The annual reveal of the newest entry in EA Sports’ Madden NFL series perennially brings with it a bevy of consumer complaints. Graphical deficiencies, the lack of requested features, questionable player ratings—if you can think of it, customers have likely criticized EA Sports for it. General consensus agrees that the quality of the series has dipped over the last decade or so, with the company now focused on maximizing profits through in-game purchases as opposed to delivering an enjoyable product.

And we don’t want to jump on the ‘dunk on EA Sports’ train, but the company, at times, simply makes it too easy. The closed beta for Madden NFL 25—the newest game in the series—recently opened, allowing play-testers to catch an early glimpse at the initial player ratings present in this year’s entry.

We’ll issue a few caveats before progressing any further: the game is currently a work-in-progress, and player ratings, thus, may change between now and ultimate release. It’s also possible that the ratings, for the time being, are simply borrowed from Madden NFL 24.

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Regardless of the circumstances, the initial player ratings for the Buffalo Bills are… not good.

We’re not even broaching the subject from a numerical perspective, as the Bills reportedly have a 90 overall rating. Our issues stem from the individual player ratings, as some simply are not based in logic or objectivity.

Quarterback Josh Allen expectedly tops Buffalo’s roster, coming in at a 92 overall. This may seem a bit low, but it’s not egregious, as the overall makes Allen the game’s fourth-highest-rated signal-caller. Linebacker Matt Milano and defensive end Von Miller tie for the second-highest rating on the team, both coming in at an 87 overall; the rating is fair for Milano, but for Miller? The 35-year-old is coming off a 2023 campaign in which he tallied just three tackles and zero sacks—he is, in no world, the team’s best defensive end or second-best player.

Nickel cornerback Taron Johnson and defensive end Greg Rousseau round out the top five, coming in at 87 and 85 overalls, respectively. There are a few questionable ratings going further down the roster, such as defensive tackle Ed Oliver—who tallied 9.5 sacks last season—earning an 82, running back James Cook—who finished sixth in the NFL in scrimmage yards last year with 1,567—coming in at an 81, and tight end Dawson Knox being rated higher than Dalton Kincaid (81 compared to 79).

The most egregious oversight of the initial Madden NFL 25 ratings relates to middle linebacker Terrel Bernard; the now third-year defender—who burst onto the scene as an ever-impactful defender with a 6.5 sack, three fumble recovery, and three interception 2022 campaign—is ranked as the team’s third highest player at his position. Bernard comes in at a 74, below Deion Jones (77) and Nicholas Morrow (76).

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This means that Bernard—who dynamically led the team’s defense a season ago—will be listed as the third middle linebacker on Buffalo’s base depth chart.

These ratings are silly.

It’s difficult to take the ratings too seriously when EA Sports can’t even get the Bills’ roster right; Connor McGovern, who is making an offseason transition to center in Buffalo, is still listed as a left guard on the initial lineup. This isn’t particularly egregious in and of itself, but EA Sports acknowledged the transition by also including current free agent offensive lineman Connor McGovern, who most recently played for the New York Jets, on the Bills’ roster. This McGovern has never played for the team.

These ratings, again, may simply be based on last year’s edition of the game, and they may change by the time the product is ultimately shipped out. We certainly hope that’s the case.

EA Sports Madden NFL 25 will be released on August 16, 2024, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC.