head to head
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is optimization, and it is a single point.

Reads · Mind & Math
Play-call prediction against humans layered over scheme study and stick skill.

Optimization · Mind & Math
Tolkien RTS where build orders and army counters decide the war for Middle-earth.
Madden NFL 23 leans Reads (Mind & Math); The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth leans Optimization (Mind & Math).
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Madden NFL 23
Stick skills on throws, moves and tackles matter every play
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth
Micro and multitasking under real-time pressure
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Madden NFL 23
Online play-calling is a constant disguise-and-bait duel
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth
Multiplayer rewards predicting opponent army choices
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Madden NFL 23
Fumbles, tips and DDA-feeling rolls swing drives
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth
Scouting hides enemy composition until revealed
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Madden NFL 23
Scheme knowledge, matchups and Ultimate Team economy are solvable
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth
Build orders and counter units are largely solvable
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.