Here's my report from the front lines -
After the patch was released yesterday I played 3 regular season games in my Charger's franchise (week 2 v. Hawks, week 3 @ Bills, week 4 v. Jags).
Week 2 v. Hawks I had actually already played this game a few days earlier but my game restarted after halftime (17 - 10, Hawks) losing my progress - which worked to the advantage of being able to replay the game with the new patch. This time through was actually a really close game, until the second half when the Hawk's pass coverage didn't seem able to contain my WRs. I can't get too upset about this considering the real life outcome. Overall great game, but Wilson still seems to be way under performing this season.
Final score: 23 - 13, Chargers
Rivers 21/37 56% 297 yards 1 td 1 int - 80.6 rating
Wilson 20/29 68% 130 yards 0 td 1 int - 63.9 rating
R. Mathews 32 for 136 1 td - 4.2 avg
M. Lynch 16 for 133 1 td - 8.3 avg
Chargers: 432 total yard, 136 rushing, 286 passing, 25 first downs, TOP 32:26
Hawks: 251 total yards, 149 rushing, 102 passing, 14 first downs, TOP 27:32
week 3 @ Bills Turned out to be a much better match second half (as I went into half time leading by a significant amount). The Bills turned up the running game with medium completions interspersed throughout. Ultimately however, they weren't able to capitalize when it mattered most
(3rd down conversions seem to be a real problem across the board with CPU).
Final score: 37 - 19, Chargers
Rivers 21/31 67% 208 yards 1 td 0 int
Manuel 16/23 69% 144 yards 1 td 1 int
R. Mathews 32 for 171 1 td - 5.3 avg
C.J. Spiller 20 for 71 0 td - 3.6 avg
Chargers: 399 total yard, 191 rushing, 208 passing, 21 first downs
Bills: 234 total yards, 101 rushing, 133 passing, 10 first downs
week 4 v. Jags This game was interesting. At the half both teams went into the locker room bottled up at 3 - 3. Despite my offensive production, Rivers managed to throw a red zone INT. Next red zone possession K. Allen (WR) fumbled the ball on a big hit. Ultimately several scoring chances were denied and what turned out to be a "closer game" in the end, could have easily been a massive blow out. Few things to note about this game - by week 4 in my league the Jags are heavily injured, missing most of their starting line backers and half of their O line (9 players total). With the previous games, I found sacks to be realistic with 1 or maybe 2 per game. This game however turned into a blood bath with 7 sacks on poor Chad Henne. However, before finally going out with an injury of is own deep in the 4th, Henne was able to rifle off some deep bullets with moderate success. This surprised me and almost felt like some kind of "momentum" mechanic had kicked in. Ultimately, the game finished unevenly despite the Jags moderate success on defense in the first half and moderate attempt at offence in the second.
Final score: 33 - 10, Chargers
Rivers 24/34 71% 282 yards 3 td 1 int
Hanne 22/32 69% 277 yards 1 td 1 int
R. Mathews 23 for 113 0 td - 4.9 avg
Gerhart 13 for 37 0 td - 2.8 avg
Chargers: 542 total yard, 239 rushing, 303 passing, 27 first downs
Jags: 255 total yards, 33 rushing, 222 passing, 10 first downs
End of Week 4 Conclusion - and Questions
The A&S sliders feel great - even after 1.03! While my worries are few using these sliders with Madden 15 Solo CFM, I do have them. One being, injuries. While some of the other NFL teams are battling injuries from hell and several of the top starting QBs are already out for large chunks of time - my team remains relatively untouched. Several times I've had a receiver go down with an injury but never has it carried over for multiple games or been an issue for my team. While I know this is simply a roll of the dice (for me, a lucky one), I am still curious to know
how everyone else is fairing with injuries?
Sacks definitely seem to have improved with 1.03 (although I am using QB edits for paranoid and throw away as well). I'm willing to bet that the 7 sackpocalypse v. Jags will be a one-off going forward. Their team was heavily injured and saw several backups and rookie O-linemen starting - not to mention Henne isn't the greatest.
Worrisome, however, is the amount of yards gained on the ground. Mathews has been able to plow through everything thrown at him and although he remains around a relatively normal avg yards per play number, it's just enough to get him the first down pretty much whenever called upon. Of course, this is an offenses best friend but when coupled with subpar defenses this translates into ridiculous stats, with Mathews now leading the NFL in total yards by more than 100 (although his avg. remains consistent with the other CPU leaders).
My solution: Switch to a 2-back system. The Chargers boast Woodhead and Brown as serious 2-back contenders and with my recent signing of Bishop Sankey (stupid Titans), the Chargers are well on their way back to HB glory years. A 2-back system seems to be a great option for another reason - Mathews is due for an injury. I don't know how much stamina and carries per game factor into injury frequency in Madden 15 (I'd imagine a significant amount), but if this keeps going, odds are Mathews will come up with an injury. In order to achieve a 2-back system, the autosubs need to be changed (I am experimenting now with HB 88 In/HB 87 Out).
And finally, here are the season rushing leaders at week 4 - and yes, that's Ray Rice with the most TDs
