the upcoming 2010 NFL season, offering at least a simulated insight into who’ll be celebrating in Arlington, Texas, after Super Bowl XLV.

“We wanted to give it a shot,” Phil Frazier, senior producer of the Madden franchise, told Wired.com. “There are a lot of variables at play with multiple teams, but we wanted to see how we do this year. It was one sim, and we let the chips fall where they may.”

Aside from the Packers celebrating their fourth Super Bowl win in franchise history, quarterback Aaron Rodgers looks to be this year’s regular-season MVP, racking up 4,639 yards passing, 36 touchdowns, and only nine interceptions. (You can bet Rodgers will be a hot pick this weekend as everyone is studying up for their fantasy football drafts.) His number-one wide receiver, Greg Jennings, should be the big beneficiary of Rodger’s prowess in the air, accounting for 102 catches, 1,438 receiving yards, and 13 scores.

Although the Packers are slated for Super Bowl glory, their 12-4 regular-season record will be second-best overall to the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens, who’ll go 13-3, albeit in a different conference. The Packers will tie Favre’s Minnesota Vikings for the NFC’s top record but will be the top seed in the conference due to a stronger record against divisional foes.

For fantasy league purposes, Chris Johnson, who rushed for more than 2,000 yards last season, will again win the rushing title with 1,784 yards, not to mention the 15 touchdowns he’ll score. The best wideout will again be Andre Johnson of the Houston Texans, who should pull in 12 scores to go with 1,541 receiving yards.

On the defensive side, Alex Brown of the 2009 Super Bowl-winning New Orleans Saints will tie the New York Giants’ Justin Tuck with 14.5 sacks, while New York Jets cornerback (and current holdout) Darrelle Revis will tie several other players with seven interceptions as he looks to finally earn his first Defensive Player of the Year award. (Although, the Madden NFL 11 sim says that Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs will earn that distinction this season.)

And San Francisco 49ers fans can take heart: EA predicts the team will eek out a 9-7, NFC West-winning record and make the playoffs for the first time since the 2002 season.

Sure, experienced football writers will make their picks, but EA has done this kind of simulation every January since 2004. Since then, EA has picked the Super Bowl winner six out of seven times, so maybe the algorithm is on to something.

Photo: EA

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Authors: Erik Malinowski

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