When it comes to Super Bowl soothsaying, EA Sports’ Madden NFL games almost have it down to a science. The sports sim has correctly predicted the winner of six of the last eight Super Bowls; the first time it was wrong was back in 2008, when the New York Giants shocked the New England Patriots, 17-14, preventing them from achieving a perfect 19-0 season.
It won’t be as much of a surprise if the Giants pull off another nail-biting upset this year — the Patriots are only favored by 3 points this time, as opposed to 13.5 — and according to Madden NFL 12‘s simulation, that’s exactly what we can expect. In the virtual Super Bowl XLVI, the Giants went up 24-10 with 6:29 left in the third quarter before Tom Brady and the Pats stormed back in the fourth to tie the game at 24 just after the two-minute warning. But Eli Manning had yet more fourth-quarter heroics left in him, as the Giants marched down the field to set up Lawrence Tynes for another game-winning field goal as time expired, giving them a 27-24 victory.
I’m hoping Madden is right. We’ll find out on Sunday, February 5, when the Giants face off against the Patriots in Indianapolis. In the meantime, check out video and screenshots from EA’s simulation here.
Published: Jan 30, 2012 06:15 pm