Here's How Madden Thinks New England Patriots Will Do Without Tom Brady

One of the bigger NFL storylines in New England and across the country is New England Patriots QB Tom Brady's four-game suspension. He'll miss the first four games of the 2016/2017 season, with Jimmy Garoppolo slated to play those games instead of the future Hall of Famer.

There has been much discussion about how well the Patriots will do without Brady at the helm. And now, GameSpot sister site CBS Sports has conducted a simulation of Weeks 1-4, and the rest of the season, using Madden NFL 17 to try to get an idea for how things will go.

According to the simulation, the Patriots will struggle without Brady, whose 99 rating is the game's highest. The simulation showed the Patriots going 1-3 in the first four games, with a loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1, a win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 2, a loss to the Houston Texans in Week 3, and a blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 4. This is a poor result for the Patriots, even worse than many are expecting without Brady.

The better news for Patriots fans is that things turn around when Brady comes back in Week 5 against the Cleveland Browns. The Madden simulation showed Brady completing 70.3 percent of his passes for four touchdowns and 279 yards in a 45-0 blowout victory.

CBS Sports simmed the rest of the season, which saw the Patriots go on to finish the regular season with a 10-6 record, barely pushing ahead of the Bills to win the AFC East. Moving on to the playoffs, the simulation predicted the Patriots would avenge their Week 4 loss to the Bills by defeating them in a home wild card game. The season ended sadly, however, with the Patriots losing to the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round, according to the simulation.

More jarring for fans might be the fact that Brady retires at the end of the season, according to the simulation. It's worth noting that CBS Sports' simulation last year said the same thing and of course Brady, now 39, did not retire.

Go to CBS Sports for a full rundown of the Patriots' Madden simulation, including detailed stats and more.

Madden NFL 17 launched this week on consoles. Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is on the cover. The athlete, who says he does not believe in the so-called Madden Curse, is currently making his way back onto the practice field after a real-world injury. It remains to be seen if he'll start in Week 1.

For more on Madden NFL 17, check out GameSpot's review and what other critics are saying.