Madden NFL 18 has predicted a winner for this weekend’s Super Bowl LII

As is tradition, Madden NFL 18 has played out a simulation of this weekend’s Super Bowl and a winner has been crowned—digitally, of course.

As is tradition, Madden NFL 18 has played out a simulation of this weekend’s Super Bowl and a winner has been crowned—digitally, of course.

In the battle of the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles, Madden’s simulation saw the Patriots repeating as world champions by winning a close-fought back and forth affair, 24-20.

A touchdown from Eagles running back Jay Ajayi put Philly up in front 10-3, but Tom Brady fought back to hit tight end Rob Gronkowski to give the Patriots a 17-13 lead at halftime (don’t forget to check those Super Bowl box sheets at the end of each quarter).

Later, an uncharacteristic interception from Brady led to the Eagles taking back the lead 20-17, but it’s short-lived. Brady then hits wide receiver Danny Amendola for another touchdown to put the Patriots back in front, 24-20.

That’s when things get interesting. A fumble by Patriots RB Dion Lewis gives the Eagles the ball back with just under two minutes left to play. Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, subbing in for injured QB and MVP candidate Carson Wentz, attempts a long pass to win the game but it’s knocked away and the Patriots end up victorious.

The Madden games actually have an uncanny knack for correctly picking Super Bowl winners, as happened last year. Super Bowl LI’s prediction had the Patriots beating the Atlanta Falcons 27-24. New England indeed won, in historic fashion, but the final was 34-28.

The real big game is played this Sunday, with kickoff happening a little bit after 5:30pm CT.