Four weeks of Premier Madden League football have come and gone. We are officially onto week 5 of the season and we are here to check who is leading each division and who is officially the bottom feeder of each division.
NFC East:
Leader: Dallas Cowboys (4-0) – The Cowboys have dominated their opponents thus far this season. The only game that has been even remotely close has been their game vs the Vikings. Their schedule hasn’t been the hardest, but you can’t fault them as you can only play who’s in front of you and they have been taking care of business. The schedule gets tougher in week 6 when they face the Philadelphia Eagles. This game will be the start of a tough stretch. They have a good lead, however, if they come out of this stretch with half as many wins as now then they will be in good shape for the rest of the season.
Bottom: Washington Football Team (0-4) – On the flip side of things, the Washington Football Team has had one of the toughest schedules to start the season. They play 4 teams over .500 and besides a week 1 loss to the superbowl champs, they have been in all the games until the end. Rookie quarterback Willis hasn’t played up to his draft spot so far this season, however, with greener pastures in the next few weeks, we expect the wins to pick up for the Football Team.
NFC West:
Leader: Los Angeles Rams: (3-1) – The Rams have been taking care of business in all the games that they should. Their week 4 game versus the Chargers hurt their status as one of the premier teams in the NFC, however, given their division they can afford more than a few losses. We expect the Rams to win the games that they should, which will easily propel them into the playoffs.
Bottom: Arizona Cardinals: (1-3) – The Cardinals traded away what would become the number overall pick for a defensive tackle last season. One could say they had more needs than just one player and saving the pick could have netted them a king’s ransom. So far no player alone this season or last hasn’t helped them win games as they are still in last place in the west. WIth 2 losses in the division already, they will need to switch up the game plan if they want to prevent themselves from once again picking in the top 5.
NFC North:
Leader : Green Bay Packers (4-0) – Aaron Rodgers and this star studded Packers team has been on a roll this season. While their schedule hasn’t been the hardest, they have been winning games that they should. Their most impressive win this season came in week 4 versus the Giants. Aaron Rodgers got hurt in the first quarter, and they were still able to hold on and win by 8 points with backup quarterback Love. This shows how great that Packer defense can be.
Bottom: Minnesota Vikings (0-4) – The Vikings had an impressive season last season where they just missed the playoffs. This was in part due to the running of Dalvin Cook. The issues at hand this season are also because of Dalvin Cook as he is suspended due to breaking a rule last season. Cook is the workhouse of this offense and they haven’t been the same so far this season. With an 0-4 start they have put themselves in a huge hole, however. They get Cook back in week 5. Can he help rejuvenate this offense and get them on the right start?
NFC South:
Leader: Atlanta Falcons: (2-2) – When we did this article at the same time last season, Atlanta was in the lead just like this season. They weren’t able to maintain that lead, however, in this division we think that they can. They haven’t been impressive in games vs stronger opponents, however, they have been taking care of games within the division. If they can go 6-0 within the division that should easily give them the crown.
Bottom: Tampa Bay Buccaneers: (0-4) – Trading Tom Brady may have been one the worst moves for this team. Having Brady on your team always gives you a chance to win no matter what the situation is. Having someone like Drew Lock isn’t going to command the same amount of respect from the defense. He just isn’t in the same class as Brady and so far this season it shows. While the Bucs got some nice pieces to build upon in the future, so far this season it would have been better to keep Brady.
The Packers, Cowboys, Rams, have all had good showings so far this season. The Packers and Rams both look to be locks to win their division given the standings so far. The Cowboys have given themselves a good head start compared to the other teams in the East and they will need it as the East is possibly the best division in the NFC. If the season ended today the East would send three teams, however, we still have a long way to go. No one season is over and even though some teams are 0-4, anyone can still come back and take over their division. Will any team come out of their slump and surprise the league? In a few weeks I will come back at the halfway point and see where the standings are at.
