Mahomes & The Madden Curse: Odds Say Chiefs QB Won’t Miss Games Due to Injury in 2019

• While the curse is real, the oddsmakers suggest that new EA Sports Madden 20 cover athlete Patrick Mahomes II of the Kansas City Chiefs will finish the year healthy as an ox
• We count how many previous players have gone down with injury, bad stats or completely vanished following their cover year
• What’s the best bet for Mahomes in 2019, healthy or injured?

While the decision to replace John Madden himself officially began in 1999 for Madden 2000, the curse didn’t officially begin until Daunte Culpepper hit the front in 2002.

Barry Sanders and Eddie George graced the first few covers and while they didn’t undergo injury, mind you Sanders just flat out retired, Eddie George did hit a down season.

2019 Patrick Mahomes Madden Curse Odds

*Odds taken May 1, 2019

By our count, since the Culpepper cover, nine players have gone down with injury in either the following season, next offseason or regular season.

Others have had to deal with legal issues, suspensions or down years, but remained healthy throughout. Nonetheless, the curse is real and Kansas City Chiefs’ fans will be on pins and needles in 2019.

Which Cover Athletes Have Fallen?

As mentioned, it started with Daunte in 2002. The year prior he became a household name connecting with Randy Moss and the rest of the Vikings 33 times and going 11-5. He then missed six games due to injury and fumbled the ball 13 times en route to a 4-7 performance.

Marshall Faulk graced the cover the following year. After he eclipsed the 1,300-yard mark in three straight seasons, he’d miss six games after his cover shoot and never hit the 1,000 mark again.

After Faulk eclipsed the 1,300-yard mark in three straight seasons, he’d miss six games after his cover shoot and never hit the 1,000 mark again.

Michael Vick may be the worst of the bunch though. After much debate, he decided to grace the cover and then almost immediately went down with a broken fibula in the pre-season.

Peyton Hillis sacrificed his career to the Madden curse for this … don’t forget the true hero Cleveland ! pic.twitter.com/QQS36QXHp7

— DVN (@theD3VIN) March 13, 2019

The curse didn’t just hit players health-wise though, the curse struck the stats and even the careers of some cover athletes too. Shaun Alexander and Peyton Hillis were easily the best examples of that.

In 2005, Alexander was one of the NFL’s true rising stars rushing for nearly 2,000 yards and taking his Seattle Seahawks to their first Super Bowl appearance. He then graced the cover the following season, couldn’t even hit 900-yards and was out of the league two years later.

Peyton Hillis, Mr. 2012 mind you, had it bite down just as hard. After breaking out in 2010, he graced the cover for Madden 12, missed six games with injury the following season and watched his yardage numbers steadily decline (never going for more than 587 again) until he was officially out of the league in 2015.

Will Mahomes Get Bit?

As we all know and were witness to, Patrick Mahomes shredded the universe in 2018. With a grand total of 50 touchdowns and over 5,000 yards through the air, it’s no wonder that he was the obvious choice for the Madden 20 cover.

Now, while Mahomes was going through the motions, he did have a lot of added help that will no longer be part of his supporting cast.

Can @PatrickMahomes break the Madden curse? See @EAMaddenNFL's trailer for #Madden20, starring @joeyBADASS. pic.twitter.com/eVce2y1j5i

— Modern Notoriety (@ModernNotoriety) April 27, 2019

First up, the obvious one. The Kansas City Chiefs set a tremendous precedent with Kareem Hunt after he was videod kicking a woman in the leg. They released him instantly and will now likely face a similar decision with star wideout Tyreek Hill. There’s a very real possibility that Mahomes will enter 2019 without Hill in the offense too.

With his agility, pocket presence and awareness, we don’t foresee an injury, but a stat decline is very likely this season.