Madden 23: Our Week 2, 2022 NFL simulation results

Madden 23 – NFL Week 2 Sim – 1pm Games (Cont.’d)

Continuing our slate of early 1pm games, we’ve got some decent matchups. The Colts are searching for their first win of the season following a surprising Week 1 tie against the Texans. The Buccaneers and Saints are both looking to start the season 2-0 and the Patriots-Steelers is always entertaining (although both teams look quite different this year).

Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars

Sim results: Colts 28, Jaguars 31

Predicting this game was a little tough because of the injuries the Colts have at receiver. For the sim, I benched Alex Pierce while shifting Michael Pittman down the depth chart to limit his snaps since he’s questionable. It doesn’t seem to have too much of an effect on the Colts offense as Matt Ryan still tosses 4 touchdowns (2 to Parris Campbell and 2 to Ashton Dulin).

But the Colts Defense can’t slow down a Jaguars offense led by James Robinson. On 13 carries, Robinson rushes for 130 yards and 1 touchdown. It was another quiet week for Travis Etienne Jr. The first-round pick is limited to 14 yards on 4 carries. Trevor Lawrence shows marked improvement, completing 23-31 passes for 281 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints

Sim results: Buccaneers 24, Saints 20

The Saints give the Buccaneers a run and keep things close, even temporarily taking a 20-17 lead in the fourth quarter. But Tom Brady does what he does best and leads a last-minute drive for a touchdown (1-yard pass to Mike Evans).

Brady completes 31-34 passes for 336 yards and 2 touchdowns. Leonard Fournette has another solid game with 40 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.

The Buccaneers’ injury report currently has five receivers on it, including Russell Gage (hamstring) who catches 7 passes for 77 yards in the sim. Mike Evans (calf) catches 10 passes for 103 yards and the game-winning touchdown. So this prediction may not be completely accurate. But perhaps the most unrealistic part of the sim is Brady’s 5 carries for 19 yards.

Carolina Panthers at New York Giants

Sim results: Panthers 31, Giants 17

After a surprising Week 1 win over the Titans, the New York Giants crash back down to Earth. Daniel Jones reverts to his mediocre self with 23-37, 230 yards, 2 TDs and 1 interception. Saquon Barkley, coming off a monster Week 1, rushes for just 79 yards on 20 touches.

For the Panthers, Baker Mayfield puts on a solid performance, completing 15-27 passes for 296 yards and 2 touchdowns. Christian McCaffrey carries the ball 17 times for 86 yards (5.0 ypc) and 1 touchdown —  a solid performance although fantasy owners will still be disappointed by his lack of 25+ touches.

New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers

Sim results: Patriots 34, Steelers 10

The New England Patriots offense comes to life against the Steelers, of all teams. The same team who shut down Joe Burrow and the Bengals last week surrender 335 yards and 2 touchdowns to Mac Jones.

Mitchell Trubisky is underwhelming as he compiles a quarterback rating of just 48 (18-39, 190 yards, 1 TD, 2 interceptions). Najee Harris is impressive with his limited touches, rushing for 51 yards on 10 carries.