a comeback in last season’s Divisional matchup verse the Redskins, falling 17-10 after not capitalizing on their final possession.  The taste of playoff victory and heartbreak should remain fresh for this young team as they are another year older and another year more developed.  Their secondary is easily one of the oldest in the league but their experience compliments the youth that is on their dline and linebacking corps.

6. Falcons (1-1) – This Falcons squad came in to the 2019 season with high expectations to repeat as league champions but fell short in the Wildcard, losing 22-27 in a closely fought battle with the Bears.  With an explosive offense and young, fast defense the Falcons are primed to make another run to represent the NFC in the 2020 Super Bowl.

5. Jets (2-0) – The Jets were once again the AFC’s #1 seed last season but lost in heartbreaking fashion to the Jaguars in the divisional matchup in a snowy defensive battle.  This Jet’s team, led by the aging field general Aaron Rodgers, look to put that behind them as they’ve come out of the gates outscoring their first two opponents 54-6 before a big-time showdown with the Raiders in Week 3.

4. Bears (2-0) - The 2019 Bears surprised many last season after taking their squad all the way to the NFC Championship game and losing in an instant classic to the eventual league champion Redskins 33-30.  They’ve so far come back with a vengeance this season winning their first two matchups by a combined score of 92-35 and look to prove that last season was no fluke. 

3. Jaguars (2-0) - The Jags had their best season of Madden 17 last season making it to the Super Bowl and falling in rough fashion to the Redskins 41-22.  They return all 11 of their defensive starters this year after many outstanding performances last season but have run in to a rough patch already losing standout CB Jalen Ramsey due to a dislocated elbow on the first defensive play of the season.  Will his absence cause this defense to lose the dominance that has been displayed the previous two seasons?

2. Redskins (0-1) – The reigning TSFL Champions finally exercised their demons and advanced past the NFC Championship game and eventually easily handled the Jags in the Super Bowl.  They ran in to the classic SB hangover in Week 1 however and fell to the Seahawks 16-14 in their own home.  Once this team comes off their championship high, expect them to re-assert themselves as the league’s standard and make an attempt to repeat as champions.

1. Raiders (2-0) – The Raiders are another squad who open this season with a rocky road.  They’ve so far weathered the storm defeating their division rival Chiefs in week 1 and just barely edging the Falcons in Week 2.  They have the league’s highest rated squad but have come up short in each of their first 4 seasons in Madden 17.  Could this be the season they finally get over the hump and bring their regular season success to the playoffs?

TSFL Divisional Round Preview

AFC

Jets vs Steelers - A prime example of a high power offense going up against a stout defense is the case for the Steelers where they’ll face off against the Jets.  Big Ben has been putting up monster numbers but he faces his toughest test yet this season versus a Jets defense that’s first in every category except 3rd in pass defense.

Raiders vs Jaguars - The Raiders have had their way with the Jags the past few seasons but the Jags look to keep riding their hot streak and upset the 4th highest scoring offense of this season.  Both offenses can put up stats in a hurry but on the other side of the ball, both defenses have been about as good as they get.  With both teams fielding a healthy roster, expect some big plays on each side of the ball.

NFC

49ers vs Redskins - The 49ers have given up a remarkable 11 points per game this season which is tied with the Jets for fewest in the league.  The Redskins come in hot on a 5 game win streak, however.  During that streak, they have put up 40 or more points in 4 of those 5 games.  The 49ers have had a hard time throwing the ball being 26th in passing but the Skins have had an equally rough time on defense being 31st in passing yards allowed.

Falcons vs Seahawks - The Falcons come in with the highest scoring offense this season putting up 36 points per game.  Despite the Seahawks not having the home field advantage this postseason, they still seem to perform their best come playoff time so expect them to come out and challenge this potent Falcons team.