Patrick will punk that curse, no worries good for him
I’m gonna destroy worlds with him this year
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Being on the Madden Cover typically reflects that the player has just had a great year. It should be anticipated that playing at such a level is hard to replicate. Most players were not starting their third year when on the cover of Madden and so their ceiling was an established quantity. It should be no surprise when players revert to norm or have lower performance after a particularly noteworthy performance.
Mahomes, though, is different. We do not know what his ceiling is. Yes, teams will have had a year to adjust. This will make his job harder. But he will likewise have had a year to adjust to NFL defenses. Further, he can clearly improve parts of his game. 3 years from now we will know whether this last year was aberrant high, aberrant low, or normal.
My own take? Last year was roughly normal for him. He has tremendous athletic ability but he also spent a year facing NFL defenses for the first time. I think he will improve in some areas and defenses will respond to him in some areas but absent something unseen, he should be in that top tier of QBs for his career. He has way too many unique skills to be anywhere else. Playcalling and surrounding cast will have an impact, but so far Reid & Co. have been in at the top tier of NFL front offices. I don't see them creating the career-killing swamp that is, say, Detroit. Matt Stafford, for example, would most likely be viewed as a much better QB if he had spent the past few years in New England, Seattle, or LA. Unless something radically changes, I do not see that being the case with Mahomes.
Thus, the "Madden Curse" should not affect Mahomes, next year or long run.
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