Madden: Madden Bowl Finals - Dubby Wins!

This article is part of our Madden series.

The final day of the Madden Bowl took place Friday, with the four remaining competitors' battling for their share of the $250,000 prize pool and a large chunk of the all-important Championship Series points. At the site of Super Bowl 51 in Houston, Texas the upstart, Chris "Dubby" McFarland managed to defeat the legend Eric "Problem" Wright in an intense finish that came down to the wire.

Serious no "moe" in the semis

Dubby and Problem earned their spot in the finals in a tale of two drastically different semifinal matchups.

In the first game of the day, Dubby found himself ahead of Michael "Skimbo" Skimbo in the first half, utilizing both Randy Moss and Jimmy Graham to score on his first possession. However the game certainly looked bleak late in the second half, as Skimbo rallied thanks to a touchdown and two-point conversation plus a field goal to take a 17-7 lead. Dubby responded in earnest, connecting with Randy Moss for a quick touchdown to trim the lead to just three. Late in the fourth quarter and looking to put the game away, a curious decision by Skimbo backfired, as a fourth down attempt on his own side of the field was stopped by Dubby. Dubby then could have simply tied the game with a field goal, but opted for his own fourth down attempt to nab what amounted to the game-winning touchdown with Randy Moss. Under a minute remaining in the game, Skimbo did march down the field, but a desperation heave into the end zone was thwarted at the last second, giving Dubby the win.

In contrast to the thrilling first semifinal, Problem thoroughly handled his competition, Zack "Serious Moe" Lane in Game 2. Relying on his suffocating defense and ball control offense, Problem earned a 17-0 lead in the first half. Another touchdown in the second half extended the lead to 24-0, all but ending Serious Moe's shot at a finals appearance. While Serious Moe did score a touchdown and subsequent two-point conversation early in the fourth quarter, a dominant running game coupled with a handful of nice passes was all Problem needed to finish out the game.

Dubby takes the finals

Continuing the momentum from his thrilling semifinal match, Dubby jumped out of the gate against Problem in the grand finals, quickly getting ahead with an early touchdown pass. After holding Problem to just a field goal on his opening possession, it appeared as if Dubby might run away with the game, using the same style of ball control offense as Problem to effectively chip his way down the field. However, legends can't stay down forever as Problem completely flipped the table, securing a marvelous user interception which he managed to return for a touchdown.

User skills ON POINT! #MaddenBowlpic.twitter.com/nUPevZtMKJ

— Madden Ultimate Team (@EASPORTS_MUT) February 4, 2017

Problem finally got his offense going in the second half, relying on a timely pass to Jimmy Graham and the legs of Ricky Williams to score a touchdown and earn the 17-14 lead. But just like before, Dubby answered right back, shrugging off Problem's near maniacal blitz-heavy defense to kick a game-tying field goal. Now in the final quarter, an unbelievable catch by Problem's Mike Evans left the legend in prime field position to take the lead. But in an uncharacteristic move, Problem opted to throw a pass on third down in the red zone instead of bleeding out the clock with a run, a move that backfired horribly as Dubby capitalized with a nice interception. A 93-yard touchdown pass to Ed McCaffrey on the very next play all but solidified the win for Dubby.

..and then THIS HAPPENED!!!

1 minute away from hoisting the BELT! #TeamDubbypic.twitter.com/uyTGI5d7GR

— Madden Ultimate Team (@EASPORTS_MUT) February 4, 2017

Crown him! @DubDotDUBBY is the #MaddenBowl Champion! pic.twitter.com/Hk9qsgGGqH

— EA SPORTS Madden NFL (@EAMaddenNFL) February 4, 2017