A.J. Green knocked out of Madden 15 cover vote

The contest to see who will be on the cover of Madden 15 is on, and the first round of voting has concluded.  Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles edged out Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green in the first round, which means no Bengals are gracing the cover of Madden this year.

The two leading vote-getters are Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman (he beat Chicago Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery 73% to 27%) and Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (who beat Pittsburgh Steelers WR Antonio Brown 8-20).

Here's a look at who will face off in the quarterfinals of the vote:

• Seattle Seahawks CB Richard Sherman vs. New Orleans Saints TE Jimmy Graham
• Carolina Panthers LB Luke Kuechly vs. San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick
• Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton vs. Kansas City Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles
• • Philadelphia Eagles RB LeSean McCoy vs. Indianapolis Colts QB Andrew Luck

The quarterfinals of the vote will take place May 15-22, the semifinals May 22-30 and the finals May 30 to June 6. Voting takes place on ESPN's website.

The winner will be announced on "SportsCenter" on June 6.

Madden NFL 15 will be released Aug. 26 for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xob 360 and Xbox One.