LA Rams now have two (count ’em, TWO) Madden Club 99 members

There’s a thing about the annual release of Madden Football. The new games typically have new bells, new whistles, and new features to bring the game closer to a live experience. But for NFL football aficionados, the true thrill is uncovering how the game ranks the players. Of course, the best that can be awarded in terms of a player grade is 99. LA Rams All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald is enjoying his fifth-successive 99-club grade in Madden. But the LA Rams did not stop there. There is another.

"“I heard the news today, oh boy, about a lucky man who made the grade.” – Lyrics from “A Day in the Life”, from the Beatles, The Fab Four"

LA Rams All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey made the grade, indeed, with a perfect Madden 22 score of 99. He now joins teammate DT Aaron Donald in the elite Madden Club 99. Kings of the hill are this duo, making the Rams the only NFL team with two defensive players from the same roster to earn the honor that is reserved for only the very best players in the NFL.

The cream of the crop, the pick of the litter, the creme de la creme.

Has it ever happened before, where two players from the same team reached the pinnacle? Yes, but you have to go back, back, back all the way to Madden 09 when there were two pairs: Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning and S Bob Sanders and LA Chargers RB Ladanian Tomlinson and TE Antonio Gates. Of course, Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ QB Tom Brady and TE Rob Gronkowski came within a cat’s whiskers several times, but the tandem never quite made the grade.

The pair are now the ultimate bookends for the Rams’ new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. He’s like a chef whose kitchen is stocked with the freshest ingredients, the choicest cuts of meat, spices from all corners of the world.

Not one, but two players were recognized for their gridiron excellence, two players who rise above the fold. A duo that demonstrates dominance at their respective positions. Two players that now require every opposing QB to know where they are on every play. Two players that every opposing head coach or offensive coordinator must specifically devise a game plan for.

So are they the only 99’s out there? Well, they are half of them. Two others are Green Bay Packers WR Davante Adams and Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce.

In today’s pass-happy NFL where a shutdown corner is almost a necessity for any defense, Ramsey and Donald have consistently shown they can take over a “game” at any moment.

And when Madden 22 debuts on Aug. 20, 2021, there will be not one, but two LA Rams at the top of every player’s shopping list when they draft.