A Defensive Player of the Year and a league-best 18.5 sacks wasn't quite good enough to land Nick Bosa a spot in the 99 club in the newest edition of Madden.
Madden NFL 24 released its ratings for the top 10 edge-rushers on Tuesday, and the San Francisco 49ers star just missed a 99 ranking. He wasn't the only edge-rusher who landed at 98 overall, as Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns did as well.
The two pass-rushers led the top 10 of a talented group that also includes Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys and T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers:
1. Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers (98 overall)
2. Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns (98 overall)
3. Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys (97 overall)
4. T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers (94 overall)
5. Von Miller, Buffalo Bills (94 overall)
6. Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders (94 overall)
7. Joey Bosa, Los Angeles Chargers (91 overall)
8. Haason Reddick, Philadelphia Eagles (90 overall)
9. Demarcus Lawrence, Dallas Cowboys (90 overall)
10. Matthew Judon, New England Patriots (89 overall)
Madden NFL 24 @EAMaddenNFLThere's an edge to them 😈 <br><br>Top 10 Edge Rushers in <a href="">#Madden24</a> <a href=""> <a href="">
There wasn't much more Bosa could have done during the 2022 campaign to earn a 99.
He finished with 51 tackles, 18.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a pass defended despite consistently facing double teams and the opponents' best offensive linemen. It was another brilliant season after he finished the 2021 one with 15.5 sacks and a league-best 21 tackles for loss.
The numbers are even more impressive when considering he appeared in just two games in 2020 because of a torn ACL. It took him seemingly no time to bounce back and establish himself among the NFL's elite, and Madden recognized him with the best rating for edge-rushers.
Garrett also landed a 98 rating after he finished the 2022 campaign with 60 tackles, 16 sacks, four passes defended and two forced fumbles. It was his second consecutive year with 16 sacks and his fifth straight one with double-digit totals in the category.
Like Bosa, he faced double teams and the best shot from opponents on a weekly basis but still used his explosiveness to rack up sacks as one of the league's best playmakers on either side of the ball.
It is a testament to how deep the edge-rusher position is in the NFL that players such as Parsons, Watt, Von Miller and Maxx Crosby are behind multiple pass-rushers in the newest Madden ratings.
The list of elite players at the position only figures to increase as teams continue to put a premium on getting to the quarterback in today's pass-happy NFL, but Bosa and Garrett are the gold standard for the time being.
