One of the best kickers the Dallas Cowboys have had in a while, Brandon Aubrey received from EA Sports a kicker kick accuracy rating of 99, which sent players into a frenzy wondering how it could be anything less than a 99 in his overall ratings.
The official account of Madden NFL tweeted about the 99 kick accuracy rating for Aubrey, which should have set the world ablaze in celebration. Instead, the reply section bore much confusion and anger. One user-admittedly with a very valid point-Justin Gomez asked, “What is preventing him from being in the 99 club?”
User Chris Steele also attacks this logic: “So…a kicker who has 99 kick accuracy and 99 kick power is a 88 overall ……for his only job on the team….” Perhaps not inaptly. So a kicker basically exists to kick the ball accurately and with power, and he possesses max stats in those two areas, why then is he not a 99 overall? That question is logically inconsistent.
Even more confusing are people’s opinions about “awareness” ratings, which apparently plague a kicker’s overall no matter how perfect the guy is at his job. Ryan Newman asked, “Genuinely curious as to how a kicker’s awareness can be low enough to counteract power and accuracy. They literally don’t have to care about situational awareness.” And he’s got a point: what does awareness mean for a kicker? Do they have to be aware of wind? Defense? Or their own existence? It’s vague.
Then comes the whole debate about whether Aubrey should be the highest-rated kicker in the game. One user, DanTheMan7021, posited that Aubrey should be 93 overall with Boswell at 92 and Dicker at 90. Instead, other voices are asserting that he should just be a 99. Because if you give max stats to the things that matter, just do it all the way.
Of course, Cowboys fans are rooting for Aubrey too. One such fan, KDiesel, commented, “Being a Cowboys fan, he is legitly the only player who steps on the field, and I have 100% faith in. This dude is cold-blooded and makes 60-yarders look like 40. Ridiculous.” High praise there, and, honestly, it’s hard to disagree with it. Aubrey has gotten the Cowboys out of tight spots for sure, and fans want that reflected in his Madden rating.
It’s not only Cowboys fans who are in doubt about the ratings; even a non-Cowboys fan asked, Valhalla4U, “Ok so if his accuracy is a 99 and his kick power is a 98 as a kicker what else does he need to have a higher rating cause this doesn’t make sense.” And like, yeah, what else would there be? Does he need to be good at tackling? Does he need to have high speed? It’s a kicker, not a linebacker.
It’s just another way of proving how kind of bungled the rating system can sometimes get in Madden. They’ll grant a player max stats in the categories that matter most for their position, but then some arbitrary “awareness” or “intangibles” rating will drag their overall down. It’s immensely frustrating for players who want to see the ratings reflect reality.
And it’s not like this is new. Gone are the days when players would grumble endlessly about the kicker ratings. Remember when Sebastian Janikowski was kicking 60-yard field goals like it was nothing, but his Madden rating was stuck in the 80s? It’s the very same issue again.
But hey, at least EA is acknowledging that Aubrey is accurate. I mean, a 99 in kick accuracy is nothing to sneeze at. Players just want more. They want him to be recognized as the best kicker in the game, because based on his performance, he deserves it.
So, what’s the solution? I think EA should really look at their overall ratings and how they are computed for specialists like kickers and punters. If the guy is the best in his niche business, that should be enough to get him a high overall rating. Or, you know, just give the guy his 99 outright and move on. All players have done is say that they want Brandon Aubrey to get the respect he deserves.
In the end, it’s just a rating in a video game, but to the fans, that matters. Where they want their favorite players to be accurately represented, and when that doesn’t happen, they’ll let EA know. Based on the responses to that tweet, they are definitely letting them know.
So yeah, we say Brandon Aubrey as a 99 kick accuracy in Madden 26, but until there’s a reflection of it in the overall, the gripe from players won’t cease. And honestly, they’re right. If you’re gonna give a guy max stats where it counts, just go all the way and make him a 99 overall. It’s not rocket science.
For now, that’s the tea. We’ll see if EA takes in the criticism and changes the ratings before the release. But judging on past experiences, don’t hold your breath. More often than not, they end up doing their own thing, which happens to make no sense to anyone else.
So for now, Cowboys fans enjoy the 99 accuracy; meanwhile, the rest will gnaw at their brains as to why their kicker isn’t being fully respected. And unfamiliar with the matter, definitely shares the thought.
