Four Issues With the Steelers' Madden Ratings

Madden sure stirred the pot when they released this year's ratings. Madden21 is set to feature some superstars with subpar overalls. To quote Bengals' wide receiver Tyler Boyd, "Whoever does the madden ratings is a straight bozo."

There is plenty wrong with the small glimpse we saw of the Steelers' ratings in 2020. After going 8-8 with two backup quarterbacks, no Stephon Tuitt, and an injury bug as aggressive as ever, you'd think some players would get recognition.

Nope.

So here we are, going through the mistakes. We'll narrow it to four - and we'll finish with T.J. Watt.

4. Ben Roethlisberger

When did Ben Roethlisberger enter Eli Manning territory? Two years ago, he threw for career-high yards and 34 touchdowns, and five and a half quarters in 2019 is enough to drop him below an 82?

In 10 months, Roethlisberger has evaporated to a washed-up past time, when in reality, he looks to be in great shape, and his teammates have done nothing but compliment him all offseason.

3. Steven Nelson

You can sum up Steven Nelson in one sentence - the most underrated player in the NFL.

What more did anyone want from this guy? He allowed 12 man-to-man catches, 50% of his targets, and didn't let a receiver score. Missing the Pro Bowl should've been the only snub he's faced all 2020, not this.

Not only should Joe Haden's season earn him more than an 83, but Nelson shouldn't be far behind. Both are easily 85+ because the Steelers' league-leading turnovers don't happen without reliable coverage.

2. Minkah Fitzpatrick

No offense to DeCastro, but Minkah Fitzpatrick was the second-best Steeler in 2019. If we're rating the players off their performance and expectation, Fitzpatrick is expected to go from one of the top safeties to possibly the top.

87 isn't terrible, but it's not Fitzpatrick worthy. He and Watt should be leading the group in the '90s, with clear distance before the rest of the team.

1. T.J. Watt

First off, Watt should be at least a 90 - probably higher. Two All-Pro placements, a touchdown in the Pro Bowl, 14.5 sacks, and a Defensive Player of the Year finalist and Madden thinks he's an 86?

They're also leaving Bud Dupree out of it. I know, Dupree isn't what Watt is and likely won't be. Still, he shined well enough to get a bump in ratings and sit somewhat respectably in the 80s.

The two were one of the most dominant forces in football last season, and it should be represented. But it's not.

Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.