Thursday Night Football was absolutely just a game of Madden 17.
Madden 17 is available at most Redbox vendors. Whether outside of a Walgreens pharmacy, a gas station or even outside a green Walmart, the one that’s supposed to be more of a market and less of an everything-store, check and see if they have the newest update to the NFL video game. If you’re like me and have failed over the years to keep up with the trends of video game consoles, you may have to resort for trying to locate a Playstation 3 version or an Xbox 360 version. This is the final Madden installment for the retired devices. In order to prevent a wild-goose chase, there is an alternative.
The Redbox App allows for locating and reserving copies of movies or video games by downloading and creating an account.
The Rob Gronkowski (New England Patriots star tight end) covered carbon copy was almost identical to previous year’s editions of the game. The newer video game consoles must undoubtedly be fantastically better. After seeing what it’s like to lead a Dak Prescott (current Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback) offense or playing as a stacked Houston Texans defense, you will feel satisfied with the $2.00, with tax depending your location’s tax, priced rental.
Side note: You can receive a $1 coupon for downloading the Redbox App and reserving a copy. It drops the daily rate from $3.00 to $2.00. Money well spent.
However, if you need a Madden-style football “fix” at this very moment, you just missed your chance.
Tonight, to start the 2nd week of the 2016–2017 NFL season, the New York Jets faced the Buffalo Bills in the newly coined New Era Stadium. Yes, the hat company.
Buffalo did not want to start 0–2 and have it’s 2nd loss be a home game against a divisional opponent. Networks emphasized the Bills overpowering record against the Jets. 6 years of losses. The opening vignette included former Hall of Fame quarterbacks Broadway Joe Namath and cancer beating Bills legend Jim Kelly and their daughters, respectively. Arguing over Buffalo’s four empty Super Bowl trips and the New York Jets’ sole Super Bowl ring of days past and the Jet’s elimination from the previous year’s playoffs due to a loss to the Bills, it built a story line, of sorts.
Following kickoff, the events that transpired on the football field were similar, if not exact to a game of Madden.
Thursday Night Football was a game of Madden on All-Pro.
The final score was 37–31 with the New York Jets beating coach Rex Ryan’s Bills for the first time in 3 seasons.
The quarterback of the New York Jets Ryan Fitzpatrick, who was a record of 1–8 against Rex Ryan’s teams before this game, played like he was being controlled by buttons and a thumbstick. The Jet’s hopeful savior, completed 24 of his 34 passes and scored a single TD.
This Thursday Night Football game of Madden had 5 lead changes.
The Jet’s runningback Matt Forte, who has Chicago Bears’ fans screaming in agony, scored 3 rushing touchdowns. 3!
He ran with the ball 30 times. 30!
He had 100 yards on his rushes. 100! Even numbers.
Suspiciously enough, the wide receiving corps of the New York Jets team had 3 recievers with 6 catches each. 6!
Eric Decker, #87, who literally got called out by a referee that if he taunted the opposing team again he would be disqualified from the game, had the single receiving touchdown and was credited with 126 yards.
Brandon Marshall, football player/media reporter extraordanaire, had 101 yards with his 6 catches. Marshall looked to be injured at one point in the game but during this Thursday Night Football game of Madden, he was eligible to return with re-injury risk being low.
The 3rd recieiver as Quincy Enunwa, who plays as fun as his name. An early emergence in the offense, Enunwa was 8 yards short of being a 3rd 100 yard reciever. These are truly Madden-like statistics for the New York Jets.
The game concluded just like a video game, with an onside kick and a desperate play.
The Buffalo Bills, with hopes to come back, scored a touchdown with 1:17 left in the 4th quarter to make the score 37–31. They had two timeouts left. The Buffalo Bills would have had all three but performed a Madden-like 4th and short play with their backup quarterback (Florida State’s alumni E.J. Manuel) yelling out “HUT!” as many times as he could to try and draw the New York Jets offsides and receive a penalty assisted first down or continuance (See Note.)
Side note: Earlier in the 4th quarter, E.J. Manuel tried over and over to fake out the defensive linemen of the Jets and as the play clock struck :01, Rex Ryan had to use a time out. The Bills ended up still trying to convert a 4th and short and failed. The turnover led to Matt Forte’s 3rd rushing Touchdown putting the Bills in their current mess with the Jets up 37–24.
Previous uses of timeouts and back and forth touchdowns aside, the onside kick failed with 1:17 left in the 4th quarter. The New York Jets had possession and could close this game out.
Three failed rushes to get a first down and signal the opposing coaches to go shake hands in the middle of the field, the Jets had to punt and turn the ball back over to the Buffalo Bills with a precious 10 seconds left.
10 seconds on the clock. The Buffalo Bills have a quarterback that did this earlier in the game:
Could they pull it off?
The last play was a short pass from Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor (who was tested for a concussion during the game and returned with the Madden re-injury risk being Medium.) That short pass led to 10 yards and then a lateral to gain 18 more yards. The play ended in a game-sealing tackle by the Jets defense.
All the players congregated.
The coaches shook hands.
The stars spoke to the media.
The viewing public was witness to a reenactment of a Madden video game with the professional athletes of the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills.
The rematch is New Year’s Day.
So if you don’t receive the newest installment of Madden as a Christmas gift (which is likely if you don’t have the newest video game consoles) and you need a fix- the second contest at the New York Jet’s MetLife Stadium could be just the video game viewing session you may require.
