Madden 23: Our 2022 NFL season sim and Super Bowl LVII prediction
NFC East
The NFC East hasn’t exactly been one of the strongest divisions in recent years, but it is home to some of the NFL’s most intense rivalries and biggest surprises. Will the Cowboys repeat as division champs after some key losses or will another rise up?
Philadelphia Eagles (10-7)
In his third year in the league, Jalen Hurts puts together his most solid season yet at quarterback. He throws for 4,529 yards and 31 touchdowns. He adds another 530 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. His improved play helps the Eagles to a 10-7 record and first place in the NFC East.
A.J. Brown, who was traded to the Eagles from the Tennessee Titans in a stunning blockbuster trade during the 2022 NFL Draft, catches 76 passes for 964 yards and eight touchdowns. Fellow wide receiver DeVonta Smith catches 78 passes for 1,335 yards and 10 touchdowns.
On defense, Darius Slay Jr. is tied among the leaders with seven interceptions.
Dallas Cowboys (8-9)
The Cowboys lost four critical players this offseason in Amari Cooper, Conor Williams, Cedrick Wilson, and Randy Gregory, and failed to adequately replace them. So to see the team drop from 12-5 and first place in the NFC East to 8-9 and second place in the division isn’t quite a surprise.
Despite the losses, Dak Prescott still put up solid numbers, throwing for 4,958 yards and 34 touchdowns. Even Ezekiel Elliot saw a return to form with 298 carries for 1,304 yards (4.4 ypc) and 18 touchdowns. He probably won’t put up those kinds of stats with Tony Pollard in the backfield, but I’m sure Cowboys fans would love to see that kind of average from the veteran.
In his first season as the team’s No. 1 receiver, CeeDee Lamb effectively fills the shoes of Amari Cooper with 95 receptions for 1,213 yards but only seven touchdowns. Gallup, who is coming off an injury, catches 81 passes for 951 yards and 4 touchdowns. Dalton Schultz continues to prove he’s a top-tier tight end with 96 receptions for 1,002 yards and five touchdowns.
New York Giants (7-10)
In the final year of his four-year contract, Daniel Jones continues to struggle as the Giants’ quarterback. On the year, Jones throws for 3,144 yards, 21 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Interestingly, even with injuries turned off, it seems Madden believes Tyrod Taylor will get some playing time, and he even outperforms Jones in the simulation with 1,381 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions.
The talented but oft-injured Barkley rushes 286 times for 1,186 yards (4.1 ypc) and 15 touchdowns. This is just a taste of what Barkley could produce if he wasn’t always battling injuries early on in his career.
Washington Commanders (6-11)
Even with the slight improvement at quarterback with Carson Wentz, the Commanders fail to get anything going and finish with a worse record than the previous season. Wentz throws for 4,474 yards, 32 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, which would statistically be his best season since 2017 with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Antonio Gibson — who in real life would’ve very likely lost the starting job to rookie Brian Robinson Jr. had it not been for the unfortunate shooting incident — rushes for 1,101 yards (4.1 ypc) and four touchdowns. But he does fumble the ball three times, and if he does that in real life he’ll be riding the bench sooner rather than later.