The defense carried the Denver Broncos to their fifth win of the season on Sunday. One of the big reasons the team remains undefeated is the play of outside linebacker Von Miller. Last week, EA Sports rewarded his performance with a ratings boost to 99 Overall in Madden NFL 16.
Miller has joined Aaron Rodgers, J.J. Watt, Rob Gronkowski and Marshal Yanda as the only players rated 99 Overall in the game. While he has flirted with reaching 99 before — he's been in the mid-upper 90s for over three seasons — this is his first time landing the ultra-elite Madden status.
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The Overall Rating in the game is a composite of the many individual attributes. So in what areas has Miller improved since the start of the current season?
Overall 99 (+2)
Speed 85 (-4)
Strength 85
Agility 87
Acceleration 88
Awareness 89 (+3)
Jump 80
Tackle 94
Hit Power 89
Power Moves 91 (+2)
Finesse Moves 99
Block Shedding 93
Pursuit 98
Play Recognition 89 (+2)
Man Coverage 61 (-1)
Zone Coverage 71 (-1)
Stamina 92
Injury 93
In looking at the individual ratings categories, Miller actually hasn't improved much at all in the game despite his rise in Overall. The relevant categories critical to his position have either stayed the same or moved up only slightly. He's actually lost four points in Speed which might adversely affect his performance more than the marginal gains in Power Moves, Play Recognition, and Awareness would contribute to making more plays.
Von Miller is as big a force as ever on the football field and monster in Madden NFL 16. He's now recognized by EA Sports as the second best defensive player in the league.
Bryan Wiedey posts sports gaming news and analysis daily at Pastapadre.com, has co-founded the new site HitThePass.com, is a regular participant on the Press Row Podcast and Hit The Pass Radio shows, and can be reached on Twitter @Pastapadre.