Madden Ultimate League Playoffs Review

The Madden Ultimate League postseason is upon us. A three-round single-elimination playoff leads up to the finale, the Madden Bowl, on Sunday April 28 in Dallas, TX. The level of intensity is elevated now that there’s some big money on the line, with each remaining competitor vying for their share of a $500K prize pool. If you need a quick-hitting guide on how, when, and where to watch the MUL playoffs, check this out. Below, you’ll find all the same information, but with a more detailed breakdown of the competitors’ gameplay tendencies and how these matchups played out in the regular season, so you can watch with purpose during the upcoming Ultimate League playoff live streams. Let’s get into it.

Saturday April 21 – Legend Conference Playoffs

Wildcard Round – Legend Conference
All games streaming on Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Mixer

5:00 p.m. ET – Jahmal “Musafa Jones” Daniels vs. Chris “Dubby” McFarland

The Madden Ultimate League playoffs kick off with a Legend Conference showdown between Musafa Jones and Dubby. Dubby defeated Musafa Jones in both of their regular season matchups and outscored him 61-23 in those games.

In their first meeting, Dubby dominated time of possession and controlled the rock for over 12 minutes (out of 20). He rushed the ball on 52 percent of his plays, racking up 20 carries in the game, and collecting two takeaways. During their regular season rematch, it was more of the same. Dubby won the time of possession battle and recorded three takeaways, while Musafa Jones had zero turnovers go his way. Dubby scored an opening drive rushing touchdown with NFL Playoffs Elite HB Derrick Henry and was up 17-0 before halftime. It wasn’t even close, to be honest.

We’ll see if Musafa Jones can find a way to get revenge on Dubby in the Wildcard Round.

6:00 p.m. ET – Raidel “Echo Fox Joke” Brito vs. Eli “True” Clayton

True defeated Echo Fox Joke in their one regular season contest, 12-5. It was not what one would call an action-packed affair, as you might be able to tell by the score. True managed two takeaways in the game and didn’t surrender a single touchdown. The most exciting play of the game? After True scored a fourth-quarter touchdown on a Bullet Pass to an open WR Paul Richardson on a corner route from the 36-yard line, he attempted a two-point conversion. The conversion failed, because True threw a pick that Echo Fox Joke returned the length of the field for two points. Now, with a full season of film to study, it’s fair to expect a much more entertaining tilt between these two heavy hitters in the Wildcard Round.

Divisional Round – Legend Conference
All games streaming on Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Mixer

7:00 p.m. ET – Drini “Drini” Gjoka vs. Musafa Jones/Dubby
8:00 p.m. ET – Eric “Problem” Wright vs. Echo Fox Joke/True

Drini and Problem earned first-round byes due to their dominant play during the regular season. Both competitors have a huge advantage heading into the Legend Conference Divisional Round, in that they get to sit back and study their potential opponents’ strengths and weaknesses before they even have to grab a controller. To get an idea of their gameplay styles, both Drini and Problem ran the No. 2 and No. 3 rush offenses, respectively, during the regular season. Power, truck-stick-style running combined with solid defense is what got them this far, so expect more of the same.

Sunday April 22 – Elite Conference Playoffs

Wildcard Round – Elite Conference
All games streaming on Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Mixer

5:00 p.m. ET – Joel “Joel CP” Crooms-Porter vs. Michael “Skimbo” Skimbo

Skimbo defeated Joel CP in their one regular season meeting, narrowly escaping with a 24-22 win. But Joel CP didn’t make it easy and Skimbo eked out the victory on the heels of a bit of luck. At least, if you ask Joel CP, it was luck. A scoop and score at the end of the first half, and a kick return touchdown to start the second half for Skimbo probably helped, too. If you know anything about these two competitors, you know we’re in for a treat with this matchup. Skimbo and Joel CP are two of the more animated competitors in the Madden Ultimate League and neither is afraid of talking trash, boisterously.

6:00 p.m. ET – Stephen “Noble SteveyJ” Javaruski vs. Hassan “GOS” Spall

GOS defeated Noble SteveyJ in their one regular season game, 26-21. Their postseason meeting should be interesting, considering their regular season results, in terms of offensive and defensive strengths and weaknesses. Noble SteveyJ finished the regular season with the top rushing offense (169.3 rush yards per game) and top rush defense (56.9 rush yards allowed per game) in the entire Ultimate League. Meanwhile, GOS ran the most efficient pass offense during the regular season (235 pass yards per game) while also employing just as stingy of a rush defense (57.6 rush yards allowed per game) as Noble SteveyJ.

Divisional Round – Elite Conference
All games streaming on Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Mixer

7:00 p.m. ET – Abbott “Blocky” Lopez  vs. Joel CP/Skimbo
8:00 p.m. ET – Shay “Young Kiv” Kivlen vs. NobleSteveyJ/GOS

Blocky and Young Kiv earned first-round byes due to their excellent gameplay during the regular season. Both competitors are skillful passers and run high-octane offenses as evidenced by the fact that they each finished in the top five in the Madden Ultimate League in passing yards and total offense.

Saturday April 28 – Madden Bowl

Conference Championships at Madden Bowl
All games streaming on Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Mixer

3:15 p.m. ET – Legend Conference Championship, matchup TBD
4:30 p.m. ET – Elite Conference Championship, matchup TBD

Madden Bowl – Madden NFL 18 Ultimate League Championship
Live on ESPN2, streaming on Twitch, YouTube, and Mixer

7:00 p.m. ET – Madden Bowl, matchup TBD