Josh Allen Is On This Year's Madden Cover, And We All See What's Happened

Has the Madden curse struck again?

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has had quite the season. And that’s for all the wrong reasons after another frustrating loss last night to the Denver Broncos.

But are we blaming it all on being on a video game cover or perhaps the Bills (and their head coach Sean McDermott) themselves?

More than halfway through the NFL season, Allen now leads the entire league in turnovers with 15, including 11 interceptions and 4 fumbles. Last night, he threw for only 177 yards in a must-win game for the Bills after losing 3 of their last 5. The team now sits in second place in the AFC East at 5-5. (Which also shows just how bad the division is)

IS THE MADDEN CURSE REAL?

The "Madden Curse" has historically referred to players that graced the cover only to see their production immensely slow or even suffer devastating injuries. Although it's not 100% failproof, with Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady being some of the exceptions, there does seem to be SOMETHING that has happened to an overwhelming majority of the players that have appeared on the cover.

Barry Sanders kicked off the Madden curse by appearing on the inaugural cover of the game. And although he appeared ON the cover of the game, he never appeared IN a game. He retired before the season and never played a single down after being put on the video game cover.

A year later, Eddie George found himself on the cover only to go from 1,500 rushing yard seasons to becoming an absolute bust and never again averaging more than 3.4 yards-per-carry. Ask Vikings fans about the disaster that became of Daunte Culpepper after his 2002 Madden appearance, missing six games with an injury and fumbling 16 times.

Remember how good Marshall Faulk was? Yeah, that ended after Madden. Michael Vick, Shaun Alexander, Vince Young, Peyton Hillis, Antonio Brown... don't tell me there aint a damn curse!

Statistically, 37% of the athletes suffered major injuries after gracing the cover, while nearly 60% saw their offensive production dramatically reduced after their appearance.

OH, COME ON...

Of course, Josh Allen's playing style where he showcases his gun of an arm, runs the ball when he can and isn't afraid to take risks, is sure to bring up a higher turnover rate compared to someone who just sits in the pocket.

But anyone who has watched Josh and the Bills this season realizes that something seems off.

Whether it is the ghost of John Madden reigning havoc upon another NFL player remains to be seen. But this is sports we're talking about - we need to throw out all logic. Oh, and this is also BUFFALO BILLS fans, who realize their time to win a Super Bowl Championship is shrinking by the week as there will no doubt be player and personnel changes if this continues.

One thing's for sure, the Bills aren't doing themselves or Josh any favors of breaking the curse based on their play this year - including blowing last night's game by having too many players on the field.

Personally, I take the Michael Scott approach to life - I'm not "superstitious," just "stitious." But I also know not to mess around with karma or anger the gods that be. Why even put yourself in that situation whether the Madden curse is real or not? Just stay away!

Instead, my advice to athletes offered the Madden cover would be to take the Peyton Manning approach. Just do a funny commercial with a catchy-ass jingle about chicken parm and you'll be remembered forever.