Every team hopes to put themselves in a position to not only compete, but hold their spot in the Premier Madden League. What is a teams realistic ceiling in season 2? How good can each team be with their current roster, user, and divisional foes? Or how badly can things fall apart? Lets dive into AFC…
AFC EAST
Jets: Greeny
Ceiling: 10-7, Wildcard appearance
The Jets one could say were overachievers last year playing one of the tougher schedules in PML. Greeny went out this off-season and bolstered the offensive line that will try and get all the remaining juice out of Dalvin Cook, and possibly allow Caleb Williams to make better use of his wheels. If they could open up the offense and make Caleb a threat on the ground, I think another wildcard appearance could be in the cards for the Jets.
Floor: 6-11, miss playoffs
Greeny was criticized for having a rather pedestrian season with generational quarterback Caleb Williams. He threw for 16 touchdowns and ran for only 230 yards. Sending 2 first round picks and Sauce Gardner, the fan base wanted to see more out of their generational gun slinger. The good times of season 2 may have run their course, as the AFC west are officially all ready to play, and with new blood in Cincy and Jacksonville, the chance to make the playoffs may be a tad more difficult for the Jets. -Arod
Bills: Beast
Ceiling: 12-5, wildcard appearance
Ceiling a tad too high? They do have one of the more generous schedules in the league after finishing last in the division last season. If Beast could beat all the teams that he ‘should’ beat, then the Bills could easily roll to 12 wins and make a return to the playoffs. However, that is in a perfect world, and after the season they had last year, it may be the unlikelier of scenarios.
Floor: 8-9, miss playoffs
With one of the better rosters last season, they finished last place and to add insult to injury, superstar x-factor Josh Allen has been downgraded to star development due to the 36 interceptions thrown in season 2. That is a tough one to make up for, and the Bills may pay for it this season if they continue to sling the ball at the rate they did last season. Don’t count Beast out by any means, because when he gets confident he is a dangerous opponent, but I think his back is against the wall entering the new season. -Arod
Patriots: Spdot
Ceiling: 15-2, Super Bowl champions
Well, why not? They’ve gone to back to back Super Bowls, and like Cody Rhodes, I think Spdot wants to finish his story this cycle. I don’t think Dot gets nearly the credit he deserves for brining one of the worst PML rosters to the Super Bowl back to back seasons, but you better bet your bottom dollar, the Patriots will always be in the thick of things, especially as the rookies of season 2 and 3 continue to develop and the roster becomes more dangerous by the week.
Floor: 11-6, divisional round
The AFC is becoming more and more competitive each season. With the addition of KMFO, and the reemergence of users like DK ready to turn the corner on the cycle, the Patriots may find it a bit more difficult to make a deep playoff run once more. However, if I am a betting man, I would go more towards the ceiling than the floor for the Dot and the Patriots. -Arod
Dolphins: Deebo
Ceiling: 11-6, Wildcard appearance
Analysis: After an extremely slow start to season 2, Deebo came on strong down the stretch finishing 6-2 with wins over the Seahawks and the Rams and barely missing the final playoff spot in the AFC. Deebo, when he is confident, can hang with the best of them. They have a schedule that could certainly allow them to reach up to 11 wins, it all just depends on which version of Deebo we get this year.
Floor: 4-13, top 5 draft pick
The range between the Dolphins ceiling and floor tells you that they are one of the bigger question marks heading into the season. Like I said earlier, it really depends on the version of Deebo we get out the gate. The ceiling was very generous on the 50/50 games against opponents like Pit, TB, Atl, NYJ, etc. Things could definitely trend towards a top 5 selection if the Dolphins aren’t able to win those games on the schedule. – Arod
AFC North
Steelers: Curt
Ceiling: 10-7, wildcard L
Curt has been much better than expected, I believe when teams dropped the breakfast crew had him going 2-15 to start the cycle. But so far has produced a 9-8 and 8-9 record, i think Curt very easily could win 10 games if some things go his way and he plays closer to his high end side. But Curt is plagued with flaws that’ll keep him around .500.
Floor: 6-11, Missed playoffs
Curt has been a .500 team with what should’ve been 4 free wins in his division and szn 1 had the pleasure of facing off against Mali instead of KMFO. The Steelers passing attack took a moderate step forward szn 2, but still the flaws are evident. Zach Wilson gave up the ball 37 times, the run game has been effective all cycle long but a pass/run ratio of 61.5% is something that hurts Curt. Only 14 field goals attempted all szn is shocking. With a new divisional mate taking over the bengals, Curt’s spot at 2nd in the AFCN is being threatened for the first time. And with this playstyle he very easily can find himself out of the playoff race. – Matigy
Browns: KMFO
Ceiling: 17-0, Win Super Bowl
Well, you have to assume they will be favored heading into almost every game on the schedule this season, even after being upset by the Patriots in the AFC championship game this past season. KMFO has won Super Bowls at almost a 75% rate during his time in PML, so there is no reason their ceiling isn’t a perfect season and a Super Bowl title to add to his mantle. The linebacker core is one of the fastest, if not fastest in PML. Rookie Abdul Carter (89 speed), joins SSXF Browning (88 speed), Kyron Johnson (92 speed), and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (90 speed) in the linebacker room. Definitely a scary defense to face.
Floor: 14-3, Conference Round
As we already seen, some users do indeed have the formula to take down Goliath. The Browns lost to the Falcons during the regular season, and the Patriots in the AFC title game, so yeah, KMFO bleeds like the rest of us. I got 4 or 5 possible teams that may throw the Browns into the loss column this season. Spdot, Jefe, Cook, Hype, and Matigy all could throw a few loses onto the Browns record this upcoming season. -Arod
Ravens: Arod
Ceiling: 6-11, Competing for Top 10 Pick
Maybe not all of us, but I think that most of us, myself included, want to see Arod compete. With that statement, we’re not saying that we’re expecting divisional crowns and perennial contention. However, we want to see Arod compete and show some grit, and ultimately, we want to see competitive games. He has the team to do it, as he has acquired superstar pieces all around, and he has only bolstered that by adding to amazing corners to an already stout defense. On the other side of the ball, you have Lamar Jackson, who despite being deved down, is one of the most explosive players in the league, if not the most explosive and can turn any broken play into a 50 yard rushing touchdown. It would be amazing to see Arod get into the x’s and o’s of the game, but I’m not sure that we ever will. Only time will tell, and this season may be a big testament of it. As of right now, best case scenario I see him going 6-11, but I’m truly hoping he shocks us.
Floor: 2-15, Competing for Top 3 Pick
With that being said, PML is only getting tougher year after year. Just this season, we have added two new users to the AFC in the Bengals & Jags. It has yet to be seen whether or not these users will truly provide some competition to the league, but there have been rumbling around the league that they will. Time will tell as far as that’s concerned. Nonetheless, Arod has gotten the #1 pick in back to back seasons, so why should we expect anything different here? I hope it’s not the case, but if everything hits the fan, I envision him going 2-15 and if he doesn’t receive the top pick again, then he’s in the top 3. -DK
Bengals: Silent
Ceiling: 10-7 div round L
A new user is coaching Cincy. Offense is still as dangerous as ever so if silent can cook up some defense I think it’ll be an easy playoff appearance.
But never know with fresh blood, he has the luxury of being close to kmfo and seeing the type of football he needs to compete with. So I think we find out early how talented he is and from the talk of him being from CEOs coaching tree and hypemike saying he solid I think he will be pretty good. Usually PML underestimates new users
Floor: 6-11 missed playoffs
I feel like it would be hard to lose more than 11 with burrow. I know we just watched goose do it twice but as long as silent looks downfield he should be better. This schedule is pretty solid for a new user, got 5 games vs the cream of the crop and a lot of middling users. So I think we will be able to get a good tell on his skill level by the end of the season. Matigy
AFC West
Chiefs: Matigy
Ceiling: 12-5, Championship Round
The Chiefs have the best team in a very competitive division. The ceiling may be a little harder to reach than in previous seasons, as it seems DK has now entered the AFC West arena. Nevertheless, Matigy has proved time and time again that he is a top tiered user in the PML, and I got the Chiefs rising to the top and making a deep playoff run this season. Its difficult to bet against Pat Mahomes, especially the way Matigy has been using him this cycle.
Floor: 10-7, Wildcard appearance
Like I mentioned earlier, the division is primed and ready to take the throne from the Chiefs. The Chargers and Broncos, and quite possibly the Raiders will make it difficult for the Chiefs to claim the preverbal timeshare of the division this cycle. They’re playing a 1st place schedule, and on top of the usual divisional games, they have the Browns, Packers, and Patriots on deck this season. We could be looking at an uphill climb season 3. -Arod
Chargers: Codes
Ceiling: 13-4, Conference Round
With the upcoming schedule, I think there is room for the Chargers to improve on their 11 win campaign last season as they proved time and time again they belong in the top tier of users. If they could take down the Chiefs one, or both times, they could win the division and go a bit deeper in the playoffs than the past 2 years.
Floor: 8-9, miss playoffs
Could the Chargers see a 3-win decrease from last season? It is a very realistic possibility they could make their way outside the AFC playoff picture for the first time this cycle. They do have the NFC East on the schedule, which could potentially be 4 wins off the rip, but their 8 divisional games, and then the Jaguars, Texans, Titans, Jets, Steelers may be closer than we anticipate. Don’t be surprised if the Chargers are on the outside looking in this season. Chargers are a team with a large gap between their ceiling and floor as they may be one of the more difficult teams to predict this year. -Arod
Raiders: King Mike
Ceiling: 10-7, Wildcard appearance
I love what the Raiders did in the draft last week, adding a potential game changer in DT Walter Nolen to go along with Denver Harris at cornerback, adding more speed and depth to the position. King Mike will have to scratch and claw to reach the ceiling and the playoffs, but I’ve seen him overcome a lot more in cycle’s past so I could never count him out.
Floor: 5-12, miss playoffs
King Mike may be the odd-man out of the ‘Previous Super Bowl Winner Division’, and the playoffs may not be in the cards for the Raiders this cycle. The odds were stacked against him with the rosters out the gate, but we just haven’t seen the fight we have in cycles past. Father Time may just be catching up with Uncle Mike. I could tell you first hand, you can’t run from it. -Arod
Broncos: DK
Ceiling: 13-4, Championship Round
I think the time has come for DK to make his presence known this cycle. Coming off a 10 win season that saw the Broncos secure their first playoff appearance, expect DK to continue to rise and go deeper this upcoming season. They have the luxury of a 3rd place schedule which gives them a leg up on the Chiefs and Chargers, and that may be the deciding factor in the Broncos claiming their first divisional title this cycle.
Floor: 7-10, miss playoffs
Or… we could have all been completely fooled, and the Broncos look more like the season 1 team that missed the playoffs, rather than the 10-win season 2 team on the upward trajectory. I think they’re one of the bigger question marks heading into the season, as they’ve certainly lacked any consistency that would tell us they will reach a 13 win ceiling. The Super Bowl pedigree is there so this is anyone’s call.
AFC South
Titans: Dlloyd
Ceiling: 9-8, missed playoffs
Titans have been very consistent going 9-8 in both seasons. Recently coming off a surprising divisional title, The titans have kept adding great pieces from the draft. A lot of them have developed really well, so you’d have to assume they will keep trending up but it hasn’t been that simple for them. Started off szn 1 pretty good and took a tumble to miss the playoffs losing 4 straight. And then started off the next season 1-5 before coming back and actually making the playoffs so the record has been consistent but the play has not been.
Floor: 6-11, missed playoffs
Welcome to a 1st place schedule dlloyd. Titans will be playing all the divisional winners and so far he has found a lot of his success beating non playoff teams and so far is 3-11 vs teams above .500 for the cycle. So titans will have to tighten up and start beating the top teams in PML if they want to see the playoffs again this year. -Matigy
Jaguars: Water
Ceiling: 8-9, miss playoffs
Totally spitballing here because I don’t know much about new user Water, but it generally takes time to get accustomed to the long and grueling PML games, as well as the level of competition within the league. He takes over for a roster that still boast superstar x-factor Trevor Lawrence, so hes got a good starting point to build off of. He also plays in a division that no team has really asserted their dominance yet this cycle. Should be interesting to see how he stacks up with CB, Dlloyd, and Keruan.
Floor: 5-12, miss playoffs
We’ve seen a lot of people come into the league and struggle out the gate. It may take a season or two to get used to before the Jaguars are back in playoff conversation. You also have to keep in mind he is playing versus users who built their rosters towards their game play style, and have put AR into their team. I don’t believe the Jaguars had much AR put into them the past two seasons. Water will also not be able to use a custom playbook until week 8, so the chips are stacked against him early. -Arod
Texans: Keraun
Ceiling: 12-5 div round L
After going 13-4 with the szn 1 Texans there was a ton of talk about how he’s top 5. Best user in the afc.. etc etc. then with a 1st place schedule got humbled and missed the playoffs at 8-9 so now szn 3 with a 2nd place schedule and another year of that ke progression. Texans should be slotted to reclaim the divisional title. Shroud missed a ton of time last szn but weirdly duggan came in and won games. Shroud was 4-9 in the games he played in. A slightly tough schedule has the Texans a came back from what they finished in szn 1 here
Floor: 10-7 wildcard L
#1 defense in pml in regards to PPG szn 1 dropped to 21st szn 2. But the offense went from 17th to 4th. And yardage wise we saw the Texans give up over 100 more yards and gain 60 more yards compared to their szn 1 team. Could it be a change in philosophy? Less focus? Who knows but this isn’t the same team we saw szn1 for many reasons. Will be interesting to see which version we get. -Matigy
Colts: CB
Ceiling: 7-10, missed playoffs
I honestly think finishing 7-10 would be pretty good for cb considering his schedule where he has at least 7 tough games vs top users. And so far he’s finished with 5 and then 6 wins so it just makes sense he will keep progressing and reach 7. AR5 had a horrible szn 1 with 41 INTs with a 68QBR. But came back and had a decent comeback with 85 QBR, but sadly got knocked out for a lot of the season. So year 3 it’s time to take a big step forward.
Floor: 4-13, missed playoffs
This has been a bottom 6 offense in PML for the cycle, along with having a below avg defense. It’s just hard to see a recipe for success. It’s a pretty balanced offense that runs the ball well. The defense didn’t force many TOs only getting 14 INTs which is impressively low. But overall there’s not really a thing to point to and say “change this”. Colts simply just have to play better. -Matigy
