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Madden 22: Christian McCaffrey edges Derrick Henry as best RB

By Matthew Liebl

SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA - JULY 28: Christian McCaffrey #22 of the Carolina Panthers carries the ball during Panthers Training Camp at Wofford College on July 28, 2021 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA - JULY 28: Christian McCaffrey #22 of the Carolina Panthers carries the ball during Panthers Training Camp at Wofford College on July 28, 2021 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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2,207 rushing yards. 17 rushing touchdowns. Being the league’s leading rusher two years in a row. Do you know what that gets you in Madden 22?

A 96 overall.

EA revealed the top ten running backs in Madden 22 and Tennessee Titans superstar Derrick Henry isn’t a member of the 99 Club. Heck, he isn’t even the best running back in the game.

That honor goes to Carolina Panthers’ Christian McCaffrey, who is rated a 97 overall. Henry will be rated a 96 overall, tied with Browns RB Nick Chubb.

Now hold on just a second… this is blasphemy! EA’s ratings adjustors took a lot of heat for these ratings, understandably so. How do you not rank the guy who has led the league in rushing two years in a row, who is just the eighth running back to surpass 2,000 yards in a season, as the number one rated back in Madden 22?

Well, according to EA’s ratings adjustors, it’s not anti-Titans bias. In fact, there are just two ratings in particular that are keeping Henry from achieving a coveted spot in the 99 Club: Carrying and Trucking.

Funny enough, both seem to be fairly high with a 94 Carrying Rating and 90 Trucking Rating. And to be fair, it’s not even like Henry fumbles the ball a lot; he only had three in the entirety of last season. Just three, on 378 carries. C’mon, EA.

In other ratings, Henry has 92 Speed, 89 Acceleration 87 Strength, 86 Agility and 98 Awareness. His Stiff Arm Rating? A perfect 99 rating, as it should be.

Now some of you may also be questioning Christian McCaffrey’s 97 overall rating. Well, look, McCaffrey spent the majority of last year on the sidelines due to injury. But when healthy, he was incredibly productive with 225 rushing yards, 149 receiving yards, and six total touchdowns in just three games. He’s a dynamic playmaker and arguably the most all-around back in the league. Seeing him atop the rankings isn’t shocking, but I think most of the surprise comes from the shafting of Derrick Henry.

Ratings wise, McCaffrey boats a 92 Speed, 93 Acceleration, 72 Strength, 97 Agility and 94 Awareness. His ratings aren’t all that wildly different but his carrying is a 96. It also helps that McCaffrey has an 81 rating in Catching versus Henry’s 62. Perhaps that makes a difference?

Here are the top 10 running backs in Madden 22 at launch:

  1. Christian McCaffrey (Carolina Panthers) – 97 OVR
  2. Derrick Henry (Tennessee Titans) – 96 OVR
  3. Nick Chubb (Cleveland Browns) – 96 OVR
  4. Dalvin Cook (Minnesota Vikings) – 95 OVR
  5. Alvin Kamara (New Orleans Saints) – 94 OVR
  6. Aaron Jones (Green Bay Packers) – 91 OVR
  7. Saquon Barkley (New York Giants) – 90 OVR
  8. Josh Jacobs (Las Vegas Raiders) – 88 OVR
  9. Ezekiel Elliott (Dallas Cowboys) – 88 OVR
  10. Joe Mixon (Cincinnati Bengals) – 88 OVR

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Aside from the questionable 1-2 spots, the rest of the running backs ratings look pretty good to me. It’s about what I predicted this year. EA, and even Marshawn Lynch, is a little higher on Chubb than I am but they are the experts so I assume they know something I don’t.

We’re now halfway through the Madden 22 ratings reveal week. Check out some of the top players at each position:

How do you feel about the Madden 22 ratings so far? Do you agree with McCaffrey being the best running back in the game at launch?

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