EA Sports picks Packers and Steelers to play in the Super Bowl

By Ryan Fleming Published January 21, 2011

It is just a video game analysis, and nowhere near a scientific study. In fact, they are probably way off. In other words, please don’t kill the messenger, Bears fans! EA Sports has issued its picks for the AFC and NFC Championships to be played this week, with the winners according to EA will be the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The games were simulated using EA’s Madden 11, and while both games were close, neither were every really in question—errr…according to the video game that is. Nice, Jets fan…

Recommended Videos

In the NFC title game, the Packers took an early lead, and despite some back and forth between the two, the Bears could only tie and never lead. The Pack went ahead with a late touchdown and won the game 24-17.

It was a slightly different story in the AFC Championship, as the Steelers went up with an early touchdown, but the Jets struck back and took the lead. The Steelers went ahead again, but thanks to several field goals, the Jets managed to hold on until the closing minutes of the game, when the Steelers took back the lead with a late touchdown, sealing the game for Pittsburgh. The final was Steelers 21, Jets 19.

Now, before you Jets and Bears fans go off and snap your treacherous Madden 11 discs in half, while EA and sports simulators in general have been eerily accurate on picking the winner of major events, the results of the games leading up to the championships have not been nearly as close.

EA did manage to correctly pick Spain to win the 2010 World Cup by simulating the tournament using 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, but it had them playing Brazil in the Finals. 2K Sports used its Major League Baseball 2K10 to accurately predict a San Francisco Giants World Series win, but it had them beating the Yankees to do it.

So while EA’s Madden is an astonishing six out of seven when picking Super Bowl champions, it is not quite as accurate when it comes to picking the teams that might actually make it to the big game. So good luck to all the fans, you all have an even shot! It just might be that Packers and Steelers fans have a bit more of an even shot than the Bears and the Jets…

Topics

Entertainment

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…

Gaming

Madden NFL 23’s Super Bowl LVII prediction couldn’t have been more wrong

A Chiefs and Eagles player run down the field in Madden NFL 23.

Super Bowl LVII is over and it was one for the history books. An offensive shoot-out between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs made for a dramatic football game that culminated in a narrow victory for the Chiefs -- though one that was a source of controversy thanks to a hotly debated holding call. Considering that the game's pre-show panelists almost unanimously picked the Eagles to win, it's safe to say the result was a little unpredictable.

And no one predicted it worse than Madden NFL 23.

Gaming

2022 was excellent for sports games, depending where you looked

The cursed golfer, hitting his shot surrounded by citizens of purgatory

Sports games are one of the most ubiquitous genres in gaming, as NBA 2K, Madden, and FIFA top sales charts every year. These franchises also happen to be some of gaming's most stagnant as their developers and publishers tend to focus on minor tweaks and changes year-over-year rather than significant innovations. The disappointment of games like Madden NFL 23 gives the genre a bad rap, but 2022 was actually one of the best years for sports games in a while. That's thanks to games that were willing to get weird.
Of course, the multi-million dollar mainstay sports franchises aren't going anywhere. That said, games like OlliOlli World, Rollerdrome Cursed to Golf, Windjammers 2, Roller Champions, What the Bat? and even Nintendo Switch Sports pushed the limits of what the genre can do. Sports inherently translate into solid video games, but this year highlighted how those games can go a step beyond, becoming kookier than what's possible in reality. That helped breathe some life into an otherwise stale genre.
Sports games get weird
When looking back at 2022, there are a lot of sports games worth calling out outside of the usual suspects. Nintendo Switch Sports is the hallmark casual sports game from this year, giving people an accessible and motion-control-based way to play golf, badminton, tennis, bowling, chambara, soccer, and volleyball with Nintendo's signature first-party visual flair. Though that was one of the more high-profile twists of the genre, indie developers led the charge, allowing the sports genre to shine this year.

Roll7's OlliOlli World, for instance, is one of my favorite games of the year. Skateboarding games have been a sports gaming mainstay since the 90s, but OlliOlli World realizes that formula in a way that's as fulfilling to play as Sonic the Hedgehog's best games. At its best, OlliOlli World is a colorful, fast-paced 2D platformer where each level has multiple paths that accommodate various player skill levels.
It's not trying to have accurate physics or recreate iconic real-world locations. Instead, it crafts its own vibrant fantasy world where everything is based on skateboarding, and the gameplay gives players enough wiggle room to experiment and possibly fail with flashy tricks. Roll7 didn't stop there, also delivering Rollerdrome, a game that combines score-based rollerblading with shooting to create an action-sports game mix players didn't know they needed.
Playing sports can give you an ultra-focused adrenaline rush, and a game like OlliOlli World and Rollerdrome can achieve that same flow state through gameplay. Meanwhile, other games interpret sports in a brand new way outright.

Gaming

Madden 23 Face of the Franchise: Tips, tricks, and best positions

Josh Allen throwing a pass in Madden 23.

If you’re one of those Madden players who refuses to waste their time in pay-to-win modes like Ultimate Team, Madden 23’s Face of the Franchise might be the single-player avenue you’re looking for.

While single-player took a back seat to MUT in recent years, Face of the Franchise offers a more personal way to play Madden 23. And though it doesn’t come without issues and glitches, Madden players can kick back and relax in this less-stressful NFL experience.