Madden Ultimate League Week 4 Recap and Standings

Matt Franciscovich, Madden Ultimate League

Welcome to the Madden 18 Ultimate League (MUL) weekly recap. This is where we’ll break down some of the key takeaways from every week of the Madden 18 Ultimate League season. You can check out some of the biggest risers and fallers, a full scoreboard from the week, updated standings, and a deep dive into some of the best matchups from weekly MUL gameplay. If you’re new to the Madden Ultimate League, here’s a handy guide on how to watch all season long.

Last week, it seemed like a few Madden Ultimate League competitors were separating themselves in the standings. Eric “Problem” Wright and Raidel “Echo Fox Joke” Brito both came out of Week 3 with 4-1 records while the rest of the Legend Conference sat at or below .500. But with Week 4 now in the rearview, the standings are closer than anyone might have imagined. It’s really anybody’s league right now. Let’s look at some standings and scoreboard notes from this week.

RISERS AND FALLERS – WEEK 4

  • Drini “Drini” Gjoka came into Week 4 with a 2-3 record but won both of his matchups and now sits at 4-3.
  • Echo Fox Joke dropped from 4-1 to 4-3 with two Week 4 losses.
  • Jahmal “Musafa Jones” Daniels lost his first two games of the season but won two of his three Week 4 games and now sits at 4-3.
  • Kent “Dot City K-Aus” Auslander started out 0-4 and broke even in Week 4 and remains in last place with 1-5 record.

SCOREBOARD – WEEK 4

Matchup                                                                  Score
Trae “Tweez” Bapes > Eli “Trueboy” Clayton             21-9
Musafa Jones > Dot City K-Aus                                12-0
Drini > Musafa Jones                                              37-23
Trueboy > Echo Fox Joke                                        12-5
Chris “Dubby” McFarland > Tweez                            34-7
Dot City K-Aus > Problem                                        27-13
Drini > Trueboy                                                      27-24
Musafa Jones > Echo Fox Joke                                 27-13

 

BEST MATCHUPS – WEEK 4

Drini (NYG) vs. Trueboy (JAX)

Final score: Drini 27, Trueboy 24

In terms of final score, this was the closest game of the week.

With about a minute left to play in the third quarter, Trueboy caught Drini’s defense in a run-commit and threw a touchdown strike to Niles Paul to tie the game at 17.

Just like that, the tables had turned on Drini. Sometimes, it’s all about momentum. At one point, Drini had scored 10 unanswered points and enjoyed a 17-10 lead. Now, with 1:48 left in regulation, the young competitor found himself down 24-20.

Drini’s Giants had the ball on the 14-yard line, and he called a run to Herschel Walker to the left side. Walker juked right, slid back through a gap to the left, bounced off a block, and somehow slithered his way across the goal line for the go-ahead touchdown, with 1:36 on the clock. Drini leaned back in his chair and let out what looked like a huge sigh of relief as he was now up three following the extra point.

Some impressive defense from Drini put Trueboy in a tough, but not impossible spot. With three timeouts and 55 seconds to play, Trueboy’s Jaguars faced a fourth-and-12 from their own 22-yard line. Trueboy slung a bullet pass from Steve Young on an out-route to Evan Engram, but Drini successfully knocked it away with a clutch user swat, and that’s all she wrote.

Dot City K-Aus (PIT) vs. Problem (LAC)

Final Score: Dot City K-Aus 27, Problem 13

Heading into Week 4, Dot City K-Aus was sporting a winless record. So he needed a win badly. That would be a tall order against Problem, though, who was tied for first place with a 4-1 record in the Legend Conference heading into the week, and who has hauled in $370,000 in career earnings playing competitive Madden (per esportsearnings.com). Problem is arguably the greatest competitive Madden player of all time.

But Dot City K-Aus didn’t let Problem’s past success get to his head. The 22-year-old from Virginia started hot and led 16-3 at halftime. But if you thought Problem would go quietly, you’d have lost that bet.

On the veteran’s first possession after intermission, he ripped off a 77-yard touchdown run with Derrick Henry from singleback wing stretch formation. Henry started his run to the left side, and Dot City K-Aus’ user defender did a good job of plugging the gap, on an inevitable collision course with the running back. Well, there was a collision for sure. But it came in the form of a successful user truck by Problem and as announcer Ryan Glick said on the broadcast, Henry “got on his horse” and took it all the way to the end zone.

Now a one-possession game, Problem was back in it. With just over two minutes to play, K-Aus led 19-16 and had the ball in the red zone. Problem’s Chargers were in a dollar formation on defense, pressing to protect against the pass. K-Aus responded with an inside zone run with Matt Breida and there was nothing Problem could do once the back reached the second level. That successful drive put Dot City K-Aus up 27-13 after a two-point conversion and was the solution to Dot City K-Aus’ winless problem in a big upset.

You might have heard Glick mention during the stream that Dot City K-Aus had changed controllers from his own to one provided by EA and maybe that had something to do with his new-found success. Superstition or not, we’ll be sure to follow up on this storyline later in the season.

Echo Fox Joke (NE) vs. Musafa Jones (ATL)

Final Score: Echo Fox Joke 13, Musafa Jones 27

It was a good week for Musafa Jones for more than one reason.

First, he celebrated his 23rd birthday.

Second, he bolstered his MUL record to 4-3 with two big wins during Week 4’s contests.

Musafa Jones was fearless against Echo Fox Joke, jumping out to a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter on the heels of a Herschel Walker 13-yard touchdown scamper.

By the time the fourth quarter was underway, Musafa had a 22-7 lead. But Echo Fox Joke quickly closed the gap on a 1-yard touchdown run with, guess who – his own Herschel Walker.

Echo Fox Joke was now just an extra point away from making it a one-possession contest. He lined up for the kick, but Musafa Jones rushed hard from the left side, dove in front of the kick, and blocked the attempt. It was recovered by Musafa Jones’ Ronnie Lott and return the entire length of the field for two points. That’ll ruin your day, eh Echo Fox Joke?

With that one play, Echo Fox Joke went from making it a one-possession game to facing an 11-point deficit. As broadcast play-by-play announcer Scott Cole stated, that block and return was straight-up disrespect from Musafa Jones and Ronnie Lott.

Happy Birthday, Musafa Jones! Oh, and nice beard.

Want to show your support for your favorite Madden Ultimate League competitors when you play Madden 18 MUT mode? Check out details on the Gameday Competitors Program where you can take your pick of one of six MUL competitor coaches and one of four Championship Series player cards, plus get custom Madden Ultimate League uniforms. Wondering what the Madden Ultimate Team (MUT) mode is all about? Dig in here for find more information on how to build your own ultimate Madden lineup.