NFL Football

NFL Football was Mattel's secret weapon in the war against Atari. George Plimpton would take the game, place it next to the Atari version on TV, and no words were needed: Intellivision players had human proportions, formations were recognizable, passing used the keypad to select receivers. The Atari version was two squares colliding. With 9 offensive and 6 defensive formations selectable via keypad with overlay, it was the most sophisticated sports game ever on a console — Madden NFL's ancestor.