Tremendous Bowl 2026 QB story of the tape: Drake Maye vs. Sam Darnold full breakdown

5 instances within the final seven seasons, Kansas Metropolis Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes was one of many Tremendous Bowl’s beginning quarterbacks. To wrap up the 2025 season with Tremendous Bowl LX, the soccer world will get a breath of contemporary air with two first-time Tremendous Bowl starters in Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks and Drake Maye of the New England Patriots.

Tremendous Bowl LX will truly be the primary Tremendous Bowl ever between two beginning quarterbacks and two head coaches — Mike Macdonald of the Seahawks and Mike Vrabel of the Patriots — who’re all of their first or second season with their respective groups, per CBS Sports activities Analysis. Nevertheless, that does not imply firepower is missing on the place: Maye and Darnold have mixed for 33 wins throughout the 2025 season, together with playoffs, probably the most between two beginning quarterbacks getting into a Tremendous Bowl matchup all time, based on CBS Sports activities Analysis.

So which crew — the Patriots or the Seahawks — has the sting at soccer’s most necessary place getting into its largest recreation? Let’s break it down with a story of the tape that ended up being a lot nearer than many would have thought.

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Pete Prisco

Common season

Maye, the 2025 NFL MVP runner-up and 2025 second-team All-Professional, produced a daily season for the ages. He turned the primary quarterback since fellow Patriot Tom Brady within the 2007 16-0 common season to guide the league with one of the best file (14-3), greatest completion proportion (72%) and passing yards per try (8.9). He is the sixth quarterback within the final 40 years to perform all of that in the identical season, and the earlier 5 — Joe Montana (1989), Steve Younger (1992, 1994), Kurt Warner (2001) and Brady (2007) — all gained league MVP honors for these efforts.

At age 23, Maye can be the youngest quarterback in NFL historical past to guide the league in each completion proportion and passing yards per try. He additionally paced the NFL in passer ranking (113.5) and anticipated factors added (EPA) per dropback (0.28).

Darnold ranked proper behind Maye in passing yards per try with an 8.5 common, and he completed high 10 within the NFL within the following passing metrics: W-L (14-3), completion proportion (67.7%) and passing yards (4,048). He had a robust common season total, however Darnold additionally maintained among the chaos issue that led to Seattle being his fifth NFL crew, as he led the league with 20 turnovers (14 interceptions, six misplaced fumbles).

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Edge: Maye 

Postseason

Within the playoffs, Darnold has discovered a better stage of play towards acquainted NFC West foes within the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams. He leads this postseason in yards per go try (8.9), touchdown-to-interception ratio (4-0), passer ranking (122.4) and EPA per dropback (0.38). Darnold additionally went chilly turkey on turnovers, committing none within the NFC divisional spherical or NFC Championship Sport.

Maye, then again, has taken a serious step again in effectivity from his regular-season efficiency. New England remains to be profitable, however his play hasn’t been the driving issue. He leads the postseason with 15 sacks taken — 5 in every recreation. That determine is 9 greater than the next-closest gamers — Justin Herbert, C.J. Stroud and Matthew Stafford — who every took six.

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Edge: Darnold

Accuracy

It would not get extra correct than main the NFL in completion proportion like Maye did at a 72% clip. Darnold wasn’t far behind at 67.7%. Much more spectacular, Maye wasn’t simply throwing into wide-open areas: his tight-window throw fee of 17.3% ranked because the fourth-highest within the league in the course of the 2025 common season. Darnold did not throw into tight home windows as often, posting a tight-window fee of 13.6%, which ranked twenty second out of 33 certified quarterbacks.

Within the postseason, Darnold’s accuracy — like many features of his recreation — improved. His 69.8% completion proportion ranks because the second-best this postseason behind Josh Allen’s 71.6%. Maye’s 55.8% completion proportion ranks eighth out of 15 playoff quarterbacks. 

Nevertheless, Maye main the NFL in completion proportion within the common season whereas throwing into tight home windows with regularity comes with a a lot bigger pattern dimension. He will get the sting right here.

Edge: Maye 

Ball safety

When combining each gamers’ turnover totals this season, Darnold’s 20 (all from the common season) exceed Maye’s 16 throughout the common season and playoffs.

Sure, Maye’s 5 playoff turnovers are tied for the second-most within the league with Caleb Williams and sit simply two behind C.J. Stroud’s playoff-worst seven. Nevertheless, Maye nonetheless has 4 fewer turnovers than Darnold regardless of taking part in an additional recreation. Darnold main the league in giveaways in the course of the common season is a tricky hurdle to beat.

Edge: Maye

Massive-play magic

Each Tremendous Bowl beginning quarterbacks ranked high 5 this season in completion proportion on throws of 20-plus air yards, so the margin between the 2 on this space is skinny. Darnold led the league in yards per go try (18.5) on throws of 20-plus air yards, due largely to his reference to 2025 NFL Offensive Participant of the 12 months Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He accomplished 15 of 26 passes (57.7%) of 20-plus yards to Smith-Njigba whereas connecting on simply over half (51.6%) when concentrating on all different Seahawks.

Maye threw for 1,226 passing yards on throws of 20-plus air yards (together with playoffs), the second-most within the NFL behind Stafford (1,519). New England’s Week 3 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers was the one recreation, common season or postseason, during which Maye didn’t join on a throw of 20-plus air yards.

Darnold will get the sting right here over Maye primarily based on his leg up in effectivity.

Edge: Darnold

Play-action passing

Each Darnold and Maye rank as top-five quarterbacks this season, together with the playoffs, in yards per go try, passing touchdowns and passer ranking off play motion. The separator right here is effectivity, one thing Maye has a leg up in, significantly on the subject of completion proportion, the place he is practically 10% larger, and ball safety, with 4 fewer interceptions.

Edge: Maye

Dashing affect

Maye’s 5.9 speeding yards per carry rank second amongst all gamers with not less than 10 carries this postseason, trailing solely Jacksonville Jaguars working again Travis Etienne (6.7). Darnold has simply three carries for 9 yards this postseason, one thing actually impacted by the indirect damage he handled within the divisional spherical.

Within the common season, Maye’s 450 speeding yards ranked fourth amongst quarterbacks, whereas Darnold’s 95 speeding yards ranked thirty third. A simple benefit for Maye right here.

Edge: Maye

Pocket presence

Maye’s 15 sacks are the second-most taken by any participant in a single postseason within the Tremendous Bowl period (since 1966), per NFL Subsequent Gen Stats. His 47 regular-season sacks are additionally the second-most by any quarterback to go on to start out the Tremendous Bowl. It isn’t all on him, as his common time to throw of three.01 seconds was the sixth-fastest among the many 15 quarterbacks to start out a playoff recreation this postseason, however his consciousness when the pocket collapses wants to enhance.

Darnold took 10 fewer sacks this postseason with a barely quicker common time to throw of two.98 seconds. The Seahawks quarterback, now in his eighth NFL season, holds the sting over Maye on this space, which is sensible provided that 2025 was simply the Patriots passer’s second yr as a professional.

Edge: Darnold

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Garrett Podell

Tremendous Bowl expertise

Maye is aiming to develop into the primary quarterback since Tom Brady (2001) to win a Tremendous Bowl within the season of his first playoff begin. Darnold, now on his fifth NFL crew, is angling to develop into the fourth quarterback to win a Tremendous Bowl on his third crew or later, and the primary to take action on his fourth crew or later.

Edge: Draw

Head-to-head historical past

Sure, quarterbacks face opposing defenses, however the recreation remains to be very a lot mentioned as quarterback vs. quarterback. Eli Manning beat Tom Brady twice within the Tremendous Bowl regardless of Brady truly dealing with the New York Giants‘ ferocious four-man go rush in these two matchups. Tremendous Bowl LX will mark the primary time Darnold and Maye share the sphere in the identical recreation.

Edge: Draw

The ultimate verdict

The tally from our 10 classes, with two recorded as attracts, is as follows:

1. Drake Maye (5)
2. Sam Darnold (3)

It is a little nearer than some would have thought when evaluating these two quarterbacks on the floor. Darnold actually closed the hole within the postseason towards two division opponents, so will probably be fascinating to see how he fares towards a former division foe within the Patriots.

Nevertheless, he hasn’t confronted New England because the 2021 season, when he began towards them as a member of the Carolina Panthers. He has since developed considerably whereas being coached by Kyle Shanahan with the 49ers, Kevin O’Connell with the Vikings and Klint Kubiak with the Seahawks.

The Patriots can actually take solace in having the MVP runner-up in Maye on the controls of their offense on Sunday, however he’ll have his work reduce out for him towards Seattle’s No. 1 scoring protection (17.2 factors per recreation allowed within the common season).