Cowboys ahead of Patriots? Madden NFL 20 team ratings may cause a stir

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EA Sports released full player and team ratings for its "Madden NFL 20" video game Monday, and you know what that means: It's time for everyone to get angry about them.

The New England Patriots actually fared pretty well in the player rating department, as "Madden" gave Tom Brady the second-highest rating among NFL quarterbacks and assigned high grades to cornerback Stephon Gilmore, wide receiver Julian Edelman and a few others.

So, surely the defending Super Bowl champions would have one of the highest (if not the highest) team grades, right?

You would think, but "Madden" gave New England an 87 overall rating ... tied with three other teams for third in the NFL.

Here's the top five:

1. Philadelphia Eagles: 89
2. Dallas Cowboys: 88
T-3. New Orleans Saints: 87
T-3. Green Bay Packers: 87
T-3. New England Patriots: 87

This a video game, remember, so a team's overall rating doesn't necessarily correlate to its projected record. The Patriots have proven time and again you can win Super Bowls without having the most "talent."

... But the Cowboys ahead of the Patriots? Seriously?

"Madden" makes a compelling case for the Eagles, who boast a talented roster with five players ranked 90 overall or better and should be an NFC contender if Carson Wentz stays healthy.

The Cowboys are coming off a 10-6 season, though, and haven't made it past the Divisional Round since quarterback Dak Prescott took over the offense. We're guessing EA Sports is blinded by Dallas' star power with big names like Amari Cooper and Ezekiel Elliott on offense and DeMarcus Lawrence and Sean Lee on defense.

The Patriots' offense did get some love, earning a 91 rating that trailed only the Saints at 92. But their defense rating of 84 appears to have knocked them down a few pegs in the virtual world, where Aaron Rodgers and the Packers (who went 6-9-1 last season) are somehow on the same plane as the reigning champs.

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