In case you weren’t satisfied with Saturday’s Tecmo Bowl simulation of Super Bowl 50, Madden has arrived with a slightly more sophisticated version.
Madden projects a 24-20 Panthers win, as shown in an insanely theatrical video-game highlight video released Tuesday.
The simulated game begins with the Panthers scoring on what would surely be one of the best plays in Super Bowl history, as Cam Newton casually casts aside two Broncos defenders, including Von Miller, and finds Greg Olsen in the end zone for six points. The Panthers lead 10-0 after the first quarter, and another Newton touchdown pass extends their lead to 17-0 before halftime.
But the Panthers promptly squander the lead in the second half, as they’ve been sometimes known to do. Peyton Manning hits Emmanuel Sanders for a touchdown, then Miller sacks Newton, who subsequently throws an interception into the hands of Aqib Talib, and Denver trails only 17-13 after three quarters.
A ridiculous Demaryius Thomas touchdown grab actually gives the Broncos the lead in the fourth quarter, but Newton marches his team down to the five-yard line, where Jim Nantz dramatically proclaims that “An entire season of work, and it looks like Super Bowl 50 will come down to this play.”
Newton takes the snap, rolls right, pump fakes linebacker Brandon Marshall and hurdles over a safety into the end zone to give Carolina a 24-20 Super Bowl victory.
Though beautifully edited, the video is a little disappointing in that it’s clearly not a hands-off simulation but a “prediction” designed to maximize drama.
Then again, Madden claims to have predicted the winners of nine of the previous 12 Super Bowls, including the exact score of last year’s game, so maybe we should trust they know what they’re doing over there.
