Las Vegas can’t seem to make up its mind about which team will win Super Bowl XLIX, but Madden NFL 15 has.
The long-running video game franchise has just released its annual simulation of the Big Game, and it’s picking the New England Patriots to beat the Seattle Seahawks 28-24, on a last-minute Tom Brady touchdown pass to Julian Edelman. And while you might roll your eyes at that prediction, perhaps you shouldn’t: Over the years, Madden has proven to be a fairly reliable prognosticator, compiling an 8-3 record when it comes to calling the winner of the Super Bowl.
In the virtual game, the Pats got the scoring going when Brady hooked up with Rob Gronkowski on a 21-yard TD strike (prop bet alert!), but the Seahawks closed the gap with a first quarter field goal. The teams traded touchdowns in the second, but as New England was driving late in the half, Seattle’s Earl Thomas – looks like he’s gonna play after all – jumped a Brady pass and took it to the house, giving the Seahawks a 17-14 lead at halftime.
Sadly, there was no virtual Katy Perry performance.
Seattle went up 24-14 on a 9-yard TD rumble by Marshawn Lynch, but New England answered with another Gronk touchdown grab. And with the Seahawks driving in the fourth, New England corner Darrelle Revis intercepted a Russell Wilson pass to set up the Patriots’ winning drive.
Tom Brady was named the (video) game’s MVP, throwing for 335 yards and 4 touchdowns against Seattle’s vaunted defense, Edelman led all receivers with 8 catches for 106 yards and Lynch was at his Beast Mode best in a losing effort, running for 118 yards and two scores. No word on the condition of the game balls, though we suspect they were inflated to pixelated perfection.
