The fact is that EA, or Tiburon specifically, has been showing improvement on Madden for the past 3 releases. Really 4 if you count the Xbox One and PS4 versions.
I realize that it is "cool" to hate on EA but that is nothing more than an extension of console fanboi'sm. The only reason I want to see competition is so that Madden can be an even better title. 2K will never be able to put out a game that is a threat to Madden as the premier NFL video game. What they can do is push EA to provide more resources to the development team in order to maintain that edge. If that happens, we all win.
It's really not a good game. The game is still operating on the same core engine it was on PS2 (spare me "There are multiple engines" nonsense, I'm referring specifically to the game play and the AI in particular). The same plays that worked on NCAA 2007 work in NCAA 2014. The AI still behaves the same in regards to ridiculous blitzing (lets send engage eight and corner blitz 10 times a game... each) and the game still has numerous broken plays (like RB screens... the AI wants to call them 4+ times a game and they always result in a sack). The game has the same BS line stunts it's had since PS1 that have NEVER worked. It has the same ancient coverage that don't really work like they say they should. Lineman still can't actually pull and block anybody. It's still missing a host of basic plays. It still has a completely outdated defensive model.
The only way to make the single player competitive is to put it on Heisman and jack up the CPU sliders to the point that you're defense can't actually play. 2-3 lineman getting pancaked consistently and multiple plays with 4+ broken tackles. The AI can't consistently put together a drive and the only big plays it can manage are when you get some ridiculous super RB stuff. It can't throw deep if you have anything resembling "stick skills."
Offensively it's the same mess. You can turn up the difficulty to the point that you can't actually throw a pass over 10 yards without getting sacked, or until the DL just runs over your OL. That's not an enjoyable game. But the AI can't help aligning in every gimmicky front they stick in the game and running the same inane blitz packages. It's 3rd and 3, I have 2 backs and a TE. AI comes out in a 3-2 dime package. Good stuff. Sure, sometimes they make the stop because a blitzing dime back can warp from outside the tackle, bend 90 degrees down the line and knock my RB backwards (fuck you physics), but that's a rarity. They still don't know how to make the defense actually line up to your formation and the game will regularly leave uncovered gaps, uncovered receivers and just generally unsound alignments. It'll compensate by have some ridiculous block shedding animation fire and blow up a play, but it's the same shit that has been wrong since PS2... or earlier.
The game is relatively fun playing in person. It can be fun online against people you know. However, the general online population isn't really enjoyable. I don't play the game to spend hours in "lab" learning this year's latest cheese shit so I can be competitive. There's also the time issue... it takes 15 minutes to find a damn game (from boot up, to finding a game, to loading everything in) so you can play a 25 minute game that your opponent may or may not finish.
EDITED to add: Oh yea, and the AI still is laughably bad at running the option plays in the spread option.... which has been the dominant offense in college football for nearly a decade now. As much fun as it is watching the AI lose 5 yards every time it dials up "speed option", or watching it run "zone read" and keep the ball for a solid 7 yard loss.... I think it's about time that the most run offense in college football actually works. (Yea yea, the series is dead. It speaks more to the general inability of the games to actually function).
