I remember EA peaking around the time Madden went exclusive for the NFL. There was a game, can't remember exactly what it was, but I believe it had ties to ESPN as well. It was a much better game than Madden that year. The next year EA announced exclusivity and the other game was cancelled that year. Madden has blown ever since.
Edit: Sure enough, it was ESPN NFL 2K5. It was also $30 cheaper than Madden.
Madden 2005:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madden_NFL_2005
ESPN 2K5:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESPN_NFL_2K5
Wow, I think we lost so much in advancement of football games because of that exclusivity.
ETA2:
From comments on a linked article, this is what I remember too :
I remember it was the first time I really sat back and watched those in-game highlights from a video game. It was amazing!!
A pretty nostalgic and interesting read:
link
ETA 3: Oh my god, this was awesome:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtwx_Rv21Iw