Madden 18 player ratings update analysis: Week 9
Every week, theScore's football editors will take a deep dive into the rating changes from the Madden 18 video game, looking at the most notable risers and fallers based on the previous week's action.
Risers
Matthew Stafford, QB, Lions
84 overall ➔ 85 overall
Stafford couldn't get a win or a touchdown last Sunday night against the Steelers, but its tough to blame him. He threw for 423 yards and avoided turning the ball over as his offensive line and running backs did little to help their ninth-year quarterback.
Jadeveon Clowney, OLB, Texans
80 overall ➔ 83 overall
Despite his team giving up 41 points, Clowney had a field day against the Seahawks' porous offensive line. He notched his fourth sack of the season and added two tackles for loss and a quarterback hit as the Texans held Seattle's running backs to 3 total rushing yards.
Kenny Vaccaro, S, Saints
77 overall ➔ 80 overall
As the Saints' defense dominated the Bears in their fifth straight win, Vaccaro led his team in tackles with nine, two of them for a loss, and added half a sack, one pass deflection, and one quarterback hit in arguably the former first-round pick's best game ever.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Steelers
76 overall ➔ 77 overall
Smith-Schuster got his wish and had his Madden speed rating bumped up to 89 after his 97-yard touchdown catch against the Lions. His 193-yard outing earned him Rookie Player of the Week honors as well.
Alex Collins, RB, Ravens
71 overall ➔ 74 overall
Collins looked like a stud against the Dolphins last Thursday night, regularly bursting through the line and breaking tackles as he racked up 113 rushing yards on 18 attempts with 30 receiving yards on a pair of catches.
Fallers
Derek Carr, QB, Raiders
85 overall ➔ 84 overall
Carr struggled to follow up his sensational performance against the Chiefs last Sunday as his team fell 34-14 to the Bills. The fourth-year pro tossed a pair of interceptions to match his season total a year ago at six picks through seven games.
Duane Brown, LT, Seahawks
86 overall ➔ 81 overall
Despite having the team trade for him Monday, Brown didn't play too well for the Texans against the Seahawks on Sunday in his first game since returning from a contract holdout. Now that he's joining one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL, his Madden rating seems to have taken a hit.
James Harrison, OLB, Steelers
82 overall ➔ 79 overall
Father Time always wins. With rookie T.J. Watt playing 89 percent of the Steelers' defensive snaps Sunday night, the torch appears to have been passed, as Harrison didn't get on the field for a single play.
Thomas Rawls, RB, Seahawks
81 overall ➔ 78 overall
The Seahawks' running backs were just plain terrible in Sunday's win over the Texans, and Rawls led the way. The 24-year-old rushed six times for a total of -1 yard. Doesn't get much worse than that.