Carolina Panthers running back, Christian McCaffrey became the youngest player in both NFL and gaming history to earn a 99 rating on Madden 20 football video game by EA Sports. McCaffrey joins the exclusive Madden 99 Club with other players who achieved a rare perfect rating by EA Sports game developers.
Representatives from EA Sports bestowed McCaffrey with a special plaque commemorating the event and 99 rating. A 99 is the top rating an NFL player can receive in Madden. At only 23-years-old, McCaffrey became the youngest member of the Madden 99 Club.
“This means a lot,” said McCaffrey. “It’s really cool. I played Madden my whole life. Getting a 99, to be in that company means a lot. It’s definitely very humbling.”
RBs in Madden 99 Club
Barry Sanders
Marshall Faulk
LaDainian Tomlinson
Adrian Peterson
Chris Johnson
Christian McCaffrey
Prior to McCaffrey, only five other running backs in NFL history were awarded a 99 rating on Madden. That list includes some of the greatest backs in history, such as Barry Sanders, Marshall Faulk, LaDainian Tomlinson, Adrian Peterson, and Chris Johnson.
CMAC Madden 99 Club
McCaffrey started his third NFL season with a 91 rating on Madden 20. EA’s rating adjustment team tweaked the overall profile for McCaffrey to incorporate his MVP-like season. They adjusted his Madden rating to 98 two weeks earlier, and finally bumped McCaffrey to 99 this week.
McCaffrey leads the NFL in rushing with 1,059 yards. He has 517 passing yards for a total of 1,578 combined yards from scrimmage.
Chris Johnson currently holds the NFL record for most yards from scrimmage in a season with 2,509. McCaffrey is on pace to break Johnson’s record.
McCaffrey recently joined Hershel Walker, arguably one of the greatest running backs in college football history, as one of only two players in NFL history to post 2,500 rushing yards and 2,000 receiving yards in their first three seasons.
It’s been a tough season for the Panthers, but McCaffrey has been able to achieve a career season even with Cam Newton out for the season with a foot injury.
How Does Madden Adjust Ratings?
Prior to 2009, EA Sports tweaked player ratings at the end of the season. Over the last decade, however, EA Sports began adjusting ratings during the season. In 2018, EA created a special team of ratings adjusters and dispatched them to games.
The adjuster team includes former players like offensive lineman Clint Oldenburg and Barry J. Sanders, the son of Detroit Lions’ legend, Barry Sanders.
“We are trying to capture their essence and skills with our numerical rating system,” said Oldenburg.
While re-evaluating McCaffrey, EA adjusters considered speed, breaking tackles, and awareness when tallying player ratings.