EA's Madden NFL 08 Predicts Patriots Win

Posted on February 3, 2008

Electronic Arts issued the following press release about the Super Bowl XLII game. They ran a simulation (see video below) and found that the Patriots were able to defeat the New York Giants by a score of 38-30. They claim Madden NFL has correctly predicted the winner in the last five Super Bowls.

The simulated game got off to a very close start with two touchdowns by Patriots running back Laurence Maroney and three field goals by Giant's kicker Lawrence Tynes. Late in the third quarter, the Patriots led by only one, 24-23. They were able to add to their lead with a 31-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tom Brady to wide receiver Randy Moss. Entering the fourth quarter, the Giants trailed 31-23 with an opportunity to tie-up the game with a big drive. But instead, a tipped pass by quarterback Eli Manning was picked off by Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel. The Patriots scored with their possession from the turnover, increasing their lead to 38-23. The Giants scored one last time and the game ended 38-30.

Super Bowl XLII kicks off Sunday, February 3rd at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. We will then know whether EA Sports has extended their own winning streak using the Madden NFL engine to predict Super Bowl champions.

Update: The simulation of the game from Electronic Arts' Madden NFL '08. This year Madden did not correctly predict the outcome of the big game. The Giants won the game 17-14. The Patriots did not get a perfect season. It was a close game like Madden 08 predicted but it was not nearly as high scoring.

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