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‘Madden’ predicts a Thanksgiving bounty of scoring this weekend

Ryan Fleming
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madden 25 week 13 picks frank gore
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This week and every week for the remainder of the NFL season, we will bring you weekly game predictions courtesy of EA Sports’ Madden NFL 25. Our methodology: Each week we will update the rosters using the game’s roster download feature to make sure the game lineups reflect the real teams, then we’ll simulate the week’s match-ups using the Franchise Owner mode. We’ll record the simulation’s scores, its best players of the week, and the injury reports, then post these results each Saturday. This makes the Thursday game something of a litmus test (Madden 25 is 8-4 so far this season on Thursday games) – you can use this info for fantasy or gambling purposes. Or you can ignore it entirely. What does Madden know about football, anyway?

After a strong start this season, Madden is in the midst of a losing streak. Following up a season worst 6-9 record last week, Madden topped that (at least in terms of percentages) by going 5-9.  To be fair though, one game this week – Green Bay versus Minnesota – ended in a tie. Even some of the players in the game were unaware that a game could end in a tie, so maybe we can give Madden a pass on that on. Still, a 5-8 record ain’t nothing to crow about.

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So maybe a computer simulation can’t account for all the real-world scenarios like teams rallying around a new QB who’s a perfect fit for an innovative system (looking at you Nick Foles in Philly!).

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What Madden can do is give you a scientific look at what to expect. It really isn’t that different from the many NFL pundits on TV giving their opinions wrapped in the guise of expert predictions, but Madden has quantifiable reasons for picking games like it does. 

This week, the game predicts one of the highest scoring weeks yet, with three teams scoring over 40 points, and nine others scoring over 30. And while only a few will be true blowouts, most will be dominant wins, and a few are surprising.

For example, Carolina (8-3) should have no trouble with Tampa Bay (3-8), abut Madden  has Tampa in a squeaker, 27-4. Carolina has given up an NFL best 151 points this season; the next best teams, Seattle and Kansas City, have each given up a full four touchdowns more. Tampa Bay, on the other hand, has scored just 211 points this season, the fifth worst in the NFL. But Tampa Bay has also scored 87 of those 211 points in just the last three weeks, and is on a three-game winning streak. Carolina is on a seven-game winning streak itself, but Madden smells blood.

Beyond that, there are two games worth paying special attention to this week: Seattle (10-1) at New Orleans (9-2), and Denver (9-2) at Kansas City (9-2). There’s a lot of regular season to play, but there’s also plenty of reason to consider these playoff-caliber games with big division implications.

This Thursday at 1 PM PST, you can watch us live stream three Madden games on our Twitch channel. We’ll begin with Baltimore vs Pittsburgh, then jump over to Kansas City vs. Denver.  Finally we’ll conclude with New Orleans vs Seattle. We’ll be around to answer any questions, so join us for a little turkey and Madden! 

Week 13 League Leaders:

Quarterbacks

Joe Flacco: 338 yards 2 TD
Alex Smith: 318 yards 3 TD
Matt Ryan: 309 yards 2 TD
Andrew Luck: 267 yards 2 TD 67 yards rushing 1 TD
Colin Kaepernick: 287 yards 3 TD 89 yards rushing

Wide Receivers

Wes Welker: 147 yards 1 TD
Demaryius Thomas: 124 yards 1 TD
Brandon Marshall: 117 yards 1 TD
Larry Fitzgerald: 108 yards 1 TD
Reggie Wayne: 105 yards 2 TD

Running Backs

Frank Gore: 167 yards 1 TD
LeSean McCoy: 134 yards 2 TD
CJ Spiller: 131 yards 1 TD
Jamal Charles: 103 yards 1 TD
Marshawn Lynch: 108 yards 2 TD

Injuries

DeMarco Murray (HB): 1 week Broken thumb
Frank Gore (HB): 2 weeks Abdominal tear
Owen Daniels (TE): 5 weeks Broken wrist
Chris Johnson (HB): 6 weeks Upper arm fracture

Week 13 Game Results

Thursday Night Game

Madden Result   Actual Result  
Green Bay: 30 Detroit: 3 Green Bay: 10 Detroit: 40
Dallas: 33 Oakland: 0 Dallas: 31 Oakland: 24
Baltimore: 36 Pittsburgh: 7 Baltimore: 22 Pittsburgh: 20

Sunday Games

Madden Result   Actual Result  
Kansas City: 44 Denver: 23 Kansas City: 28 Denver: 35
Indianapolis: 44 Tennessee: 10 Indianapolis: 22 Tennessee: 14
Cleveland: 30 Jacksonville: 14 Cleveland: 28 Jacksonville: 32
Tampa Bay: 27 Carolina: 24 Tampa Bay: 6 Carolina: 27
Chicago: 27 Minnesota: 24 Chicago: 20 Minnesota: 23
Philadelphia: 34 Arizona: 12 Philadelphia: 24 Arizona: 21
NY Jets: 30 Miami: 7 NY Jets: 3 Miami: 23
Atlanta: 38 Buffalo: 17 Atlanta: 34 Buffalo: 31
San Francisco: 44 St. Louis: 9 San Francisco: 23 St. Louis: 13
Houston: 30 New England: 17 Houston: 31 New England: 34
San Diego: 25 Cincinnati: 10 San Diego: 10 Cincinnati: 17
NY Giants: 32 Washington: 27 NY Giants: 24 Washington: 17

Monday Night Game

Madden Result   Actual Result  
Seattle: 28 New Orleans: 14 Seattle: 34 New Orleans: 7

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Ryan Fleming
Ryan Fleming
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…
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