Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is putting on a performance worthy of the Most Valuable Player award. His supporters would certainly like to see this outcome, as long as it doesn't lead to Jackson landing on the cover of "Madden NFL" for the second time.
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These fans worry that the "Madden Curse" could strike, and they don't want to tempt fate.
This conversation surfaced after the Ravens defeated the Texans 31-2 on Christmas day. Jackson threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another while leading the Ravens to the dominant win. He also created a memorable photo opportunity while running down the sideline.
Hey @EAMaddenNFL
Safe to say this is Madden 26’s cover, yes? pic.twitter.com/LmNL6PE9iQ— Eric🐦⬛LAMARMV3 (@ZayFlowersMVP) December 26, 2024
"Don't put him on the cover. Can't let him suffer from the Madden Curse. It already happened to (Christian) McCaffrey," one fan posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
"McCaffrey got injured twice this season. Easy pass. We got one cover," another fan commented on social media. This was a common sentiment shared by fans of the purple and black. These fans saw Christian McCaffrey only appear in four games this season after being the cover athlete of "Madden NFL 25."
The Madden Curse has been a prominent topic since EA Sports began putting NFL players on the cover of the annual football video game. Numerous players have experienced down years immediately after being on the cover, starting with Titans running back Eddie George. He lost a career-high number of fumbles after taking over "Madden NFL 2001."
The list of impacted players continued with Daunte Culpepper, Marshall Faulk, and Michael Vick. All three missed multiple games due to injuries immediately after being on the cover of "Madden NFL."
Delete. Lamar don’t need the madden curse
— iammarklandry (@iammarklandry) December 27, 2024
Other players who dealt with the Madden Curse were Shaun Alexander, Brett Favre, Troy Polamalu, Donovan McNabb, Vince Young, Drew Brees, Peyton Hillis, Rob Gronkowski, and Antonio Brown. Some missed time with injuries, others were benched due to poor performance.
Tom Brady, Ray Lewis, Patrick Mahomes, Adrian Peterson, Odell Beckham Jr., Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, and Richard Sherman are all players who delivered strong campaigns after appearing as cover athletes.
Jackson falls into this latter category. He was the cover athlete for "Madden NFL 21," which hit store shelves in August 2020.
Jackson went out and led the Ravens to an 11-4 record. He passed for 2,757 yards and 26 touchdowns. He rushed for 1,005 yards and seven touchdowns. The Ravens reached the playoffs and beat the Titans but fell to the Bills in the second round.
