Denver scores 24 to win Super Bowl 50, exactly as our Madden video predicted
Denver Broncos are the 2016 Super Bowl Champions, after overcoming the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in last night's NFL season finale. And 12DOVE are the 2016 Incredible Sporting Clairvoyance Champions, after predicting the correct winner – and being four points away from the exact score – based on a video game.
The game in question is, of course, Madden NFL 16. EA's official Super Bowl video, posted online last week, had the Panthers to win 24-20. Out of curiosity, I ran a separate AI vs AI test using updated rosters, and got a 24-14 Denver victory.
"Obviously someone is a Broncos fan," wrote one Youtube commenter before the big game. "How many times did you have to run the simulation for this bullshit to happen. Carolina not scoring at least 25? Get the f*** out of here." Well, this is awkward.
The 12DOVE match played out slightly differently from the real contest. In pretendsville, Peyton Manning threw two picturesque touchdowns en route to an MVP award; in reality, he spent the game barely able to connect with his receivers. Instead, the Broncos' defence, headed by MVP Von Miller, was crucial in the surprise victory.
Next on our list: the Six Nations predicted in Rugby 08 on PS2. England fans, look away now.
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I'm GamesRadar's sports editor, and obsessed with NFL, WWE, MLB, AEW, and occasionally things that don't have a three-letter acronym – such as Chvrches, Bill Bryson, and Streets Of Rage 4. (All the Streets Of Rage games, actually.) Even after three decades I still have a soft spot for Euro Boss on the Amstrad CPC 464+.