Since the '00s, the cover stars of EA's Madden NFL series have been haunted by a curse – or, at least, a series of unfortunate coincidences, including injuries, poor seasons, and other general bad omens. If there ever was a curse, it seemed to have died in the modern era. Until, that is, the most recent game featuring Chicago Bears quarterback and Madden NFL 27 cover star Caleb Williams.
The Chicago Bears had been struggling to find a solid footing for years, until 2025, when Williams led the team to a playoff run, just barely missing out on a conference championship appearance after a thrilling overtime loss to an excellent LA Rams team. Throughout 2025 he became one of the most exciting players in the NFL, coming up clutch in big moments and leading unbelievable comebacks.
It's little wonder, then, that Williams was selected as the cover star for Madden 27. If there ever was a curse, it seemed dead after the opening of the 2026 season, which saw Williams lead the Bears to an eye-watering 59 points in a road victory over the Carolina Panthers. It was the fourth-most points in Bears history, and the biggest score the Panthers had allowed in team history.
But this past Sunday, the curse came back in a big way. The Bears scored only a single field goal in a dismal 9-3 loss against the division rival Minnesota Vikings. As if the low score, gray skies, and dribbling rain didn't put the hometown Chicago crowd in a bad enough mood, Williams suffered an injury in the second half as his leg suddenly gave out from under him.
These sorts of injuries – when a player goes down without being contacted by anyone else – tend to be the scariest ones of all. Fans immediately feared an ACL tear or an Achilles rupture, either of which would likely end Williams' season altogether. It certainly seemed that he shared those fears himself when he was carted off the field in tears on Sunday. Thankfully, Williams was diagnosed with a hamstring injury, and new reports emerging as I write this suggest that it's a pretty minor one.
Still, after the emotional rollercoaster Bears fans have been on the past couple of weeks, the Madden curse feels more real than ever. You'll see references to it all over social media: "Madden curse strikes again," "curse dont miss," and "the Madden Curse is real." Talk of the curse has gotten so prolific that you'll even find younger football fans suddenly learning about the whole thing for the first time.
Part of the reason a new generation of NFL fans are learning the legend of the Madden curse this week is because it hasn't really been a factor in years. Recent cover stars have included the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson, who all had incredible seasons after showing up on the box art.
But the curse did have a really good (bad) hit rate in the early days. Or, as AlabasterRadio puts it on Reddit: "The Madden Curse doesn't bat 1.000 but it does bat like .600 which would make it the greatest baseball player of all time."
It all really depends on how you define the curse, or how much you want to believe it exists. Football is a dangerous sport, and the stars making the Madden cover are often the ones making the most dynamic and risky plays. In other words, they're the ones most likely to go down with injury. For me? Nah, of course the curse isn't real. But I won't blame fans of whoever ends up being next year's cover star from holding their breath for a bit.
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