In recent years, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady have had an epic battle atop the quarterback ratings in the "Madden" video game series. Brady finished ahead of Rodgers in "Madden NFL 15," Rodgers captured the top spot for "Madden NFL 16," Brady took it back with "Madden NFL 18," and now the Packers quarterback has knocked the Patriots passer off the perch again.
In "Madden NFL 19," only three players — Rodgers, Aaron Donald and Antonio Brown — are rated 99 Overall. (Brady has slipped to 97.) Only Donald returns to the 99 Rating with which he finished in "Madden NFL 18"; Rob Gronkowski and J.J. Watt no longer have ratings of 99.
Rodgers appears to have avoided the ratings penalty applied to others who have missed considerable time due to injury last season or in recent years. Players like Gronkowski (-7), Landon Collins (-8), Kam Chancellor (-8), Andrew Luck (-3) and David Johnson (-2) were impacted, while Rodgers actually moved up three points coming off the injury that cost him most of last season.
An early look at the ratings for "Madden NFL 19" features some changes near the top. While the game is still seven weeks from its release and adjustments can and likely will be made before then, there is no indication that dramatic changes will occur. Von Miller missing from the list, however, seems like an obvious error that will soon be corrected.
(Update) Dramatic changes have indeed occurred. There are now 7 players that will start rated 99.
WATCH: First trailer for 'Madden NFL 19'
Here are all the players currently rated 90 Overall or better in "Madden NFL 19."
'Madden 19' player ratings
Quarterbacks
| Aaron Rodgers, Packers | 99 |
| Tom Brady, Patriots | 97 |
| Drew Brees, Saints | 90 |
Running backs
| Le'Veon Bell, Steelers | 93 |
| David Johnson, Cardinals | 92 |
| Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys | 91 |
| Todd Gurley, Rams | 91 |
| Devonta Freeman, Falcons | 90 |
Wide receivers
| Antonio Brown, Steelers | 99 |
| Julio Jones, Falcons | 96 |
| Odell Beckham Jr., Giants | 94 |
| A.J. Green, Bengals | 93 |
| DeAndre Hopkins, Texans | 93 |
| Keenan Allen, Chargers | 90 |
| Stefon Diggs, Vikings | 90 |
Tight ends
| Rob Gronkowski, Patriots | 92 |
Offensive linemen
| Zack Martin, Cowboys | 95 |
| Tyron Smith, Cowboys | 94 |
| Travis Frederick, Cowboys | 92 |
| David DeCastro, Steelers | 92 |
| Jason Kelce, Eagles | 92 |
| Trent Williams, Redskins | 91 |
Defensive tackles
| Fletcher Cox, Eagles | 92 |
| Ndamukong Suh, Rams | 92 |
| Gerald McCoy, Buccaneers | 90 |
| Geno Atkins, Bengals | 90 |
Defensive ends
| Aaron Donald, Rams | 99 |
| Khalil Mack, Raiders | 96 |
| J.J. Watt, Texans | 96 |
| Cameron Jordan, Saints | 95 |
| Brandon Graham, Eagles | 92 |
| Everson Griffin, Vikings | 91 |
Middle linebackers
| Luke Kuechly, Panthers | 97 |
| Bobby Wagner, Seahawks | 96 |
Outside linebackers
| Lavonte David, Buccaneers | 92 |
| Sean Lee, Cowboys | 91 |
Cornerbacks
| Jalen Ramsey, Jaguars | 96 |
| Patrick Peterson, Cardinals | 93 |
| A.J. Bouye, Jaguars | 92 |
| Xavier Rhodes, Vikings | 92 |
| Casey Hayward, Chargers | 91 |
| Desmond Trufant, Falcons | 91 |
Safeties
| Eric Berry, Chiefs | 95 |
| Harrison Smith, Vikings | 93 |
| Malcolm Jenkins, Eagles | 93 |
| Earl Thomas, Seahawks | 92 |
| Micah Hyde, Bills | 91 |
| Devin McCourty, Patriots | 91 |
| Tyrann Mathieu, Texans | 90 |
| Jordan Poyer, Bills | 90 |
The Cowboys once again have the most players (five) rated 90 or better. The Eagles and Vikings each have four, while the Rams, Steelers and Texans each have three. The teams with no players rated 90 or better are the Bears, Broncos (for now), Browns, Colts, Dolphins, 49ers, Jets, Lions, Ravens and Titans.
Entering their second seasons with the Saints, corner Marshon Lattimore (89) and running back Alvin Kamara (88) are already on the cusp of the elite group. So is Chiefs second-year running back Kareem Hunt (89).
This year's top-rated rookie is Giants running back Saquon Barkley at 80 Overall. That number is a few points lower than what the top rookie traditionally earns for "Madden," but Barkley's individual attributes will make him effective.
Ravens rookie QB Lamar Jackson, on the other hand, comes in at 67 Overall, much lower than what a first-round pick typically would receive.
MORE: Ranking all 32 NFL QBs
Russell Wilson (89) enters the season as the No.4-ranked QB, with Matt Ryan (88) as No. 5. Other notables at the position include Carson Wentz (85), Cam Newton (82), Dak Prescott (80), Jimmy Garoppolo (80) and Super Bowl 52 MVP Nick Foles (78).
"Madden NFL 19" will release Aug. 7 for those buying the $80 Hall of Fame Edition, which features Terrell Owens on the cover. The standard edition will follow Aug. 10. Beyond PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the game will also be releasing on PC for the first time since 2007.
Bryan Wiedey posts sports gaming news and analysis daily at Pastapadre.com, is co-founder of the sports gaming site HitThePass.com, hosts the "Press Row Podcast" and can be reached on Twitter @Pastapadre.