Madden 24 Simulates - NFL Wild Card Predictions - Stafford Rallies

We used Madden 24 to Simulate and make predictions for the upcoming NFL Wild Card Round Games. From Matt Stafford playing against his old team, to Mike McCarthy coaching against his old team, this week held a lot of sentimental value. Last week, our Madden 24 Simulation went 10-6 in its predictions. We hope to see our series succeed with another winning record for next week. Overall, this shaped up to be one of the most interesting wild card weekends in NFL history.

Madden 24 Simulates NFL Week Wild Card Round Games – Predictions For All Games

The #NFLPlayoffs are set! pic.twitter.com/ZqfPEYLpI7

— NFL (@NFL) January 8, 2024

The rules for the series work like this. We run and simulate 15-minute Madden 24 games at All-Madden difficulty. We take any injuries into account that we know of so far. So if a player is listed as just questionable, we typically throw them in unless reports indicate otherwise. With all that said, let's take a look at our Wild Card Round winners.

Madden 24 Simulates – NFL Wild Card Predictions – Browns 20 – Texans 24

C.J. Stroud absolutely dominated in his first ever playoff game in his rookie season. Despite facing a tough Cleveland defense, Stroud ended the day with 253 passing yards and two touchdowns. He did fumble the ball early in the 2nd quarter, which did lead to a Browns' touchdown let them lead 10-7 for a bit.

However, Joe Flacco (a 71 OVR in Madden 24) played a pretty pedestrian game. He threw for 205 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT, while Jerome Ford helped keep Cleveland in this one. He scored an 18-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter to put the team up 17-10.

During the final minutes of the fourth, Cleveland scored a field goal to take the lead 20-17. With 4:46 remaining, Stroud and the Texans pulled off a 8-play, 75 yard drive in roughly three minutes to score a touchdown. A 2-yard touchdown catch from Dalton Schultz helped Houston take a four point lead.

With the game on the line, Flacco threw his game-sealing interception to Derek Stingley Jr. Additionally, Will Anderson sacked Flacco just two plays prior. The Texans rookies cooked this game and look to do the same next week.

Madden 24 Simulates – NFL Wild Card Predictions – Dolphins 23 – Chiefs 28

The Dolphins-Chief rematch ended in a 21 point second half rally orchestrated by Patrick Mahomes to win the game. Down 17-7 early in the 3rd, Mahomes found rookie receiver Rashee Rice for a 46-yard score. Miami responded with a field goal after three straight failed attempts to punch it in on the 1-yard line. The third quarter ended 20-14, with the Chiefs at the MIA 32.

The first play of the fourth quarter resulted in Isaiah Pacheco taking it all the way for a 32-yard touchdown run. With a 21-20 lead, Kansas City looked to have a victory in their clutches. However, both offenses seemed to tire out until late in the game, when Tua Tagovailoa found Tyreek Hill for a 66-yard pass. Unfortunately, Miami once again settled for a field goal, taking a 23-21 lead.

Only needing a FG with 3:18 remaining, Patrick Mahomes found Travis Kelce for three consecutive passes of +12 yards. The team easily moved down the field, and in an interesting move, scored a touchdown instead of running down the clock. A 19-yard touchdown pass to Justin Watson put the Chiefs up 28-23.

The Dolphins still had 1:39 to score after the Chiefs' quick drive. However, a fast four-and-out led to a Kansas City victory. Too bad nobody saw the game though, which questionably aired exclusively on Peacock.

Madden 24 Simulates – NFL Wild Card Predictions – Steelers 14 – Bills 35

The Bills took advantage of a T.J. Watt-less Steelers team. Additionally, Mason Rudolph's Linsanity run (we've had a lot of those this year) ended with a three-interception performance against Buffalo. Overall, the entire Steelers offense failed to make any meaningful plays. Outside of two huge scores, Pittsburgh was left in the dust here.

Josh Allen shook off his regular season turnover struggles with a 3-touchdown performance. He did throw an interception at the end of the first half, but the veteran QB found a way to make up for it with 414 total yards from both rushing and passing.

Bills' RB James Cook also took a few nasty plays to the house, including two touchdown runs of 14 and 26 yards. Overall, the Bills' offense looked unstoppable against a Steelers team missing their best player. They punted just three times throughout the whole game.

After taking a 35-7 lead, Pittsburgh did manage to find the endzone, thanks to an 86-yard touchdown reception from George Pickens. However, with 8:22 remaining, the rally seemed too far to reach for Mike Tomlin and Co.

Madden 24 Simulates – NFL Wild Card Predictions – Packers 20 – Cowboys 33

Mike McCarthy made quick work of his former team, though the Cowboys slowed down in the second half. With a 21-7 lead mid-way through the 2nd quarter, it seemed like Dallas already started prepping tickets for their Divisional Round matchup.

However, Dallas took things a little too easy at this point, with Green Bay almost rallying back a few times. Fortunately, the Cowboys' defense held Green Bay to just 13 more points for the ret of the game. Meanwhile, their offense mustered four more FG drives to extend their lead.

Ceedee Lamb once again shined, with 11 catches for 160 yards and a touchdown. He scored the team's first touchdown, and made an impact on every scoring drive after. Dak Prescott also ended the day with zero interceptions, meaning he technically hasn't thrown ten interceptions this year. The Cowboys' QB made true on his word so far and plans to keep winning.

The Packers' season ends with a loss, but kudos to Jordan Love for proving doubters wrong this year. It seems like Green Bay has its future signal-caller, so long as he continues to help this team make the playoffs.

Madden 24 Simulates – NFL Wild Card Predictions – Rams 34 – Lions 31

Matthew Stafford's return to Detroit was as exciting as you'd expect. Additionally, Jared Goff got to host his former team with a chance to make them look silly for trading him. Overall, both teams put their hearts on the line offensively, with very few punts in this matchup.

The Rams's started off with a 8-yard touchdown run from Kyren Williams. Overall, the offense moved down smoothly, with Matthew Stafford only throwing two incompletions (4/6, 44 yards). From there, Detroit responded with a field goal, followed by a touchdown to start the second quarter.

Up 10-7, Detroit gave up a huge, 71-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Puka Nacua. Despite scoring 10 unanswered, Detroit trailed again in an instant. However, their offense responded right away with a touchdown drive. An 11-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown put Detroit back up 17-14. L.A. scored a FG in the final seconds of the half, tying the game 17-17.

Thanks a great kick return, the Rams started their first drive on their own 40 yard line. They quickly scored, thanks to a 25-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Tyler Higbee. Detroit then fumbled on their kick-off return, with L.A. taking the ball back. Unfortunately, they only managed a field goal.

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Suddenly down 27-17, Detroit moved down the field thanks to a great effort from their halfbacks. A 15-yard run from Jahmyr Gibbs saved Detroit on a crucial 3rd & 2, helping the team drive towards the end zone. David Montgomery capped off the drive with a 3-yard TD run.

In the fourth quarter, the Lions managed to stop the Rams and take the lead again. A 13-yard touchdown pass to Josh Reynolds put Detroit up 31-27. However, with 10:51 remaining, anything was possible.

Both teams forced four consecutive punts until L.A., down 4 points with 5:31 remaining, finally managed a TD drive. Matthew Stafford found Cooper Kupp for a 20-yard touchdown pass, helping L.A. take a 34-31 lead. Needing just a FG, Jared Goff threw was sacked by Aaron Donald, who forced and recovered a fumble. L.A. managed to waste the clock and take the victory, thus ending Detroit's insane 2023 season.

Madden 24 Simulates – NFL Wild Card Predictions – Eagles 27 – Buccaneers 17

The final Wild Card Round game ended with Jalen Hurts and the Eagles taking on Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers. Overall, things started slowly, with the score being 3-0 at the end of the first. However, things quickly changed when the Buccaneers found some life. Mayfield found Mike Evans for a 36-yard score. Furthermore, Jalen Hurts threw an interception to Antoine Winfield Jr., leading to a Buccaneers FG.

However, Philly soon turned things around, thanks to a 43-yard touchdown reception from A.J. Brown. With that, the half ended 10-10. The Eagles finally found their footing in the second half, starting off with a 6-yard TD run from D'Andre Swift on their first drive.

The Eagles' defense also finally found some life, sacking Mayfield a total of 4 times this game. They held the Buccaneers' offense to just 7 points in the second half, helping the Eagles win 27-17. The Eagles put the game away after a 9-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert put them up 24-10.

Overall, that wraps up our Madden 24 Simulations for the NFL Wild Card Round. We look forward to seeing the results of these predictions, and how they compare to the real results. So far, our playoff picture now looks like this after our simulations:

• AFC
  • Texans (4) @ Ravens (1)
  • Chiefs (3) @ Bills (2)
• NFC
  • Rams (6) @ 49ers (1)
  • Eagles (5) @ Cowboys (2)

Overall, these possible matchups would also equate to more meaningful game next week. We'd have a Chiefs-Bills Divisional Round rematch. Additionally, we'd see a Rams-49ers rivalry game, an Eagles-Cowboys rivalry game, and a dark-horse candidate in the Texans taking on the Ravens.

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