Blake Bortles vs. Chad Henne: Madden 18 simulation names a winner

The Jacksonville Jaguars named Blake Bortles the starting quarterback for Week 1 against the Houston Texans over Chad Henne, who arguably had the better performance in an “open competition” last week. But it is what it is — head coach Doug Marrone says Bortles is the guy.

But what if we used Madden 18 to find out who would be the better quarterback to start Week 1?

We simmed two games on Sunday night, both in Houston: Bortles started one, Henne started the other. Who put up more points? Who commanded the offense better?

Blake Bortles vs. Houston

Chad Henne vs. Houston

Summary

Both quarterbacks were responsible for nearly the same offensive production when it came to points and both quarterback led to a win against the Texans, but it was Henne who was much more accurate and who needed less throws. Granted, the defense didn’t play nearly as well with Bortles under center, but with Henne’s team running the ball 10 more times than Bortles’ team fatigue could have been a factor.

In short, the offense scores less with Henne in the game (two touchdowns vs. four touchdowns) but they get more yards (440 yards vs. 388 yards) and they very obviously control the game more effectively through a more consistent run game (40 rushes vs. 30 rushes).

What do you think? Run your own Madden 18 simulation and let us know how the Jaguars do. (Bonus points for using Brandon Allen!)