Jamaal Charles avoids Madden '15 curse

Whether or not you believe in the Madden curse, it's hard to ignore the unfortunate showing of most athletes the year after they've made the cover of the famous video game. Thus it might come as a sigh of relief for Chiefs fans that Jamaal Charles lost in the latest round of voting for the Madden '15 cover.

Charles was up against Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton in Round 2 but lost pretty handily by a 58 to 42 percent voting margin. Newton advances to face Andrew Luck in the semi-finals, while Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick face off in the other pairing. 

By avoiding the Madden cover, Charles avoids the Madden curse. The famous curse has taken down athletes like Daunte Culpepper and Marshall Faulk in years past due to major injuries or poor performance. A great history of the Madden Curse can be found here.

Charles defeated Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green in the first round by a close margin (52% to 48%).