Madden 23: The Top 5 teams for Franchise Mode

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Along with ultimate team, franchise mode is a big fan-favorite in Madden as gamers get the opportunity to play with their favorite teams or create completely different ones using the fantasy draft option. Earlier in July, Madden 23 released their team ratings for gamers to see, leaving us plenty to look forward to come August 19^th.

Though some might expect the previous Super Bowl winner to be the best team for the next Madden, it doesn’t always work that way considering how many free agent signings, trades, and draft pickups are completed throughout the entire offseason. With so many new acquisitions made so far, we are going to take a look at the Top 5 teams and assess whether the spot they landed in is warranted or not.

Let’s get straight to it.

Top Five Madden 23 Team Ratings

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (92)
2. Buffalo Bills (89)
3. Los Angeles Rams (88)
4. Green Bay Packers (88)
5. Baltimore Ravens (87)

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (92)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the best team in Madden 23 and legitimately so. Their offense holds the highest rating (92) and for a variety of key reasons. At the forefront, is the G.O.A.T. himself Tom Brady, who came back for another season despite initially announcing his retirement earlier this year.

Although he’s 45-years-old, Brady is still as dangerous as ever, hitting career highs last season in completions (485), passing yards (5,316), passing yards per game (312.7), while posting his second highest, single-season touchdown total (43). There’s good reason why he’s the best quarterback in Madden 23 (97 rating) and why this offense is as good as it is.

Aside from Brady, the Buccaneers’ offensive supporting cast has only gotten better from season to season. With core members Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Leonard Fournette, and Cameron Brate still on the team, the Buccaneers decided to also sign wide receivers Julio Jones, Russell Gage, and tight end Kyle Rudolph. This is also the same offense that contains three of the best offensive linemen in Madden 23, which include right tackle Tristen Wirfs (91 overall), center Ryan Jansen (90 overall), and right guard Shaq Mason (87 overall).

Defensively, the Buccaneers added defensive end Akiem Hicks and signed veteran free safety Logan Ryan. Similar to that of their offensive, their defense is stacked with elite talent and will be fun to dominate with in Madden 23.

2. Buffalo Bills (89)

The Bills have a really well-balanced team on both sides of the ball and certainly deserve this second spot. After already proving just how dangerous they are over these last two seasons alone, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship in 2020 before coming up short once more to them in the Divisional Round last season, the Bills, just like the Buccaneers, got even better over the offseason.

Offensively, the Bills received an 89 rating, matching their unit’s potential quite accurately. With players like Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, Dawson Knox, Gabriel Davis, and Devin Singletary all still leading the charge for this offense, the Bills also added wide receiver Jamison Crowder, tight end OJ Howard, and drafted Georgia rookie running back James Cook, the younger brother of Dalvin Cook.

The one big reason why the Bills offense doesn’t receive a grade higher than 89, is because of their offensive line. Out of their entire group, the best offensive lineman is Dion Dawkins, who received an 83 rating. Outside of Dawkins and left guard Rodger Saffold, everyone else on the Bills offensive line has a rating below 80, hindering their offense significantly.

Defensively, the Bills received a strong 88 ranking. This was a realistic decision seeing they acquired future Hall of Famer Von Miller and drafted the bright rookie cornerback from Florida in Kaiir Elam to add to an already elite secondary.

3. Los Angeles Rams (88)

After winning their second Super Bowl ring last season, the Rams have to be in the Top 5 for Madden 23. That said, it’s understandable why they aren’t number one. With the retirement of Andrew Whitworth and the departures of Von Miller, Robert Woods, and Odell Beckham Jr. (who’s a free agent), the Rams certainly aren’t the same exact team they were earlier this year when they hoisted the Vince Lombardy trophy.

However, the Rams did well to patch the holes left behind by some of their former stars, warranting a rating of 85 on Madden 23 as a result. A part of their ability to maintain that grade was due to the Rams signing former Chicago Bears wideout Allen Robinson, who makes for a strong complimentary deep threat alongside Cooper Kupp. That said, the fact that their offensive line only has one player that has an 80 rating or higher (Rob Havenstein – 85), it makes sense why the Rams offense only got the 85 score they did.

On defense, the Rams, who received an 88 rating, signed not only cornerback Troy Hill but also acquired the menacing veteran linebacker, Bobby Wagner. From Aaron Donald, Leonard Floyd, Jalen Ramey, Wagner, and Hill, the Rams defense is stacked with talent, and could have potentially earned a higher rank for their unit.

4. Green Bay Packers (88)

Losing Davante Adams over free agency this offseason was a massive blow for the Green Bay Packers and the biggest reason why this spot is fitting for them.

Although their overall rating didn’t dip much from Madden 22 to 23 (Packers were 89 overall in 22), their offensive rating dropped drastically, falling from a 91 to now an 86 ranking. In fact, this blow was so harsh for the Packers, that their defense received a better rating than their offense in Madden 23 (though by just one point).

Despite such, the Packers are still a dangerous offense to go up against, especially since they have a balanced attack. With four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers leading the helm on the passing front with Adam Lazard, newly drafted Christian Watson, newly signed Sammy Watkins, and tight end Robert Tonyan, the Packers also have a very strong running game with both Aaron Jones and AJ Dillion.

Though their offensive line isn’t as good as it needs to be, the Packers do have two of the best offensive tackles in the league, in David Bakhtiari (94 overall) and Elgton Jenkins (85 overall).

On the defensive front, the Packers received an 87 rating and for a unit that remained fairly unchanged. Despite losing edge rusher Za’Darius Smith, the Packers still have Jair Alexander, Adrian Amos, Rashan Gary, Kenny Clark, Preston Smith, and they drafted Georgia linebacker Quay Walker. This group has all the firepower it needs and deserved to have a better rating than their offense.

5. Baltimore Ravens (87)

The Ravens, interestingly enough, received the same offensive and defensive ratings in Madden 23 than they did in Madden 22. Their offense received an 84 and their defense an 85, illustrating that aside from the changes that took place, not a whole lot has improved on the overall talent scale for the Ravens.

Offensively, this does make sense. Besides MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson and his elite tight end Mark Andrews, the Ravens haven’t been able to stack up better talent amongst their wide receivers following the departure of Marquis Brown, leaving not a whole lot of great receiving options for Jackson.

What keeps this unit afloat with their 84 rating, is their offensive line, one that has Ronnie Stanley (90 overall), Kevin Zeitler (85 overall), and that drafted the bright rookie center out of Iowa in Tyler Linderbaum. That said, one can argue that the Ravens should have received a lower rating offensively, which could have derailed them from the Top 5.

Defensively, the Ravens still carry a handful of imposing playmakers, from Marlon Humphrey, Michael Pierce, Calais Campbell, Marcus Williams, Marcus Peters, Kyle Fuller, and Odafe Oweh. They also drafted the talented safety out of Notre Dame in Kyle Hamilton, a bright prospect with a ton of upside. The 85 rating this unit received is fair. But it has the potential to be much better as the season progresses.

With that said, the biggest reason why the Ravens are even in the Top 5, is because of their special teams rating, which is the highest in the game (88). And the reason for such, is largely due to their kicker, Justin Tucker. He’s been the best kicker in the league for years and from his kick accuracy to leg power, Tucker is as good as it gets and the biggest reason why the Ravens have the best special teams rating. Tucker is the best kicker in Madden 23 with a 90 overall rating.