Madden Curse Update: Others Have Cracked It, But Mahomes Obliterated It
[Editor's Note: This is another guest blog from prospective Gaming blogger, @UnfilteredNerd, who knows his stuff and then some. Go and give him a follow.]
Well, the Super Bowl was last night. I only watched like 75% of it because I’m addicted to this game called Escape From Tarkov and literally nothing, not even the Super Bowl, has been able to deter my attention for long periods of time (I have played for 90 hours in 16 days). Also, I’m a Buffalo Bills fan and I didn’t really care who won since they weren’t in it and I didn’t have to spend another year rooting against the Pats.
But yea, great game and great win by the Chiefs. With it, Patrick Mahomes official has obliterated the legendary Madden Curse (the myth that each year’s Madden cover athlete has bad luck and a horrible season). For a better perspective on this accomplishment, let’s briefly recap the history of the curse:
Madden 01 - Eddie George, Tennessee (lost in the divisional round after ball ricocheted off George’s hands and Ray Lewis returned the interception 50 yards for TD)
Madden 02 - Daunte Culpepper, Minnesota (struggled all season, 14 TD/13 INT, suffered a season-ending knee injury in week 11, missed playoffs for first time in 6 years)
Madden 03 - Marshall Faulk, St. Louis (started season 0-6, missed the playoffs, never rushed for 1000 yards again in his career including this season)
Madden 04 - Michael Vick, Atlanta (broke leg in 3rd pre-season game, missed most of the season, worst record in NFC South, missed playoffs)
Madden 05 - Ray Lewis, Baltimore (All-Pro season but team missed playoffs after having one of the worst offenses in the league)
Madden 06 - Donovan McNabb, Philly (got into a drama war with T.O., injured through most of the season, placed on IR after Week 9, missed playoffs for first time in 6 years)
Madden 07 - Shaun Alexander, Seattle (broke left foot in week 3, never rushed for 1000 yards again, lost in OT in divisional round)
Madden 08 - Vince Young, Tennessee (9 TD/17 INT season, injured right quad twice, played horribly in wild-card playoff loss, never made playoffs again in his career)
Madden 09 - Brett Favre, Green Bay/NY Jets (retired then unretired, 22 TD/22 INT season for the Jets, tore biceps, missed playoffs, sexting/dick pick scandal)
Madden 10 - Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh (strained MCL in the opener, only played 5 games all season, missed playoffs year after Superbowl win)
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona (had a great season, led the league in receiving TDs, blown out in divisional round by Saints)
Madden 11 - Drew Brees, New Orleans (had an OK season, threw career-high 22 INTs, lost in wild-card round after Marshawn Lynch’s “Beast Quake” 67-yd TD run)
Madden 12 - Peyton Hillis, Cleveland (injured his hamstring twice, played like shit through the injuries, and dropped off the face of the fucking earth)
Madden 13 - Megatron, Detroit (led the league in receptions and receiving yards, broke the record for the latter, missed playoffs)
Madden 25/14 - Barry Sanders, retired (rumored to have burnt mouth on hot coffee more this year than any other year)
Adrian Peterson, Minnesota (lost cover vote to Sanders and had a great Pro Bowl season while missing the playoffs)
Madden 15 - Richard Sherman, Seattle (had a great season but lost the Superbowl with Malcom Butler’s INT and had this reaction)
Madden 16 - Odell Beckham Jr., NY Giants (had the best season of his career to date, missed playoffs anyway)
Madden 17 - Rob Gronkowski, New England (injured his hamstring before the season, bruised his lung in Week 11, placed on IR after Week 12 with a herniated disc, but Patriots won the Superbowl)
Madden 18 - Tom Brady, New England (won regular-season MVP, dropped only target and lost Superbowl to Big Dick Nick Foles)
Madden 19 - Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh (started his descent into madness with tirades all season, culminating in being benched Week 17, traded, and going fucking mental for the rest of his life)
Madden 20 - Patrick Mahommes, Kansas City (injured in Week 7 with a dislocated kneecap, but returned and led the Chiefs to their first Superbowl victory in 50 years and won SB MVP)
So yea, while other players have technically had great seasons while being a cover athlete for Madden, NONE of them up to this point had been on the cover of Madden, had an incredible season, AND won the Super Bowl. That honor goes solely to Patrick Lavon Mahomes the 2nd. The curse tried to get him; remember that Week 7 injury? I do. I owned Mahomes in a few fantasy leagues and I was terrified when I saw the video of his knee. I was positive he’d torn every single ligament and muscle in his knee. But nope, like the real-life video game player he is, he overcame it all and took home the ‘ship at the end of it all.
He better relish in it too, because next season and for many years to come, it’s gonna be the JOSHUA MOTHAFUCKIN’ ALLEN SHOW BABY!!!
(...ok that’s enough sports for the next few months, back to Tarkov)
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