Getty Image / Jacob Kupferman
Back in the day, whatever ratings were handed out to players on video games like Madden it’s the rating they were stuck with for the entire year. In today’s gaming world, however, thanks to these things called the Internet and online gaming the ratings can be changed throughout the year based on their performance on the field.
Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey is having an exceptional, MVP caliber season and this week Madden rewarded him by bumping his overall rating to 99. With the rating bump, he’s now the youngest player ever to join the exclusive Madden 99 club.
When Madden 20 was launched earlier this year, McCaffrey’s rating sat at 91 overall. His overall rating has increased throughout the year, nearly on a week-by-week basis, and he finally made the jump to 99 this week.
Madden gifted him a plaque for the accomplishment. He was pretty thrilled about it.
Top 2 and he ain't number 2 💯
Welcome to the #99Club @run__cmc!!! pic.twitter.com/b33VC8GnMf
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) November 21, 2019
The only other running backs to ever make it into the Madden 99 club are LaDainian Tomlinson, Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson, Marshall Faulk and Barry Sanders. So as you can see, it’s a pretty elite group to be a part of.
“This means a lot,” McCaffrey told the team website. “It’s really cool. I played Madden my whole life. Getting a 99, to be in that company means a lot. It’s definitely very humbling.”
Right now there are only four players on Madden 20 with a 99 overall rating: Aaron Donald, Deandre Hopkins, Patrick Mahomes and now McCaffery.
The 23-year-old is on pace to break Johnson’s single-season record this season of 2,509 total yards from scrimmage. McCaffrey leads the league in rushing with 1,059 yards averaging 5.3 yards per carry to go along with 14 total touchdowns.