Week 4 of the NFL season kicks off tonight with the "Thursday Night Football" matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the St. Louis Rams, which means it's time to take a look at the latest "Madden NFL 25" ratings for the Next Gen Team. The Next Gen team is made up of 25 of the brightest young stars in the NFL who are relying on you to vote for them and increase their Madden rating so they can be crowned the Madden Next Gen Champ!
Risers
The biggest winner from last week was Ryan Tannehill, who jumped three overall points to an 84 after leading a fourth quarter touchdown drive to defeat the Atlanta Falcons and take the Miami Dolphins to 3-0. Clearly all of Adam Rank's pleas are being heard.
The rest of the risers in overall rating jumped by just one point. Geno Smith reached 75 after he and the New York Jetsdefeated the Buffalo Bills to kickoff their season with a 2-1 start, while Doug Martin vaulted himself into the top tier with a 90 rating after posting over 100 total yards in back-to-back contests. Seattle Seahawks' Bobby Wagner and Washington Redskins' Ryan Kerrigan are rising stars at the linebacker position in the NFL, as evidenced by their increases to 88 in overall rating.
Missing in action
Green Bay Packers cornerback Casey Hayward and San Diego Chargers linebacker Manti Te'o both stayed the same after missing their third straight game because of injuries. Te'o should be back in action Sunday, while Hayward has a bye week to get healthy and finally set foot on the field.
Fallers
Only two players saw their overall rating take a tumble from Week 3 to Week 4, Nick Fairley and Colin Kaepernick. While the Detroit Lions triumphed over the Redskinson Sunday, Fairley's rating slid because he failed to register a solo tackle, and along with the rest of the defense, allowed the Redskins to rack up 120 yards rushing on the day. Meanwhile, Kaepernick's struggles continued for the second straight week, this time at home to the Indianapolis Colts. He was only 13 of 27 for 150 yards passing with no touchdowns and one interception.
Check back tomorrow for Adam Rank's reaction/predictions piece for the upcoming slate of games on Sunday, and be sure to vote for the "Madden NFL 25" Next Gen champ! Voting for this week will open after the Monday night game between the Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints.