'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
With Madden NFL 24 getting closer and closer to its release date, publisher Electronic Arts has been slowly revealing top 10 lists. Until recently, it had been just about individual players, but on Saturday the top 10 teams finally came out.
As expected, last season's Super Bowl protagonists, the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles are No. 1 and 2. But there are many surprises, like the Dallas Cowboys (No. 5) being ahead of their long-time rivals, the San Francisco 49ers (No. 9), even though they lost the Divisional Round matchup:
Obviously, that did not sit well with fans:
"Cowboys being top 5 is so stupid lmao"
Wtf is this shit (cry-laughing emoji) Yup this is maddens last year for sure (another cry-laughing emoji)
Other Madden NFL 24 team rankings that have fans in disbelief
It is not just the Dallas Cowboys that Madden NFL 24 is ranking over the San Francisco 49ers - the game apparently believes the Cleveland Browns (No. 6) are better too, even though they finished dead last in the AFC North. The Twitter fanbase was shocked at such a placement:
And speaking of the AFC, the Buffalo Bills (No. 3) are also a spot higher than the Cincinnati Bengals (No. 4), who routed them 27-10 in the Divisional Round, to the dismay of fans:
Can Mike McCarthy's Cowboys finally defeat 49ers in 2023-24 playoffs? Recapping last two postseason encounters
Madden NFL 24 rankings notwithstanding, the Cowboys are still searching for their first NFC Championship Game appearance, let alone Super Bowl title, since the 1990's Triplets dynasty. Under current head coach Mike McCarthy, they have gone to the playoffs twice, losing to the 49ers both times. McCarthy himself also has two more losses (2012 and 2013) from his time with the Green Bay Packers.
Both of those losses have come as a result of monumentally dubious plays. In the 2021 Wild Card Round, quarterback Dak Prescott failed to get the clock stopped after rushing down the middle of the field, rather than out of bounds. The Cowboys failed to execute their supposed final play in time.
And then in the previous season's Divisional Round, the Cowboys lost again after Ezekiel Elliott was tackled after snapping the ball on an attempted game-winning trick play, forcing Prescott to overthrow the ball:
