Josh Allen credits EA’s Madden franchise for NFL success - “Played it so much”
Josh Allen thinks it is an honor to be on the cover of the Madden 24 video game. Allen, like so many current players in the NFL, grew up playing the game on various gaming consoles.
The Bills quarterback talked about the impact of the Madden franchise in an interview on the Slow News Day podcast with Kevin Clark. He noted how often he played the game as a kid and how it helped him learn about the rules of football.
“I mean, yeah, I mean, as a kid, that's I played it so much that I picked up on those things, right, what the defenses were doing, you know what cover to cover three and cover one what they all meant, but even the rules of the game, right? Like just the offsides, or, you know, illegal down, illegal downfield pass, because I was running, I crossed the line of scrimmage," said Allen.
The 27-year-old added:
"So, just the little things that not many kids knew that when I was playing the game of football, I had a better grasp of what was going on and why things were happening, why holding was called. So, I felt like it did get me a step up. You know, in terms of early football life.”
Josh Allen is the first Buffalo Bills to be on the cover of the game. The two-time Pro Bowler is one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Last season, Allen led the Bills to the playoffs for the fourth straight season as they lost to the Bengals in the Divisional Round.
The seventh overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft threw for 4,283 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions in the 2022 season. He also led the team with seven rushing touchdowns and was second with 762 yards.
Will the Madden curse impact Josh Allen and his 2023 season?
It seems that the Madden curse is not as prevalent as it once was early on, especially for quarterbacks. Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady were on the Madden 22 cover and both played in Super Bowl 55.
Lamar Jackson graced the Madden 21 cover and had a solid 2020 season with 26 touchdown passes and over 1,000 yards on the ground.
The Madden 20 cover had Mahomes on the cover as he won the first of his two Super Bowls in the 2019 season. We will see if Josh Allen can continue the success in the upcoming season.