by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images
If Sunday’s match didn’t make it clear, Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Tom Brady is heading in the wrong direction and San Francisco 49ers star Christian McCaffrey is heading in the right direction.
Madden NFL 23 announced its latest player rating updates on Thursday, and McCaffrey is in the lead role. The runback jumped to 96 overall, making him the second best fullback in the game:
Madden NFL 23 @EAMaddenNFL
.@CMC_22 Now #Madden23 @49ers | #49ers pic.twitter.com/e17G4V34xK
Only Nick Chubb of the Cleveland Browns (98 overall) scored higher on the position.
McCaffrey made a one-point jump after a spectacular performance during Sunday’s 35-7 dominant win over Tampa Bay, ahead of Tennessee Titans star Derrick Henry (95 total). He rushed for 119 yards and scored a goal in 14 innings and added another point at 34 yards and two catches.
The do-it-all comeback will be even more important for San Francisco, with Deebo Samuel kicked off for knee and ankle injuries and inexperienced Brock Purdy under-strike, and he’ll have the opportunity to continue the momentum in Thursday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Seattle gave up 223 yards and two points on the field in their loss to the Carolina Panthers, so McCaffrey could enter a monster game.
Brady was on the other side of the 35-7 blast and the Buccaneers quarterback saw his rating drop to 90 overall.
Brady is a legend and widely regarded as the greatest quarterback in NFL history, but the Buccaneers haven’t been too kind to their offense this season. Tampa Bay are 28th in the league with 17.2 points per game and have only managed to score one goal against the 49ers.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion ran 34/55 for 253 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions.
While the Future Hall of Fame had scored two goals in each of the previous three games, his rating took a hit after his team was blown up by Purdy and the 49ers. He can at least take solace in knowing that Tampa Bay’s 6-7 record is good enough for first place in the dreaded NFC South.
