EA Sports
Welcome to the Week 5 Madden matchup preview, where we break down the three best games of the week from the perspective of the Madden player. So pick up those controllers and get ready for some gaming action.
The Bengals defense is more banged up than anyone seems to realize and yet they still pose a huge problem for Seattle. The Bengals' defensive speed going against a Seahawks O-line that seems to be held together by a combination of duct tape and Jimmy Graham's atrocious blocking doesn't bode well for the Hawks. If you play this one as the Bengals, try to split A.J. Green out wide against Cary Williams. Williams has done a fantastic job dealing with the insane number of targets going his direction, but Green is a different type of receiver. Williams has yet to try to cover someone with this much speed and size. If you choose to play as the Seahawks, perhaps you will have more luck figuring out how you can successfully use Jimmy Graham within the confines of the Seattle offense. I have been asking the Seahawks to do it for weeks. Use the seam, slant and post routes with Graham.
This game should be much better than the one that will be watched by millions of people on Sunday. Tony Romo, Dez Bryant and Lance Dunbar will not be playing in this game, but in Madden this problem can be fixed. Someone can use these subs to knock the Patriots off their perch. This game should be a matchup between two Super Bowl favorites. Instead, it will showcase the throwing abilities of Tom Brady and the throwing inabilities of Brandon Weeden. Listen, Jerry Jones, no one is believing that Weeden's "a thing of beauty on throwing a football." There is a more gifted passer. In fact, there's about 30 more gifted passers around the league. Especially the one wearing number 12 that you are playing against. As the Cowboys, blitz early and often, do your best to try to corral the Pats' running backs and throw at whatever poor corner has to cover Dez.
No one enjoys playing as Danny Woodhead. Move Melvin Gordon into a role so that Woodhead never sees the field and enjoy the new speed and power you have with a freak athlete at running back. Every fantasy owner hates Danny Woodhead and, in all honesty, the Chargers really should be playing Gordon more. Your key to winning this game as the Chargers is not going to be using Antonio Gates' creaky, aging body. No, the key to winning this game will be using your star rookie running back to establish the running game and then taking deep shots to Keenan Allen.
