Madden 27’s 99 Club Has a New Look. The Rams Brought Two Guys to the Party.

The first Madden ratings drop of the year usually means one thing: arguments. Fans pick sides. Players get offended. And the 99 Club becomes a badge of honor that follows quarterbacks and pass rushers around all season. This year, the Los Angeles Rams have a legitimate claim to being EA’s favorite team.

Matthew Stafford and Myles Garrett both landed 99 overall ratings in Madden NFL 27. That puts them atop the entire player pool alongside Buffalo’s Josh Allen, Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase, Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Arizona tight end Trey McBride. That’s the full list. Six guys. Two of them play for the Rams.

Stafford getting the nod at 38 years old is interesting. He’s been up and down health-wise the last couple seasons, but when he’s healthy and Cooper Kupp is on the field, the Rams offense looks like a problem for everybody. Madden’s rating team clearly agrees. Garrett, meanwhile, is the easy pick. He’s been a wrecking ball since the day Cleveland drafted him, and now that he’s in LA opposite a defensive line that includes Kobie Turner and Byron Young, the simulation numbers probably get scary.

No other team has multiple 99s. That’s the headline here. The Rams front office has been aggressive since winning the Super Bowl in 2021 — trading picks for veterans, restructuring deals, keeping a win-now window cracked open. The Madden ratings just reflect what the roster looks like on paper. Two elite talents at premium positions.

Smith-Njigba being in this group is a little surprising. He had a nice breakout last season for the Seahawks, but 99? That puts him ahead of Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill, and CeeDee Lamb. EA’s math works in mysterious ways. McBride crashing the party is less of a shock — he’s been a matchup nightmare in Arizona and tight ends with his speed are rare.

The usual suspects are missing too. Patrick Mahomes isn’t in the 99 Club this year. Neither is Travis Kelce, Aaron Donald (retired, obviously), or Micah Parsons. That’ll fuel some debate on social media for the next week or so, which is probably exactly what EA wants.

More ratings are coming. The full roster breakdowns drop over the next few weeks before the game launches in August. For now, the Rams can claim bragging rights. Stafford and Garrett both get to see that shiny 99 next to their names. Whether the ratings hold up once the season starts is another question.