The 2021 Buffalo Bills were inconsistent in their 11-6 season, but when they were on, they were arguably the league’s best team. That shows in their +194 point differential, which ranked first among all teams that year.
It also shows in Madden’s ratings of the team for the 2023 edition of their annual release, where they are ranked as the No. 2 team with a rating of 89. They’re even higher than the defending Super Bowl champion Rams (88) and only trail the Buccaneers (92).
Bills’ Madden Rating
This is a rating that makes a ton of sense. Both the Bills and Bucs are considered to be the Super Bowl favorites for their respective conferences, so there’s good reason for these two teams to be as high as they are.
Diving deeper into the ratings shows that the Bills are also second to the Bucs in offense (again 92 and 89 in respectful order). With a unit of skill players that includes MVP favorite Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis, Jamison Crowder, Dawson Knox, O.J. Howard, and more, a lot of hype is being built on Buffalo’s part.
As the Bills had the league’s No. 1 scoring defense in 2021, they also rank first in Madden’s ratings in that category, tying with the Rams at 88. It has yet to be seen if the defensive front has that premium talent that can truly push that unit over the edge, though if 33-year-old Von Miller can keep up his production that problem is solved.
I think Madden got the Bills’ team ratings right. With a lot of uncertainty in the AFC (the Chiefs losing Tyreek Hill is a good example), Buffalo, as aforementioned, is the favorite amongst many to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
General manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott have built a dominant team capable of thrashing the best the conference has to offer, and it looks like EA is riding on them doing so in 2022.