Simulating the Seahawks' 2021 Season in Madden NFL 22

With the latest iteration of EA Sports' Madden NFL series now available via trial, Ty Dane Gonzalez simulated a year of the game's franchise mode to see how it thinks the Seahawks will fare in 2021.

Ty Dane Gonzalez | Aug 16, 2021

It's August, which means football is back on your TV from preseason games to the virtual world of EA Sports' Madden NFL series.

This year's edition, Madden NFL 22, is slated for an August 20 release date on all current and previous generation platforms. However, NFL fans can now get their hands on the full game for a 10-hour trial with an EA Play subscription.

So we decided to download the XBOX Series X|S version of the game and simulate the Seahawks' 2021 season. Last year, our Madden NFL 21 sim saw Seattle go all the way to defeat Kansas City in Super Bowl LV.

Will this year's be just as favorable? Let's find out.

Week 1: Seahawks 35, Colts 17

The Seahawks kicked the regular season off with a bang in this one, dropping 21 first-half points on the Colts while limiting Carson Wentz and company to a mere field goal. Russell Wilson threw for a pair of touchdowns—both to DK Metcalf—and added another with his legs, while Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny put the finishing touches on the game with a rushing touchdown apiece.

Record: 1-0

Week 2: Seahawks 23, Titans 15

On the shoulders of Derrick Henry's 116 rushing yards, the Titans controlled the pace of this one for most of the day. However, both teams combined for just 18 points heading into the fourth quarter, staying tied at 9-9. As the quarter began, Tennessee jumped out ahead on Henry's second touchdown of the day, but a second missed extra point kept the game within six. The Seahawks quickly responded with a rushing touchdown of their own, a three-yard carry by Carson. Going up 16-15, Seattle would add insurance after Quandre Diggs intercepted Ryan Tannehill, putting the nail in the Titans' proverbial coffin on a 19-yard hookup between Wilson and Tyler Lockett.

Record: 2-0

Week 3: Seahawks 31, Vikings 26

This wasn't as close as the score may indicate; it was 28-13 Seahawks heading into the fourth quarter and the Vikings' last touchdown came with roughly three seconds left on the game clock. Carson dominated this one, racking up 122 yards on the ground and another 53 through the air for three total scores. Wilson and Metcalf linked up for the third time on the year as well and Jason Myers added the insurance field goal that ultimately put it out of reach for Minnesota's comeback.

Record: 3-0

Week 4: Seahawks 24, 49ers 14

Who will play quarterback for the 49ers in this game—Jimmy Garoppolo or Trey Lance? The sim landed on Garoppolo and, for the sake of the 49ers, it chose poorly. Between D.J. Reed, Jamal Adams and Jordyn Brooks, the Seahawks intercepted Garoppolo thrice. They also sacked him five times, with Carlos Dunlap recording 3.0 of those on his own. D'Wayne Eskridge got his first career touchdown and Penny found the end zone for the second time in this sim, giving Seattle its second-straight 4-0 start to the season.

Record: 4-0

Week 5: Seahawks 20, Rams 10

Back in a similar setting to how their season ended in the real world this past January, the Seahawks kept Matthew Stafford at bay for most of this game. They limited the new Rams quarterback to just 191 yards through the air and two interceptions, but Wilson also threw a pair of picks as well. The sloppy back-and-forth continued deep into the evening until Seattle pieced together an 11-play drive in the fourth quarter, taking a 10-point lead on a Lockett touchdown reception.

Record: 5-0

Week 6: Steelers 33, Seahawks 21

The Seahawks may have lost by 12, but it felt like 112. Wilson fired three interceptions in the first half and the team quickly found themselves in a 27-0 hole. Gerald Everett notched his first touchdown in a Seattle uniform in garbage time, but this was an overall abysmal performance under the Sunday night lights. Thankfully, those primetime woes wouldn't follow them into the next week...

Record: 5-1

Week 7: Seahawks 45, Saints 20

Shaking off their first loss of the season, the Seahawks dominated the Saints from start to finish at Lumen Field. Wilson exploded for five touchdown passes, connecting twice with Lockett and once with Metcalf, Everett and Carson. On the defensive side of the ball, Seattle sacked New Orleans quarterback Jameis Winston six times and Reed added a pair of interceptions to his tally.

Record: 6-1

Week 8: Seahawks 41, Jaguars 13

It was a rough day for Trevor Lawrence, the first pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Clemson alum suffered five sacks, three interceptions—one of which coming as a pick-six by Ahkello Witherspoon—and a lost fumble, all while dealing with the roaring crowd at Lumen Field. As such, the Seahawks cruised to an easy victory as Wilson flung another trio of passing touchdowns to Metcalf, Eskridge and Freddie Swain.

Record: 7-1

Week 10: Packers 27, Seahawks 20

A potential NFC Championship preview? Coming into this game, the Seahawks held the No. 1 seed in the conference with a record of 7-1, but the 7-2 Packers were hot on their trail. Unfortunately for Seattle, who came out of its bye week flat to the tune of just six first-half points, it would be Green Bay that exited Lambeau Field atop the NFC. With the defense surrendering 373 passing yards and three touchdowns to Aaron Rodgers, the Seahawks were unable to keep pace and take a legitimate shot at a comeback.

Record: 7-2

Week 11: Seahawks 21, Cardinals 17

In the sim, this may have been the "D'Wayne Eskridge breakout game." Reeling in seven receptions for 137 receiving yards and two touchdowns, the 2021 second-round pick erupted to push the Seahawks ahead of the division rival Cardinals. It was a close game, but a Poona Ford strip-sack of Kyler Murray sealed the deal for Seattle in this one.

Record: 8-2

Week 12: Washington 26, Seahawks 23

Both of these teams went blow-for-blow with one another for all four quarters. Tied at 23-23 with a little over two minutes left on the game clock, Washington quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick marched his offense down the field for a game-winning field goal as time expired. The Seahawks didn't turn the ball over in this game, but they struggled to convert when they needed to and allowed Washington to stay involved.

Record: 8-3

Week 13: Seahawks 34, 49ers 26

Because his overall rating is slightly above Lance's, Garoppolo started for the 49ers once again. It wasn't as much of a disaster as it was in Week 4, but the Seahawks comfortably held a lead for the entire game. Metcalf registered a pair of touchdowns while Carson got on the board with his 10th rushing score of the season. Garoppolo was picked once, by Adams, and suffered three sacks as Seattle finalized a season sweep of San Francisco.

Record: 9-3

Week 14: Seahawks 37, Texans 9

Conveniently, the sim answered the question of "Will Deshaun Watson play" for us, placing him on the injured reserve with a broken collarbone. As a result, Tyrod Taylor started this game for the Texans and, well, let's just say it didn't go so great for the veteran backup. Funny enough, Houston actually jumped out to a 6-0 lead early on. But the Seahawks answered back with 30 unanswered points of their own by the end of the third quarter. A relatively easy victory for Seattle as it continues to chase Green Bay (11-2) for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

Record: 10-3

Week 15: Rams 30, Seahawks 23

This game went nothing like the Week 5 matchup between these two teams. Stafford threw it all over the yard, picking apart the Seahawks' defense to the tune of 403 passing yards and two touchdowns. Bobby Wagner got himself his first interception of the season, but that would be Stafford's only blunder of the day. On the flip side, Wilson was picked twice and lost a fumble, proving to be the difference in this one.

Record: 10-4

Week 16: Seahawks 27, Bears 17

The Seahawks got their first look at Bears quarterback Justin Fields and, not too dissimilar to what they did to Trevor Lawrence, they gave the rookie a harsh welcome to the NFL. While the game remained a lot closer than what Lawrence and the Jaguars were able to put together at Lumen Field, it was a rough day at the office for Fields, who served up a pick-six to Adams on the first play from scrimmage. Out to an early lead, Seattle never looked back and returned to the win column with a strong 10-point victory.

Record: 11-4

Week 17: Seahawks 35, Lions 14

Hosting a familiar face in Jared Goff, the Seahawks dominated the former Rams quarterback and his new team. Lockett put up three first-half touchdowns and Eskridge hauled in a pair for himself, giving Wilson his second five-touchdown performance of the season. This one was never in doubt, but the Packers clinching the NFC's No. 1 seed with a win over the Vikings put a damper on the day.

Record: 12-4

Week 18: Seahawks 33, Cardinals 30 (OT)

While a bye week in the playoffs slipped through their fingers the week prior, clinching the No. 2 seed and playing the lowest-seeded team in the wild-card round was still on the table for the Seahawks heading into this game. The Cardinals, playing for wild-card seeding themselves, held a 30-20 lead with a little under eight minutes to go. But Wilson and company orchestrated two straight masterful drives to tie things up and send the game to overtime, where Myers put the finishing touches on Seattle's comeback victory in the desert. And with that, the NFC's second seed resides in the Pacific Northwest.

Record: 13-4

NFC Wild Card: Seahawks 24, Rams 20

What a conveniently familiar matchup. A year removed from suffering a brutal home playoff loss at the hands of the Rams, the virtual Seahawks righted the wrongs of the real-world Seahawks with a close 24-20 win to advance to the divisional round of the playoffs. It was all about the run game for Seattle in this one, with Carson and Penny combining for all three of the team's touchdowns. Stafford looked more like the quarterback we saw in Week 5 than Week 15, passing for 214 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. A strong performance in all phases for the Seahawks.

Record: 14-4

NFC Divisional: Seahawks 37, Cowboys 28

Russell. Wilson. The two words that entirely describe how the Seahawks won this game. Throwing for 479 yards and four touchdowns, Seattle's superstar quarterback never took his foot off the gas pedal despite Dak Prescott and the Cowboys keeping pace for most of the game. Everett accounted for two of those touchdowns and 108 yards, giving Dallas headaches in the middle of the field all night long. Metcalf and Lockett added a score each as well, helping Wilson lift the Seahawks to their first NFC championship game since 2014.

Record: 15-4

NFC Championship: Buccaneers 20, Seahawks 13

With the Buccaneers upsetting the Packers at Lambeau Field, the Seahawks got to host the NFC championship game for the fourth time in all four of their appearances. Unfortunately, their undefeated record in the game would not live to see another day as the Tampa Bay defense hounded Wilson for all four quarters. Wilson threw three interceptions and Seattle's offense failed to get on the scoreboard until halfway through the third quarter. Tom Brady and the Bucs' offense struggled as well, but they were able to give themselves a decent enough cushion to survive a late-game comeback attempt from Wilson and the Seahawks to make it to their second-straight Super Bowl.

Record: 15-5

Published Aug 16, 2021

TY DANE GONZALEZ

Reporter and editor covering the Seattle Seahawks for All Seahawks. Host of Locked On Mariners.