Madden 23 hacked? Devante Adams over LA Rams WR Cooper Kupp?

Some days, it seems as though the more things change, the more they stay the same. The LA Rams enjoyed a monster breakout season from wide receiver Cooper Kupp in 2021. No, not the type of year where a perennial 800-yard three-touchdown receiver finally breaks the 1000-yard mark. We’re talking about a career-best season that was so phenomenally good that he broke the All-Time Rams Franchise Single Season Receiver records, and threatened to break the records of the NFL as well.

If only he could get those two fourth quarters back when he was pulled from the football field. He was oh-so-close to being the best wide receiver in the history of the NFL. But apparently, that is not as good as Devante Adams? Was Madden 23 hacked prior to release? It’s the only way to explain how Adams is rated better than Kupp. Not the same, mind you. Better. Adams has rated 99 again and after an epically incredible 2021 NFL season, Kupp only comes in at 98?

Bah, humbug.

What do you have to do as an NFL wide receiver to earn a 99 ranking in EA’s Madden? After all, was there anything that LA Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp did NOT do?  Let’s go down over the list of 2021 receiving leaders, shall we?

Receptions
Cooper Kupp – 145
Davante Adams – 123
Tyreek Hill – 111

Receiving Yards
Cooper Kupp – 1,947
Justin Jefferson – 1,616
Davante Adams – 1,553

Receiving Touchdowns
Cooper Kupp – 16
Mike Evans – 14
Ja’Marr Chase – 13

Seems like very compelling data to me. I see Cooper Kupp topping all receiver statistics. But some would argue that Adams missed a game. So let’s norm his 16-game production to 17 games:
Davante Adams in 17 games: 130 receptions, 1717 yards, 12 touchdowns. So what would Cooper Kupp’s numbers look like in a full 17-game level? Kupp projects to 150 receptions, 2006 yards, and 17 touchdowns.

So how does Madden 23 see the NFL WR field?

That makes no sense to me. No, I’m not blinded by homerism here. Just a need for more hard evidence than “I think. . .”, “I feel . . .”, or “I believe . . .”, that seems to drive these ratings. Cooper Kupp is the top of the class at the NFL wide receiver position. Whether it’s the short route:

Or on deep routes. We went right to the NFL database source for wide receivers who caught passes for 20+ yards in 2021. What did we find?

Receptions of 20+ yards
Cooper Kupp – 30
Justin Jefferson – 27
Deebo Samuel – 23

So what do the ratings in Madden 23 look like?

Maybe it’s a rating that factors in Yards After the Catch (YAC)?

Top Yards After the Catch (YAC)
Cooper Kupp – 846
Deebo Samuel – 779
Ja’Marr Chase – 645

And we have not even begun to scratch the surface of route running, blocking, and a host of other areas that Cooper Kupp willingly contributes to in the effort to help out the team.

Perhaps most of all, Cooper Kupp goes from catching QB Matthew Stafford’s passes in 2021 to catching Matthew Stafford’s passes in 2022. Devante Adams goes from catching QB Aaron Donald’s passes in 2021 to catching Derek Carr’s passes in 2022. I’ll let you decide if Carr is a better passer than Donald. But the truth remains that he is playing in a new offense for a new quarterback.

Madden 23 may have been hacked to rate Devante Adams over Cooper Kupp in Madden NFL 23. But one thing is certain. It’s not based on a player’s performance.