Football returned this week with the start of the NFL preseason. But fans still have to wait about two more weeks before taking to the virtual gridiron in Madden 24. This year’s game is set to release on August 18 and ahead of its launch, EA and ESPN teamed up to present the player ratings for each position.
Now it’s time to take a look at the best teams in this year’s game. While we’ll have to wait until launch for all 32 teams, EA did reveal the top 10 best rated teams in Madden 24. Let’s take a look, starting from the 10th best and working our way up.
#10. Los Angeles Chargers (85 OVR)
The Los Angeles Chargers check in with an 85 team overall rating. The Chargers are a young and talented team, led on offense by fourth-year starter Justin Herbert. Herbert has an 87 overall, putting him in the top 10 among quarterbacks in the game.
He’s got a ton of weapons on offense, including running back Austin Ekeler (89 OVR), wide receiver Keenan Allen (89 OVR), and wide receiver Mike Williams (88 OVR). The offensive line is anchored by center Corey Linsley (88 OVR) and left tackle Rashawn Slater (85 OVR). Rookie wide receiver Quintin Johnston makes his Madden debut with a 74 overall rating. In addition to being a top 10 team, the Chargers also boast a top 10 offense in Madden 24, ranking ninth with an 84 team offense rating.
On defense, we’ve got strong safety Derwin James Jr. (95 OVR), LOLB Joey Bosa (91 OVR) and MLB Eric Kendricks (95 OVR) among the top-rated players on the team.
#9. Miami Dolphins (86 OVR)
The Miami Dolphins are not only a top 10 team in Madden 24 with an 86 overall rating, but also one of the fastest in the game. They’ve got two of the fastest players in the game in Tyreek Hill (99 Speed) and Jaylen Waddle (98 Speed). In addition to being the fastest player in the game, Hill is also the second-best reciever in Madden 24 with a 98 overall rating.
The Dolphins are all about speed on offense. Hill and Waddle are joined by three others who have 95-plus speed: rookie running back De’von Achane (95 Speed), half back Raheem Mostert (95 Speed) and wide receiver Robbie Chosen (95 Speed). Getting them the ball is fourth-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with an 83 overall rating. Tua is definitely a talented quarterback but suffered multiple concussions last year. As a result, he’s got an 83 injury rating, so you may want to be careful taking off with him. All of this speed and talent amounts to the Dolphins having a top 10 offense in Madden 24 with an offensive rating of 83.
The Dolphins also have the fourth best-rated defense in Madden 24 with a 86 defensive rating. They are led by cornerback Jalen Ramsey (97 OVR), right end Christian Wilkins (86 OVR), free safety Jevon Holland (84 OVR) and cornerback Xavien Howard (84 OVR).
If you like speed, the Dolphins are going to be the team for you in Madden 24.
#8. San Francisco 49ers (86 OVR)
The San Francisco 49ers are one of the most talented teams in the NFL, having fallen just short of the Super Bowl the past two seasons, losing in the NFC Championship game both times. The 49ers are one of the most well-balanced teams in the NFL and one of the most talented as well, which is why I’m a bit surprised they are rated so low, relatively speaking.
There’s no shortage of weapons on offense with players like HB Christian McCaffrey (96 OVR), TE George Kittle (96 OVR), WR Deebo Samuel (89 OVR) and WR Brandon Aiyuk. If there’s any cause for concern, it’s the quarterback position, which is quite possibly what is bringing down the overall team rating.
Of the four quarterbacks on the roster, none are rated above a 73 overall. The best-rated quarterback on the team is Brock Purdy, who was taken last in the 2022 NFL Draft. After replacing an injured Jimmy Garoppolo, who himself replaced an injured Trey Lance, Purdy went 5-0 as a starter to end the regular season. He also won his first two playoff games before suffering an elbow injury in the first quarter of the NFC Championship Game against the Eagles. Even after his impressive rookie performances, Purdy is only rated a 73 overall.
Trey Lance, the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, is only rated 71 overall, the same as backup Sam Darnold. Lance is talented, no doubt, but he’s yet to put it together at the professional level, playing in just two games last year before getting injured.
Although the 49ers do not have a top 10-rated offense in Madden 24, they do have the best rated defense in the game with an 88 overall. It’s a unit led by RE Nick Bosa (98 OVR), MLB Fred Warner (96 OVR), CB Charvarius Ward (87 OVR) and ROLB Dre Greenlaw (86 OVR).
#7. Cleveland Browns (87 OVR)
How the Cleveland Browns are rated better than the 49ers in Madden 24 is beyond me. They’ve got the 8th best-rated offense and defense in the game though.
The Browns have a talented roster, no doubt, and could be a legitimate contender this year if they get stable quarterback play from Deshaun Watson, who checks in with a pedestrian 78 overall after a tumultuous season in which he sat the majority of it out due to suspension.
Like the 49ers, the Browns are balanced on both sides of the ball. Some of the top-rated players on the team include RE Myles Garrett (98 OVR), HB Nick Chubb (97 OVR), LG Joel Bitonio (92 OVR), WR Amari Cooper (91 OVR), CB Denzel Ward (88 OVR), RG Wyatt Teller (86 OVR), LE Za’Darius Smith (85 OVR) and TE David Njoku (84 OVR).
Between Myles Garrett and Nick Chubb, the Browns have two players who are among the best at their respective positions in the game.
#6. Baltimore Ravens (87 OVR)
The Baltimore Ravens are right on the cusp of being one of the upper echelon AFC teams. They are just not quite at the level of the Bengals, Bills and Chiefs. That’s not to say they don’t have talent, though.
The Ravens are, what I would consider, the best of the rest. They are the top of the tier two AFC teams. In Madden 24, they’ve got the seventh-best-rated offense, but are unranked in defense.
The offense is led by QB Lamar Jackson (91 OVR) and TE Mark Andrew (95 OVR). The constant knock on the Ravens has been the lack of weapons surrounding Jackson on offense. Well, this offseason, they went out and got Odell Beckham Jr. who immediately joins the team as the best-rated wide receiver (85 OVR). After him, it’s not pretty, with Nelson Agholor (79 OVR), Rashod Bateman (79 OVR) and rookie Zay Flowers (77 OVR).
There’s some talent on defense with CB Marlon Humphrey (93 OVR) and MLB Roquan Smith (92 OVR), but there isn’t much beyond that.
#5. Dallas Cowboys (88 OVR)
The general consensus each year is that the Cowboys are overrated by EA. Sometimes the criticism is valid but this year, the Cowboys are legitimate playoff and Super Bowl contenders. The Cowboys are talented on both sides of the ball with a 88 offensive overall (No. 5) and 87 defensive overall (No. 3).
They’ve got five players rated 90-plus, including right guard Zack Martin who finally cracked the 99 Club. On the other side of the ball is RE Micah Parsons who, with a 97 overall, might actually be underrated. Parsons is considered one of the best edge rushers in the league and has a legitimate shot of joining Martin in the Madden 24 99 Club. The other three best-rated players are CB Stephon Gilmore (91 OVR), WR Ceedee Lamb (90 OVR), and LE Demarcus Lawrence (90 OVR). But they’ve got multiple players rated in the high 80s as well, including LT Tyron Smith (89 OVR), HB Tony Pollard (88 OVR), QB Dak Prescott (87 OVR) and CB Trevon Diggs (87 OVR).
There’s no shortage of talent on this Cowboys team and if they can finally put it all together, they have a legitimate shot at reaching the Super Bowl.
#4. Cincinnati Bengals (89 OVR)
When looking at the NFL landscape, it’s clear that the three best teams in the AFC are the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs. Coming in as the third best of these teams and fourth best in Madden 24 are the Bengals. Interestingly, they are actually tied with the Chiefs for the best overall offensive rating, and it’s easy to see why.
As long as the Bengals keep trotting out Joe Burrow (95 OVR), Ja’Marr Chase (94 OVR) and Tee Higgins (87 OVR), they’ll be perennial contenders. But what the Bengals lack are depth. Beyond these key players, there’s not much else. The offensive line is suspect the the best rated player being LT Orlando Brown (83).
And things aren’t much better on defense where the highest rated players are defensive tackle D.J. Reader and RE Trey Hendrickson, both with 87 overall ratings.
The Bengals actually knocked out the Bills in the Divisional Round of the playoffs last year, but I think the big difference between the two is defense. The Bengals lost two key defensive starters in free safety Jessie Bates and strong safety Vonn Bell and lack general depth on both sides of the ball. The Bills, meanwhile, have a top five offense and the No. 2 defense in Madden 24.
#3. Buffalo Bills (90 OVR)
The Buffalo Bills are one of the most talented teams in the league with stars on both sides of the ball. In addition to the 90 overall team rating, the Bills rank No. 4 in offense (89 OVR) and No. 2 in defense (88 OVR).
When looking at the Bills roster in Madden 24, it’s clear that defense is their strong suit. They’ve got three players rated in the 90s on defense: RE Von Miller (94 OVR), SS Jordan Poyer (90 OVR) and CB Tre’Davious White (90 OVR). They’ve also got FS Micah Hyde (89 OVR), ROLB Matt Milano (88 OVR) and LE Greg Rousseau (84 OVR). That’s a very scary defensive unit.
However, when looking at the offense, the Bills do have some clear weaknesses, such as wide receiver depth and running back. But quarterback Josh Allen often masks these deficiencies. The Madden 24 cover athlete is rated 94 overall, behind Joe Burrow (95 OVR) and Patrick Mahomes (99 OVR).
Aside from Allen, the only other offensive player rated in the 90s is wide receiver Stefon Diggs, with a team-best 96 overall. After him, the next highest rated player is tight end Dawson Knox (83 OVR). The Bills failed to address their receiver depth in the offense and are stuck with Gabe Davis (83 OVR) as a No. 2.
#2 Philadelphia Eagles (91 OVR)
The Philadelphia Eagles came up just short in the Super Bowl but return in Madden 24 with the second-best-rated team. I’m sure you can guess at this point who they are behind.
The Eagles have the third-best-rated offense in the game with a 90 offensive rating. They’ve got one of the best offensive lines in the league with RT Lane Johnson (98 OVR), C Jason Kelce (92 OVR) and LT Jordan Mailata (87 OVR).
After a massive leap in performance, quarterback Jalen Hurts is now a top-tier quarterback with an 88 overall. He’ll be throwing to a couple of highly rated receivers in A.J. Brown (91 OVR) and Devonta Smith (87 OVR). Dallas Goedert is one of the higher rated tight ends in the game with a 89 overall. If there’s any weakness on this offense, it’s the running back position where the newly acquired D’Andre Swift is rated just 81 overall.
The Eagles also have a top 10 defense. Leading the 83-rated defensive unit is CB Darius Slay Jr. (92 OVR), LOLB Haason Reddick (90 OVR) and CB James Bradberry IV (85 OVR).
#1. Kansas City Chiefs (92 OVR)
Honestly, this shouldn’t come as a surprise at all. The reigning Super Bowl champions have a 92 overall team rating in Madden 24. They don’t have a top 10 defense, but they are tied with the Bengals for the best offense (91). It’s an offense that is incredibly fun to watch thanks to quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
The two-time Super Bowl champion, two-time Super Bowl MVP, and two-time NFL MVP is a member of the Madden 24 “99 Club” and is the best-rated quarterback in the game. He’s joined in the club by tight end Travis Kelce, who is undoubtedly the best tight end in the league.
Perhaps what’s most surprising about the Chiefs having the best offense in the game is the fact that only two of their skill players are rated 80 or higher. Wide receiver Kadarius Toney (81 OVR) and half back Isiah Pacheco (80 OVR) are the only two players rated in the 80s. The rating is probably boosted by a stellar offensive line that consists of C Creed Humphrey (90 OVR), LG Joe Thuney (89 OVR) and RG Trey Smith (82 OVR).
Meanwhile, the defense is anchored by DT Chris Jones (96 OVR), MLB Nick Bolton (8 OVR) and CB L’Jarius Sneed (84 OVR).
Best offenses and defenses in Madden 24
Of all the teams on this list, there’s only one that isn’t in the top 10 in offense, the 49ers. Instead, the Minnesota Vikings are at No. 6 with an 87 offensive rating. That’s likely due to the fact that they have Justin Jefferson.
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What the 49ers lack on offense, they make up for on defense where they are ranked No. 1. A couple of teams that aren’t in the top 10 overall, are actually in the top 10 in defensive overall. The Jets and the Patriots are both tied with an 82 rating.
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Do you agree with EA’s ratings for Madden 24?