Madden NFL 12 – Top Defensive Ends

I don’t think anything in Madden feels greater than flattening the opponent’s quarterback with the hit stick. Granted, it felt more gratifying when the ambulance used to drive onto the field afterwards, but I’ll settle for -8 yards or a forced fumble. Speaking of forced fumbles, these are the guys to do it as we list the top defensive ends in Madden NFL 12, courtesy of ESPN’s Jon Robinson

Haloti Ngata: 97
Haloti Ngata tops our list of QB crushers with 99 strength, 96 tackle, 95 toughness, 95 power moves, 99 block shedding, and 85 hit power. With the new concussion system in Madden, I’d suggest just resting your quarterback against this guy. It’s just not worth it.

Julius Peppers: 95
Julius Peppers seems like he’s been around forever, and though some consider him to be on the decline, the folks over at EA still think very highly of him. With 85 speed, 96 acceleration, expect Peppers to get around the tackles and into your backfield quickly. Did I mention he has 86 power moves and 96 finesse? How about once he gets into the backfield he crushes the ball carrier with his 88 hit power. Just when you think you might get away, think again, as Peppers has 87 pursuit. Personally, I feel like they are overrating him in this year’s Madden, but I suppose when you have the history of Peppers you get a little leeway.

Justin Tuck: 94
As a Cowboys fan it pains me to see a New York Giants player this high up on the list of defensive ends. Seeing him come at me with 84 speed, 92 acceleration, 88 pursuit, and 87 strength makes me fear for Tony Romo’s life. I’d argue Tuck should be ahead of Peppers in the ratings, as much as it pains me to say that.

Jared Allen: 94
Jared Allen comes in rated 94 overall. His mullet should give him the extra 6 overall to get him to 100. Regardless of hairstyle, Allen still checks in with 95 power moves, 90 player pursuit, and 93 stamina (so don’t expect him to leave the field often).

Robert Mathis, Dwight Freeney, Trent Cole, John Abraham: 93 (tie)
Too many players are tied for 5th highest overalls for DE to list them all individually. It’s easy to lump all these defensive line players all in one category. Their all big and strong so what’s the difference? Well, although they share the same overall, each player specializes in a different aspect of gameplay. Freeney features 96 acceleration, Abraham comes with 96 power, and Cole will juke around the blockers with 97 finesse.

Those are your top defensive ends in Madden NFL 12. Watch out quarterbacks; they are coming for you.

Check Madden NFL 12’s top tier players for: WR | LB