In case you missed it, Super Bowl 59 (LIX) was yesterday, and the Eagles whooped the Chiefs by an unexpected margin. Madden predicted this with a simulated game between the two teams, guessing that it would be a tight game that the Eagles would ultimately win. While Philadelphia did take home the championship, it was not a close game; the Eagles won 40-22, versus the predicted 23-21. More than that, the Chiefs scored two touchdowns at the end of the game during “garbage time.” In actuality, the score gap was much wider.
Every year, Electronic Arts runs a simulated game between the two teams competing in the Super Bowl, and it’s actually correct more often than not. The football franchise has had a 55% success rate in predicting the winner since 2004, and sometimes it has been almost too accurate. Take 2015, for instance, when the game somehow determined the Patriots would make an incredible comeback and nailed almost every detail down to the final score.
Interestingly enough, this year’s prediction also called out quarterback Jalen Hurts as the MVP. It’s almost enough to make you believe the Madden franchise has a touch of clairvoyance.
Like we said earlier, though — EA’s predictions aren’t always correct. It has never guessed correctly more than twice in a row, but then again, it hasn’t been wrong more than twice in a row, either.
Fans take it upon themselves each year to run their own simulations and compare the results against EA’s “official” prediction. Several people reported a predicted Chiefs win, but in the end, none of the predictions were close to reality. This year’s Super Bowl was something of an upset, with odds favoring the Chiefs over the Eagles, and that same outcome seems to have been played out on the virtual field, too.
