Madden 21 safety ratings are a complete disaster

The Madden 21 safety ratings have minimal basis in fact.

The Madden 21 ratings have already had some major controversies given how Josh Allen has the strongest arm in the game and Aaron Rodgers was only ranked 89 overall, but their ranking of the best safeties in the NFL is so puzzling that it almost seems like a goof.

The top safety in the game is Minnesota Vikings star Harrison Smith, who clocked in with a 95 overall grade. Kansas City’s Tyrann Mathieu and New York’s Jamal Adams followed with a 93 and 92 grade, respectively. The top 10 was fleshed out with veterans like New England’s Devin McCourty and Baltimore Earl Thomas as well as young stars like LA’s Derwin James and Chicago’s Eddie Jackson.

Where to even begin with this?

Smith is an excellent safety, but he wasn’t an All-Pro last year, while players like Adams, who recorded 6.5 sacks last year, and McCourty got knocked down a few pegs. Smith might not even be the best safety on the Vikings, as Anthony Harris was tied for the league lead in interceptions with six. James being handed an 89 rating is just as egregious.

The biggest problem with this list, however, is the glaring omission of Pittsburgh Steelers superstar Minkah Fitzpatrick.

How is Minkah Fitzpatrick not a top 10 safety in Madden 21?

After a midseason trade from the Miami Dolphins, all Fitzpatrick did was intercept five passes in 14 games, earning first-team All-Pro honors on a Steelers defense that is finally starting to feel like a dominant Pittsburgh unit after years of mediocrity. His speed, versatility, and nose for the football are rivaled only by Adams across the entire NFL.

In the eyes of the Madden rating gurus, however, Fitzpatrick doesn’t even qualify as one of the ten best safeties in the game. That’s an insult to one of the best defensive backs in football.

Welcome to Madden 21, where being outperformed by a player at the same position on your own team gets you rated as the best safety in the sport, and being named a First-Team All-Pro is only good for No. 11 overall.