Madden backed the Panthers to buck the Broncos (and was wrong)

Roaring back

[Update: Well, Madden was wrong. Contrary to EA’s simulation, the Denver Broncos prevailed in Super Bowl 50, winning over the Carolina Panthers by a score of 24 to 10. Also, it seems EA has removed the video. Maybe the folks over there are a tad embarrassed about their miscalculation.]

The folks at EA Sports like to use Madden, perennially the most realistic football video game, to predict the outcome of the Super Bowl. It’s an obvious, easy trick to use the hype for The Big Game to redirect some attention to the Madden brand. It also works perplexingly well, not unlike that World Cup-pickin’ octopus named “Paul.”

In this year’s matchup between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers, Madden 16 has Carolina winning by four courtesy of a last-minute touchdown. According to the simulation, the Panthers get out to a 17-point lead at half-time, find themselves down by three in the fourth quarter, and clinch the victory on a Cam Newton run.

Still, something seems amiss. Down three, why would Carolina go for it on fourth down from the five-yard line? The Panthers coach “Riverboat” Ron Rivera has a reputation for being aggressive, but gambling on picking up five yards against the league’s best defense instead of the chip shot field goal to tie, well, that isn’t very realistic.

All of that aside, Madden has a good track record as of late when it comes to predicting the Super Bowl. It has gotten nine of the past twelve winners right. Last year, it forecast the exact final score which is probably equal parts impressive and coincidental. It all looks good on paper, but as the adage goes, that’s why they play the games.

Editor’s note: This post originally ran on February 1, 2016.