I don't know what it is exactly, but there's a level of intrigue that comes when EA Sports releases the player ratings of their latest Madden video game installment. Though Madden has hardly made significant changes to its graphics and gameplay throughout the years, and College Football 25 is all the buzz, Madden is still one of the most popular video games out there. Steelers fans want to see where their favorite players are ranked.
With Madden 25 getting set to release on August 16, EA Sports is slow-releasing its player ratings. On July 29, they began by teasing fans with the top 10 wide receiver rankings and their top 10 safety rankings.
Unsurprisingly, the Steelers didn't have a receiver rated among the ten best players at the position on Madden 25 (though we hope to see George Pickens there soon). However, everyone has come to expect a high rating for All-Pro safety, Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Fans were disappointed to learn that Fitzpatrick was the third-highest-rated safety on the game with a 93 overall rating. On the surface, this is nothing to scoff about, but Fitzpatrick's rating is four points lower than Jesse Bates' (97 overall on Madden 25).
Top safeties in Madden NFL 25:
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 29, 2024
1) Jessie Bates: 97
2) Antoine Winfield Jr.: 94
3) Minkah Fitzpatrick: 93
4) Derwin James: 91
5) Tyrann Mathieu: 91
6) Budda Baker: 90
7) Kevin Byard: 89
8) Kyle Hamilton: 89
9) Jevon Holland: 88
10) Talanoa Hufanga: 88
11) Harrison Smith: 87
12)…
Considering each player's body of work, this doesn't sit well with Steelers fans... and it's not hard to see why.
Steelers star deserves higher Madden 25 rating
Jesse Bates and Minkah Fitzpatrick entered the NFL Draft together in 2018. Both players have had very good careers to date, but one is significantly more decorated than the other.
Since the Steelers traded for Fitzpatrick just two games into the 2019 season, the blue-chip safety exploded for a monster campaign that concluded with Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro honors. During his career in Pittsburgh, Minkah has made three First-Team All-Pros and four Pro Bowls while being considered a top 10 Defensive Player of the Year candidate in 2022.
Meanwhile, after five years on the Cincinnati Bengals, Bates finally made his first Pro Bowl in year six on the Atlanta Falcons following a six-interception season. This was the first time since their rookie seasons that Bates and Fitzpatrick were even considered on the same level.
Minkah's inability to stay on the field in 2023 no doubt played a big factor in his 93 overall rating on Madden 25. Fitzpatrick missed significant time with a hamstring injury early in the season before missing time late in the year with a knee injury. His questionable health and usage led him to his first season in which he did not record an interception.
Despite missing time, Fitzpatrick deserves to be recognized among the league's best safeties, and ranking him a tier lower than Jesse Bates was a questionable decision by the staff at EA Sports.
Madden ratings update following each week of the season, and if the Steelers star can avoid the injury bug, there's no reason he shouldn't rise to the top of the safety rankings on Madden 25.