I really wish they'd get away from the gimmicky stuff and focus on fundamental mechanics like 2K does.
"Play Now" in 2K18 is pretty lame imo just like Madden because the AI will constantly work to manufacture some kind of outcome. In basketball 1 turnover isn't a big deal but in football it can be the difference between a win and a loss. So your observation IMO is correct, it does work better in other games.
Not sure about FIFA, but 2K's game modes that allow users to only play with other users really does a great job of getting around that aspect of gaming. I'll never expect EA to be creative enough to give us a similar option in football, that would be flat out insane, but I do think it would go a long way in attracting more sales because of a new competitive aspect that would be brought into the product. Anyone that has played football understands what makes it special is your teammates.