Madden 08 Power Rankings (21-16)

Over the course of the next couple weeks I’ll be posting up my power rankings for Madden 08 based on the current NFL team rosters. Below are 21-16, and you can find 32-28 here and 27-22 here.

21- Minnesota Vikings 

They had a great draft adding in Adrian Peterson, who’ll make for a good combo with Chester Taylor. The run defense should be great in the game, the secondary is another story. But having Tavaris Jackson at QB will be the biggest issue to overcome.

20- Arizona Cardinals 

They still have the skill position players. Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Edgerrin James, and now look to be set at QB with Matt Leinart. The defense is decent although unspectacular with the exception of Adrian Wilson. The offensive line will be the crutch for this team once again.

19- Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers didn’t really anything to improve, and filling Joey Porter’s spot with a rookie actually sets them up to be worse. The look to be a middle-of-the-road type team. No great receivers or runningback and a defense that won’t be as good this year.
18- Washington Redskins

Clinton Portis , Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle-El will continue to be good offensive weapons, and Jason Campbell should be improved. Sean Taylor we know is a big hitter in the secondary along with newly drafted LaRon Landry. Those are the big names on the team, and will have to carry them to make up for the lack of talent elsewhere.

17- Jacksonville Jaguars 

They replace Deon Grant with Reggie Nelson, so they should be okay there although it will be a downgrade. They have a good set of receivers for the game, but will be stuck with a mediocre QB. A good RB tandem with Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew will help. The defense should be pretty solid overall.

16- San Francisco 49ers

Frank Gore will be one of the best RBs in the game, Alex Smith will be improved at QB and he’ll have good targets with Darrell Jackson and Ashley Lelie joining Vernon Davis. The defense is a little young and the ratings will reflect that, although having Nate Clements now will help a lot. They’ll be used as a darkhorse team this year. Just probably another year away from breaking into the next level.