Saints: Alvin Kamara’s Madden NFL 22 rating doesn’t do him justice
By Kristen Wong
The New Orleans Saints know Alvin Kamara’s worth better than anybody, even Madden NFL 22. (It’s a video game, for crying out loud.)
Madden recently released their running back ratings for 2022, and Kamara ranked fifth at 94 overall. As expected, Christian McCaffrey, Derrick Henry, and Nick Chubb won top three honors, and while some may be pleased to see Kamara broke the top five, Kamara deserves better.
He’s arguably the best third-round pick of the last half-decade, and his most productive season yet in 2020. On the ground, Kamara rushed for 932 yards on 187 rushes (averaging five yards per carry) and had 16 rushing touchdowns.
Those numbers along make him one of the top running backs in the league, but Kamara proved even deadlier in the passing game: last season, he led all running backs in receptions (83), receiving yards (756) and receiving touchdowns (5).
His 21 total touchdowns were most among all running backs, which gives him “big playmaking energy.” The younger generation will know what that insinuates.
Kamara’s show-stopping production moved him up six points and four spots from last year (when he was 88 overall and No. 9), the most significant year-to-year leap among the game’s top ten rated running backs.
Alvin Kamara brings honor to New Orleans Saints with fourth place Madden RB rating
Last year, Kamara joked about Madden giving him a low rating. He should be happier with his top five status this time around, but Madden is still undervaluing him.
Other than Christian McCaffrey (when he’s healthy), Kamara is the most balanced running back in the game with 3340 career rushing yards and 2824 career receiving yards.
The four-time Pro Bowler got high marks for his “Juke Move, “Stiff-arm,” and “Break Tackle,” ratings, and excelled in acceleration speed, agility, and stamina. Yet Kamara’s numbers come up short against backs like Dalvin Cook, who scored higher in categories like “Change-of-Direction” and “Ball-Carrier Vision.”
In our humble and definitely not biased opinion, Kamara’s rating should be higher. If not for his dual rushing-receiving abilities, then for how important he was to the Saints last season.
Sans Michael Thomas and with a declining Drew Brees, Kamara still shed defenders like nylon ripstop shedding water droplets. He’s the single most important weapon the Saints have at the moment and will shoulder even more responsibility in 2021.
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If Kamara can produce similar or even better numbers than last season, Madden should be calling him with an apology. Give the man credit where it’s due.