As it does every year, Madden ratings have surprised many and pleased few, and the Indianapolis Colts are no exception to that rule. Many fans see some of their favorite players seemingly not get their due on a national stage, and they're thrown into uproar.
At first glance, the rating that was given to the Colts' very own strong safety, Nick Cross, seems egregiously low. The man was ridiculously efficient for a resurgent Colts defense last year, and when you take a look at his 2024 stat sheet, it simply doesn't seem to add up.
Despite a quiet first two seasons, in 2024, Nick Cross took off. Unfortunately, as always seems to happen, the national media doesn't exactly feel the same about many Colts players. Still, let's take off our blue-and-white tinted glasses for a second. Was the fourth-year corner spurned with a 76 overall, or is it warranted?
Indianapolis Colts safety Nick Cross will smash expectations in 2025
Let's read off the stats of two players in the league. One of them will be our very own Nick Cross. The other? A safety for another team, who shall remain nameless for now. For reference, both players played in all 17 games last year.
Player A: 96 total tackles, with 62 of them being solo. 34 assisted tackles. Zero sacks, one forced fumble, and one interception
Player B: 146 total tackles, with 87 of them being solo. 59 assisted tackles. One sack, one forced fumble, and three interceptions.
So, who would you say had a better season? Obviously, football is much more than a game played on a stat sheet, but it would be patently false to say that stats don't matter. The majority of critically thinking people, given just those two stat lines, would say that Player B had a better 2024 season.
Now, for the big reveal: Player B was, in fact, Nick Cross himself. Player A? The man tied for being the fourth-highest rated safety in the entire league, coming in at a whopping 92 overall, one Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Obviously, the purpose of this article is not to make the case that Nick Cross is a better football player than Minkah Fitzpatrick. Pretty much anyone would answer that Nick Cross is not better (in fact, if you asked a casual fan, you might even get a "who?"). Football is much more than just the stats.
Still, it's hard to reconcile such a huge rating disparity between two players when one had a clearly superior season just last year. Minkah Fitzpatrick earned a 92 overall rating, tied for fourth best in the league. How many players came in with a higher rating than Nick Cross? 51 players in the league scored a higher Madden rating than the emerging safety. 51. That's not even to mention the seven other safeties tied with Cross at 76.
Nick Cross is not the caliber of player that Minkah Fitzpatrick is (at least not yet...). But, what Nick Cross is, is a player that put together a phenomenal season last year, is only 23, and coming into his fourth year in the league. Couple that with a new look secondary meaning more opportunity, and Nick Cross could have a big 2025.
The national media may not give the man his due now, but with another standout season proving he is an elite player in this league, we could see Nick Cross catapult up the ranks of the Madden safety ratings come next year.