Madden NFL 2014 shipped in summer 2013 for the 2013 NFL season. Launch ratings are set before the season is played, so they reflect the previous year’s performance - a player’s breakout shows up in the next year’s game.
Madden NFL 25, the 25th-anniversary edition, released August 27, 2013 with Adrian Peterson on the cover (Barry Sanders shared an alternate). Peterson, Calvin Johnson, and J.J. Watt were the launch 99s.
Seattle routed Denver 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII, linebacker Malcolm Smith named game MVP. Peyton Manning won regular-season MVP and Offensive Player of the Year with record numbers, 55 touchdown passes and 5,477 yards. Luke Kuechly took Defensive Player of the Year, and Eddie Lacy and Sheldon Richardson won the rookie awards.
Manning's record-shattering season outran any rating. The miss was the cover man: Adrian Peterson, fresh off a 2,097-yard MVP year and a 99, fell back to 1,266 yards as Minnesota slid to 5-10-1.