Julian Edelman Bamboozled by Patrick Mahomes Not Getting 99 Rating on Madden: “Josh Allen and Lamar Still Haven’t Beat Him”

Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes was rated 95, fourth among all quarterbacks in the EA Sports Madden 26 overall ratings.

Julian Edelman Bamboozled by Patrick Mahomes Not Getting 99 Rating on Madden: “Josh Allen and Lamar Still Haven’t Beat Him”

Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson; Julian Edelman (Images via Getty Images/Buffalo Bills/Bloomberg)

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The Madden 26, 99 Ratings were released just about two weeks ago, with seven players making the cut. The list included just quarterbacks, Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills and Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens. The list famously excluded three-time champion Patrick Mahomes for the first time since Madden 23.

The exclusion came as a surprise to several Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes fans, as well as some analysts. One of them was Julian Edelman, the former NFL wideout for the New England Patriots. In an episode of Dudes on Dudes, hosted by Edelman and fellow former Patriot Rob Gronkowski, Edelman mentioned his surprise at not seeing Mahomes alongside Allen and Jackson:

How is Patrick Mahomes not a 99. He literally had a depleted team last year. All of his receivers were hurt. His offensive line got shattered. They had two losses last year. They go to the Super Bowl for a threepeat. This guy is not a 99. I think that’s crazy. He is still the best player in football. Josh Allen and Lamar still haven’t beaten him like when it mattered. He didn’t even have the teams.

Sure, Mahomes has the better track record against Jackson and Allen in the postseason. Patrick Mahomes is 4-5 against Allen, with all of the latter’s wins in the regular season. Meanwhile, Jackson has lost all but one game against Mahomes. They have only met once in the postseason, which Mahomes won.

But the truth is, Patrick Mahomes hasn’t played at his absolute best over the past two seasons. His numbers are comparable to San Francisco 49ers’ Brock Purdy. While the Chiefs have remained a dominant force, their success has increasingly relied on a top-tier defense. This is quite a huge shift from the earlier half of his career, where Mahomes single-handedly carried the team.

That shift became especially evident when the defense finally slipped, and it happened on the biggest stage. In the Super Bowl, the Eagles managed to limit Mahomes’ impact, exposing vulnerabilities in his game and making him look far less like the unstoppable talent he often is.

Eventually, Mahomes was ranked fifth behind Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow, who led the league in passing yards, attempts, completions, and touchdowns. The fact that he’s the only quarterback not to win an MVP when posting more than 4500 passing yards and 40 touchdowns with less than 10 interceptions can only be attributed to the playoff miss. It can also be inferred that the video game only considers the current performance rather than the legacy of the player.

Patrick Mahomes knows there’s work to be done

In a recent interview with USA Today’s Jarrett Bell, Patrick Mahomes reflected on what has to change before the next season. The quarterback exemplified his mindset to be accountable and understands the standards he has set for himself.

Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes (Image via Associated Press)

“There’s stuff we’ve got to get better at,” Mahomes admitted, before turning the focus squarely on himself. Despite the Kansas City Chiefs making another Super Bowl, Mahomes openly acknowledged a dip in his individual performance, especially in his areas of expertise. He added:

Especially myself. There’s plays on the football field that I didn’t make last year, that I’ve made in previous years. At the end of the day, I’m going to do whatever it takes to win… But I think if I play better, that’s going to make it better for the team. So, I’ve got to be better at executing whenever the shots are there, making those throws.

In the NFL, maintaining a high level of performance requires ongoing adjustment and improvement from players. And Mahomes understands that.

Also Read: Aaron Rodgers Sees His Steelers as Potential Super Bowl Winners