The Madden NFL 25 cover athlete has been narrowed down to two candidates. This week, gamers will decide whether to give cover honors to retired Lions running back Barry Sanders or to the Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson.
The cover athlete vote began with 64 candidates, including 32 retired greats and 32 current superstars. These players then battled it out in a grand tournament that began in March. Over 38 million votes have been cast so far by fans.
In the semifinals, Adrian Peterson beat out Houston running back Arian Foster by a margin of 68% to 32%. Barry Sanders had a tougher match-up, going against 49ers wideout Jerry Rice. He managed to squeak by with 52% of the vote. A million votes were cast by fans for that round.
Peterson and Sanders both have strong claims to the Madden 25 cover. Sanders is third on the all-time leading rusher list, with over 1,500 rushing yards to his name. Peterson, meanwhile, is coming off of an MVP season in which he racked up 2,097 yards.
Barry Sanders might be the most entertaining running back I've ever watched so I'd be happy to see him win. Still, he was on the cover of NCAA Football 13 so it might be time for someone else to get some cover time.
You can cast your vote through ESPN.com/MaddenVote. The winner will be announced on ESPN SportsNation on April 24th at 8pm EST.
