Here is a challenge for you.
The Buffalo Bills are through to the Divisional Round of the playoffs – having beaten the Denver Broncos on Wild Card Weekend.
While waiting for next weekend to roll around, I turn to EA Sports to provide the entertainment and drama instead.
Madden 25’s Franchise Mode has various levels of complexities – but one thing is for sure: Playing as the Buffalo Bills in ‘Franchise Mode’ is both fun and a rewarding challenge!
- Become the Owner (Owner mode)
Unlike the real-life Bills, there is not a shiny new stadium on the horizon for the Madden Bills. This means your first decision is to either upgrade Highmark Stadium piece by piece – or build an entirely new stadium altogether.
If you are a neutral … Buffalo is a franchise you can re-locate – but surely that would not cross your mind?!
- Solid core raises the floor
You want the game to still be fun. Everyone loves a rebuild and putting their own stamp on the team – but sometimes it is nice to have pieces in place already.
Josh Allen. James Cook. Matt Milano. Ed Oliver. A solid offensive line.
Building blocks for any prospective General Manager.
- Tough schedule
Unlike in real life – you will find both the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets to be far more frustrating to play against.
Aaron Rodgers gets the ball out quick. And Tyreek Hill will make you want to break your controller.
After that, you still have the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs to negotiate.
- Navigating cap challenges
Sure it is great fun having loads of cap space and signing lots of free agents.
But where is the real challenge in that?!
Josh Allen, Von Miller, Ed Oliver and Dion Dawkins take up just under half your cap.
The first test for any Bills Manager is to decide what to do with Spencer Brown at right tackle.
In season two, renewing the likes of Terrel Bernard, Christian Benford, Kaiir Elam, Kalil Shakir becomes paramount – so manage your cap wisely!
In summary, I would highly recommend any Madden player to try their hand at managing the Buffalo Bills in ‘Franchise Mode’.
It is not as easy as you might think – but hey, who wants an easy time of it anyway?
