Panthers star Christian McCaffrey is the youngest player ever to earn the top rating in 'Madden'

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Christian McCaffrey has been having an MVP-caliber season in 2019.

• Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey is the youngest player to earn a 99 overall rating in "Madden" at 23 years old.
• McCaffrey is leading the NFL in rushing yards, touchdowns, and yards from scrimmage in his third season, and he's the first player in league history to have 1,000 yards rushing and 500 yards receiving through 10 games.
• "Madden NFL 20" updates the ratings for each NFL player every week during the season, and only four players have a 99 overall rating.
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Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey has earned a 99 overall player rating in "Madden NFL 20," making him the youngest player ever to join the game's exclusive "99 Club."

McCaffrey is leading the NFL in rushing yards, touchdowns, and yards from scrimmage in his third season, and he's become the Panthers' primary offensive threat with quarterback Cam Newton sidelined by an ankle injury. In a video shared the Panther's Twitter page, McCaffrey said he grew up playing "Madden" and creating versions of himself rated 99 overall.

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Only six running backs have achieved an overall rating in Madden ever, placing the 23-year-old McCaffrey in impressive company. The others are Barry Sanders, Marshall Faulk, LaDainian Tomlinson, Chris Johnson, and Adrian Peterson. Four of those five ran for more than 2,000 yards in a single season, and three of them are already in the NFL Hall of Fame.

"Madden" rates each NFL player's performance in dozens of categories and updates the game's player ratings each week. Only four players were rated 99 overall at the start of the season - Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner, and Bears defender Khalil Mack.

"Madden NFL 20"/ Electronic Arts

McCaffrey as he appears in "Madden NFL 20."

Now in week 12, Wagner and Mack have dipped to 98 overall, while McCaffrey and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes have been elevated to 99 overall. Climbing up the "Madden" rating charts can be a difficult journey: Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has emerged as an MVP candidate this season, but his rating has only moved from 76 overall up to 87.

Despite McCaffrey impressive performance, the Panthers are still 5-5 and face a difficult road to the playoffs. But for now, Carolina fans have yet another reason to celebrate their young superstar.