‘Madden 21’ ratings guru says Lamar Jackson is ultimate cheat code

If you’ve got Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson on your “Madden 21” team, you’ve got the ultimate cheat code.

USA TODAY’s Mackenzie Salmon sat down with EA Sports’ Madden rating adjuster Clint Oldenburg to find out which player is the biggest cheat code in the game right now between Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

While Jackson is the cover athlete for “Madden 21” and Mahomes on last year’s cover, you really can’t go wrong. Oldenburg noted this year’s version of the game is going to be focused more on passing the football than running, which would seemingly give an edge to Mahomes and his highly-rated arm. But with Jackson being the fastest quarterback in the history of the video game franchise, he has something special that’s difficult to combat.

Jackson earned a 94 overall rating in “Madden 21,” which doesn’t make him the highest-rated quarterback in the game. Still, it’s tough to bet against Jackson digitally, especially after what Ravens wide receiver Marquise Brown did with him, both in the celebrity championship and virtual Super Bowl LV.

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