Madden NFL 18 predicts Patriots victory over Eagles at Super Bowl 52

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There's no shock on the cards in this Sunday's Super Bowl, if EA Sports' Madden NFL 18 simulation of the big game turns out of be accurate: it tips New England to top Philadelphia 24-20. 

Before I go on: yes, it does sound like madness to think that a videogame, however realistic, can accurately preview real life. Yet when GamesRadar+ ran its own similar prediction ahead of Super Bowl 50, the engine got both the winner (Denver) and their points telly (24) 100% correct. 

Here, then, is this year's prediction vid featuring the Patriots and Eagles:

[Great though this year's game is, I did chuckle at K1LL3RBURR1TO's Youtube comment that, "They’ve put more effort into this then they did for Franchise mode in Madden 18."]

EA's sim tips Philly to take the lead with a Jay Ajayi rushing touchdown, only for the Pats to answer when Tom Brady finds Rob Gronkowski in the end zone. New England leads at half-time, 17-13.

Momentum then swings back and forth between both teams as Danny Amendola grabs a second Brady touchdown pass to go up 24-20, but a Dion Lewis fumble gifts the Eagles possession for one final drive. 

There's no fairy tale, however. Eagles' unlikely play-offs hero Nick Foles launches a last-gasp throw into the end zone on 4th down, and Stephon Gilmore repeats his feat from the AFC Championship game against Jacksonville, swatting the ball away to seal New England's win. 

Wanna see how close the video is to reality? The Super Bowl kicks off on Sunday at 6.30pm on the east coast, 3.30pm on the west coast, and 11.30pm in the UK.

Continuing this week's Super Bowl theme, GR+ takes a looks back at the Madden ambulance, ESPN 2K5 half-time show, and other lost sports game features we need restored.

Ben Wilson
Ben Wilson
Freelance Writer

I'm GamesRadar's freelance sports editor, and obsessed with NFL, WWE, MLB, AEW, and occasionally things that don't have a three-letter acronym – such as Chvrches, Bill Bryson, and Streets Of Rage 4. (All the Streets Of Rage games, actually.) Even after three decades I still have a soft spot for Euro Boss on the Amstrad CPC 464+.