Madden 21 gives Redskins DL Matt Ioannidis superhuman strength

The Redskins haven’t earned the respect of the Madden ratings adjustors in recent years, but in the game’s latest installment, Matt Ioannidis is given a big compliment.

The ratings are out for EA’s new Madden 21, and Washington Redskins fans, for the most part, will be disappointed. The team is one of the lowest overall rated franchises at 77 overall, only outranking the Miami Dolphins. The team’s top player is Brandon Scherff, at 87 overall, and numerous standouts, like Landon Collins and Terry McLaurin, linger in the lower 80’s.

Recognition on Madden, of course, partially comes with success, and the Redskins simply haven’t been successful in recent years. The best teams coach up their talent, and allow able players to gain more national recognition, but in Washington, amidst unstable circumstances, that hasn’t always been possible.

That does, however, come with exceptions.

Redskins defensive lineman and former fifth-round pick Matt Ioannidis received a ringing endorsement from Madden 21. Not only is he the team’s second-highest-rated player at 86 overall, and not only is he the team’s top-rated defensive lineman, but he was also awarded superhuman strength by the game’s developers.

Ioannidis received the second-highest strength rating in the entire game, measuring in with 98 strength, just one point shy of the maximum. His rating was higher than those of Ndamukong Suh, Quenton Nelson, J.J. Watt, and Tyron Smith. The only player that out-ranked him in that category? Five-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler Aaron Donald.

Ioannidis has the lesser pedigree of the Redskins’ three stalwart defensive linemen, having been drafted on Day 3 of the 2016 NFL Draft, while Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne were both selected in Round 1. But Ioannidis has perhaps developed into the best of the bunch, and national outlets are starting to take notice of his domination.

Ioannidis has grown into one of the game’s best interior pass rushers. In 2019, he was the team’s top sack-getter, amassing 8.5 quarterback takedowns from the middle of the line. His pass rush productivity has measured with some of the best in the league, and at 26 years old, he’s only getting better.

Ioannidis’ strength, of course, is a defining part of his game. How can you be a Redskins fan if you don’t remember his sack on Aaron Rodgers in 2018, when he quite literally walked right tackle Bryan Bulaga into his own quarterback? Or when he threw Ezekiel Elliott back like a rag doll when Elliott somehow mustered up the courage to attempt to block him?

Redskins fans haven’t had a lot to be happy about in modern times, but Matt Ioannidis is one of those select positives. He’s truly one of the best interior linemen in the league, and you can remember that when you’re getting 20 sacks a season with him in franchise mode (We know it’s on rookie difficulty, no worries).