NFL 2025: The Best (and Worst) Minnesota Vikings Players in Madden 26
With the Minnesota Vikings having a frustrating Week 7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, I did what any angry football-obsessed fan would do: I turned to Madden to blow off some steam.
The new Madden 26 was on sale, so I decided to make a purchase for “research” purposes and let the virtual football fly. As a big fan of the Franchise mode in previous Madden video games, I chose to fire up a franchise with my beloved purple and gold and see how the video game characters compared to their real-life counterparts. After a few fun games on All-Pro difficulty, here are my favorite and least favorite players to use.
MY FAVORITES:
Justin Jefferson
He’s a 99 overall and plays just like the real man himself. Toe taps, out routes, post routes, fly routes, and just about any other throw are almost all guaranteed grabs. Need I say more?
Jordan Mason
He’s just as shifty and powerful in the video game as he is in real life, and he’s sneaky dangerous at 82 overall. If he picks up blocks on the outside, he has the burst to reach the endzone, but he can also create off a screen pass. Turns out he was an offseason steal for the Vikings in both Madden and real life.
Josh Oliver
He’s surprisingly quick for a guy who’s primarily a blocking tight end. I was surprised to find him open a few times, and even more shocked when he took off past linebackers for first downs. His overall doesn’t suggest he’d be a big roleplayer, but he’s still worthy of a checkdown every now and then.
Harrison Smith
He might be in the twilight years of his elite career in real life, but age is just a number in a video game. Harry still earns his “Hitman” nickname with brutal blows to opponents on every stage of the field. The CPU should be shaking in its shoes every time #22 comes sprinting downfield.
Jordan Addison
Just like Carson Wentz and the Vikings in real life right now, I love a good Jordan Addison out route on Madden. It’s almost a cheat code, given how it seems to work for me every time. He’s a natural at creating separation from opposing cornerbacks, and while I might advocate for the Vikings to take trade calls for him in real life, I won’t be parting ways with him in my Franchise unless I get a great offer.
T.J. Hockenson
The man may be having real-life struggles on the field this season, but he’s as reliable as his Pro Bowl years on Madden. I had two deep TDs to him in the first quarter of my first full game with the Vikings, and he always seemed to find plenty of separation from opposing secondaries that looked like they forgot the 6’5” Viking with luscious locks was even on the field. They can’t contain the Logo!
Jonathan Greenard
For a guy who is historically bad at defense on Madden and prefers to use the d-lineman in the hopes of getting a big sack, Greenard is an easy go-to for me. His swim move slices across tackles and frees him up for easy pressures more often than not. He’ll turn opponents “Green” with grass stains from how many times he takes them to the turf.
MY LEAST FAVORITES:
J.J. McCarthy
Even if he were performing well in real life, I still wouldn’t want him to be my Madden QB. He shifts around awkwardly in the pocket at times, and I don’t like his throwing motion. I threw two INTs with him in one quarter before I stopped playing, promptly traded for Sam Darnold, and settled into a much more enjoyable playing experience. Oh, to be in 2024 again.
Isaiah Rodgers
He’s been a massive free agency steal and a near-shutdown cornerback for the Vikings in real life, but for some reason, he’s not as effective in the video game. He’s just kind of there on Madden most of the time, and often, the only time you do notice him, he’s missing a tackle. I blame the performance on a criminally low overall rating of 81. Chad Johnson, get off the couch and get to bumping up this man’s overall.
My Final Thoughts on my Madden experience
For someone who hasn’t played Madden since Madden 23, it’s nice to see that EA Sports put some real effort into changes for this year. I was thinking the opposite effect would take place once the College Football game franchise returned, but the presentation for Madden is highly upgraded–from hearing the real NFL theme music, to seeing Randy Moss blowing the Gjallarhorn at Vikings home games, to J.J. griddying out of the smoky tunnel, to hearing Scott Hanson in the weekly recap, I enjoyed more of the pre-game and halftime presentation than I thought I would. Even the stories in Franchise mode that forecast different conditions like rain, which then actually shows up in the game you play that week and affects how you perform, were a nice surprise.
The QBs can also finally maneuver like runners in the backfield to avoid sacks like real QBs and not robots permanently stuck looking 20 yards downfield. Overall, I’d recommend hopping on with your favorite team and taking them for a spin. Maybe you can even go 17-0 like you know your team really could, if only they had you as their coach. Remember, just because it’s a video game, that doesn’t mean it’s any less real in our hearts. Imagining a Super Bowl win is almost as satisfying as watching a real one. I’m guessing, anyway.