Madden 22: Our 2021 NFL season sim results in some wild predictions

Washington Football Team

5-12, 4th place in NFC East

This, to me, is one of the biggest red flags in our Madden 22 simulation. In no multiverse do I see the Washington Football Team finishing last in the NFC East — especially with a 5-12 record. Sure, Washington finished 7-9 last year, so it’s not like they are amazing; but, that was with no true quarterback.

Now they’ve got Fitzpatrick who is at least serviceable. If anything, he’s got a great beard.

Unfortunately, Madden doesn’t predict much Fitz-magic. The veteran journeyman is projected to throw for 4,329 yards, 25 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Honestly, that seems pretty accurate. Antonio Gibson adds 1,1014 yards on the ground with 10 touchdowns, while Terry McLaurin catches 95 passes for 1,273 yards and four touchdowns. Logan Thomas has 77 receptions for 800 yards and seven touchdowns.  All of this is believable. So where does it go wrong for the Washington Football Team?

Based on the simulation, the defense was the team’s biggest issue… which, what? Washington had one of the league’s top defenses last season, ranking second in yards allowed and fourth in points allowed. Yet somehow, it’s a complete 180 in Madden 22 as the team finished with the third most yards allowed (6,716) and most points allowed (499). What?! This can’t be real.

When people say Madden is unbelievable, this is probably what they will point to. Unless there are serious injuries to Washington, this defense will not rank near the bottom of the league. I guess you could point to Fitzpatrick’s interceptions as the team finished with a -4 turnover difference, or the team’s 54% in redzone points scored.  I don’t have a hard time believing the Cowboys could win the East, but the Redskins finishing fourth just seems like a complete miss on the simulation.