“Nah buddy always sucked!” – Bills QB Josh Allen’s 5th loss of the season has fans brewing theories of the ‘Madden curse’

With 11 interceptions and 5 wins in 10 games in the 2023 season, many are posing the question: Is Josh Allen suffering the wrath of the Madden Curse? If that is the case, it won’t be the first time a football player’s campaign was affected after appearing on the cover of it.

But first things first, what is Madden? It’s a video game that first appeared in 1988 and derives its name from Super Bowl-winning ex-Raiders head coach John Madden. EA Sports is currently the proprietor and distributor.

Every year, before releasing the game, they provide a sneak peek at which player is the poster boy. Buffalo Bills quarterbacks beat the likes of Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, and Patrick Mahomes to earn the right to be on the cover of Madden 24.

And even before the season began, football fans started to speculate about whether that would affect the 27-year-old’s play. Halfway through it, the talks have resurfaced once more. Especially after Allen threw his 15th turnover and almost 12th interception of the campaign in the Denver Broncos game.

Even though EA has outright denied any such superstitious claims about their game, it continues to be a massive talking point. Allen is close to eclipsing the 2021 pick tally, in which he threw 15.

Josh Allen is part of the long line of victims of the Madden Curse

The curse first came into effect when legendary Detroit Lion running back Barry Sanders was featured in the 2000 edition. However, Sanders suddenly announced his retirement out of nowhere, and EA even frantically changed the player on the cover. Well, they can’t bring out a game where the players can’t even choose their favorite icon.

One of the famous NFL players to be hit with a curse was Michael Vick. The former Atlanta Falcons quarterback was a workhorse. However, he fractured his fibula less than a week after the game’s release. And later, he even had to spend time behind bars for mistreating his dogs.

In recent years, the case of Drew Brees has been the most discussed on social media. Throwing 33 touchdowns and earning a Pro Bowl nod for the former New Orleans Saints earned him the right to be on the Madden cover. But a year later, he threw 22 picks and lost to the 7-9 Seahawks in the playoffs. Fans are mostly comparing Allen’s current campaign with Brees’.

However, a strong case can be made against the Madden curse because it doesn’t always work. The best example is Hall of Fame-wide receiver Calvin Johnson, who dropped 1,964 receiving yards in 2012 after the game’s release.

One does not have to go that far to find such an anomaly. Just a year before Allen’s turn in 2022, both Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes shared the cover of Madden 23. Brady threw an NFL-high 5,300 yards and 43 TDs at 44 while taking Tampa Bay back to the playoffs. Mahomes recorded 37 TDs in a 12-5 season en route to winning his second Super Bowl.

As for Josh Allen, the interception saga that has been going on is not tied to the video game per se. Since 2019, he has thrown the most picks (63). However, he has also thrown the second-most touchdowns (146) in that period, only behind Mahomes (159). 

During that time, he has gone to the AFC Championship game, made the Pro Bowl twice, and completed more than 20,000 passing yards. Allen has 19 touchdowns this season through the air and 7 while using his legs, and he has thrown for 2,600 with a 70% completion rate. He has lost six games in the past (2021). So it’s not like the season is over for the Bills.

In case you missed it:

• Shannon Sharpe finds it ‘hard to trust’ Lamar Jackson after his ‘horror’ loss to Deshaun Watson’s Browns
• “He’s gotta shut up!” – Trevon Diggs calling out his brother Stefon on social media after loss to Denver triggers Bills’ fans
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