Football fans look forward to the release of each year's installment of the Madden NFL franchise, but Giants fans may want to play with a different team in this year's game.
The Madden NFL 20 player and team ratings were released on Monday, and the Giants have the lowest team rating in the NFC at 77. That's the second-lowest rating only in front of the Dolphins (74). Their NFC East rivals in the Eagles and Cowboys are rated much higher at 89 and 88 respectively.
The Giants' gem on their roster is RB Saquon Barkley, who led the Giants with a 91 overall (and was ranked the fifth-best running back in the game). Other than that, the ratings weren't too kind to the Giants.
The Giants' quarterback crew took the brunt of the beating. Eli Manning was rated a 72 overall, which is the worst figure for any starting quarterback in the game. His backup, Alex Tanney, is the second-worst quarterback in the entire game with a 45 rating. Rookie Daniel Jones received just a 63 overall, which is the lowest ranking assigned to a first-round rookie QB in more than 10 years. And finally, incumbent Kyle Lauletta fell from a 71 last year to a 62 this year despite barely playing.
The rest of the team didn't fare much better. The Giants have just nine players ranked higher than an 80 overall, which is one of the lowest totals in the game. The defense received particularly low ratings -- only five defensive players ranked higher than a 75.
Although ex-Giant Odell Beckham Jr. made out remarkably well (his 96 overall rating is higher than all other Giants and Browns, and the fourth-best rating among receivers), EA Sports thinks the Giants got good value back in the big trade. Kevin Zeitler (89 overall) is ranked as the fifth-best right guard in the game, Jabrill Peppers (84 overall) is the highest-ranked player on the Giants' defense and the 10th-best strong safety in the game, and Dexter Lawrence (76 overall) earned a solid figure for a rookie nose tackle.
Other noteworthy Giants ratings include an 85 for Golden Tate (24th-best among receivers), an 84 for Evan Engram (15th-best among tight ends), an 84 for Aldrick Rosas (3rd-best among kickers) and a 51 for Zak DeOssie (4th-best among long snappers).
Gamers will have their work cut out for them to reach to the playoffs with this virtual Giants squad. The Giants' season begins on September 8, but Madden season opens with the game's release on August 2.