Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase gets slapped in the face with Madden NFL 23 ratings

Cincinnati Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase cracked the top-three of ESPN’s recent wideout rankings, so how is it possible that he fell out of the top 10 in Madden NFL 23?

Chase’s historic rookie campaign in 2021 needs no explanation. His abysmally low ranking in Madden NFL, however, does need one.

On Monday, Madden released their ratings for the NFL’s wide receiver group and placed Chase way out of the top 10 with an 87 overall score tied with A.J. Brown and Brandin Cooks.

Yes, Brandin Cooks. Let that sink in.

The game’s developers probably developed a regression model for breakout players (especially rookies) and graded Chase accordingly, but that still doesn’t explain why Chase is considered as good as Brandin Cooks when Chase put up 1,455 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns last season and Cooks recorded roughly 500 fewer yards and half as many scores.

Davante Adams, Cooper Kupp, and Tyreek Hill take their rightful places as the top three wide receivers in the league, but Chase has a legitimate case for beating anyone else — DeAndre Hopkins, Terry McLaurin, and Amari Cooper, to name a few names.

Chase posted the Madden 23 wide receiver ratings list on Twitter as “motivation,” and to make matters worse, Madden commented on Chase’s post with, “+12 OVR last season!! Can’t wait to continue the climb with you this year.”

Thanks, but you can continue “the climb” with Miley Cyrus. Ja’Marr Chase will get along just fine without you.

Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase gets major disrespect from Madden in NFL 23 ratings

San Francisco 49ers’ Deebo Samuel and Seattle Seahawks’ DK Metcalf also missed out on the top 10, earning 89 overall ratings each. It’s worth noting that New Orleans Saints’ Michael Thomas, who has barely touched the ball in the past two seasons, scored 90 overall, so it seems as though injuries/ missed time doesn’t play a significant factor in the ratings formula. (If Madden rates Deshaun Watson over Joe Burrow, we will absolutely lose it.)

If it’s any consolation, Minnesota Vikings’ Justin Jefferson has yet to crack the top five despite leading the NFL in receiving yards since 2020 with 3,016 yards total. Jefferson slowly climbed his way up ever since his own illustrious rookie campaign and arguably deserves a top-five rating in the league, but Madden had other ideas.

In all likelihood, Madden probably thinks Chase’s 2021 season was a fluke and that Chase won’t come near to producing those same numbers this upcoming season.

Yet the Bengals made significant upgrades to their offensive line this offseason and Joe Burrow remains as healthy as ever, so our question is: Why not?

Stay tuned to see if Madden considers Trey Hendrickson a top-10 edge-rusher or Joe Burrow a top-10 quarterback. Guess it’s going to be another underdog year for the Bengals.