The Madden 23 cycle is less than 2 days away and every team has high hopes of competing for a Super Bowl title. The optimism is what makes PML great, especially for long shots like Arod, Cammy, Nef, and Vet. Can any of these teams defy the odds and enter the prestigious group of PML Super Bowl winners?
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 1? How good can each team be with their current roster, user, and divisional foes? Or how badly can things fall apart?
Lets dive into the AFC North
Ravens: KingK
Steelers: Arod
Browns: Vet
Bengals: Cammy
Ravens
Ceiling: 13-4, Win division
KingK gets one of the most dominant teams + low end division = formula for success. He is confident, he’s labbing like crazy, and ready to put content in what is already a top CFM team. The Ravens hit the trifecta and luck out by also having a very generous season 1 schedule. Lamar rushes for over 1,000 yards and throws for 4,000 creating a deadly combination with Mark Andrews. He gets Arod, Vet, and Cammy 6x which could potentially put him in the running for a first round bye if the Ravens clean up on out-of-division games. A team with a loaded roster and tons of potential, can KingK become a premier AFC contender this cycle?
Floor: 7-10, Miss playoffs
Ravens may have one of the largest ranges between ceiling and floor. Which KingK shows up? We’ve seen him have opportunities to clean up in a low-end division before, and as he did come away with division titles, he never truly asserted his dominance. Lamar is a dangerous weapon, and if not used the right way, we seen the Lamar syndrome take place before. 31 other users have seen Lamar before and by now, most know how to shut it down or at the very least contain him. The floor is waiting if KingK beats KingK. Its up to him and how he handles the adversity of a PML season in game and in chat.
Steelers
Ceiling: 7-10, Misses playoffs
The Steelers roster has two sides. A very talents and dangerous defense and a very low end offense. The Steelers, like the Ravens, benefit from a very generous schedule this season. Kenny Pickett minimizes turnovers, reaches star level and gives the Steelers something to work towards for season 2. It will be a long season for the Steelers, but the main focus will be on developing the offensive side for season 2. (Don’t get it twisted though, I am going for the division 😊 )
Floor: 4-12, Miss playoffs
On the offensive side, they will roll out rookie QB Kenny Pickett. At 67 overall and 86 thrpw, it may not be the most promising QB development story in the league. Playing behind an offensive line consisting of under 70 overalls will not help the situation as Arod historically relies on a strong offensive line to support his scheme. Long story short, Arod fails to win games, receives a msg from JT saying hes fired, winds back on the coaching carousel for the rest of the cycle, goes to the Caribbean to drink his sorrows away and Mali steps as new coach.
Browns
Ceiling: 9-8, Misses playoffs
Vet had every opportunity to make noise last year in his division, and failed to do so. He starts with a top CFM roster this season and again, has every opportunity to make noise in a very winnable division. A product of the schedule, the Browns rip off 9 games, finish above .500, and finish very close to a wildcard spot. The Browns have every weapon necessary to take the division/wildcard. I fully expect them to give the Ravens a legitimate run for the division. This may be a team to watch, and I may be wrong, but as of right now the ceiling stands at 9. They have a top 5 defense which should keep them in some very close games.
Floor: 4-13, Misses playoffs
Someone has to be the odd man out of this division, and literally it could be any one of the 4. The floor for the Browns is such, they finish with 5 wins and fall to the bottom of the AFC North. The addition of Watson fizzles without any abilities, and his age makes it extremely difficult for Vet to develop him beyond what he already is. Will Watson be a full cycle Browns quarterback?
Bengals
Ceiling: 10-7, Wins division
The Cammy Hype Train takes off and doesn’t look back. The division becomes a 3-team race and Cammy finishes on top. If Joe Mixon runs anything like Kamara, the division is in store for some problems. The triple threat of Boyd, Chase, and Higgins will make it virtually impossible to stack the box and Mixon runs wild. As we seen in M23, wide receivers like Boyd and Higgins regain value they didn’t necessarily have in M22 and I fully expect them to become offensive threats in addition to the already dangerous J.Chase. This will be a scary offense, and Joe Burrow and Cammy have some very dangerous weapons.
Floor: 5-12, Miss playoffs
The Cammy Hype Train gets detoured before it even gets going. Joe Burrow throws 40 interceptions, loses his abilities and things go south in Cincy. There aren’t many holes in this team but one that stands out a bit is the linebacker position and teams expose that on the ground and in the air.
