Let’s be honest, there’s not much for Patriots fans to get excited about on game day.
But, this weekend, maybe those apple picks and trips to the mall (do people still go to the mall anymore? I feel wicked old for saying this). This weekend, the Pats-Bears game is certainly worth your attention for a few hours.
Sure, the records of both teams indicate this is a game between two terrible franchises (one perennial and one recent) – and it is – but, Caleb Williams vs. Drake Maye is worth the aggravation of wasting another Sunday during a losing season.
The No. 1 overall pick and No. 3 overall pick are forever linked and will be routinely compared, along with No. 2 choiceJayden Daniels.
Williams and Daniels have a head start on Maye since they were their respective team’s starter from the time they were drafted (probably since the NFL Combine in March), but Maye has clearly shown he can play too and had his first real ‘holy sh*t’ moment for fans last Sunday. Now, he’ll get a chance to show he wasn’t just ‘the other guy’ against the darling of the 2024 NFL Draft.
“Now, I get a chance to compete. So, anytime you’re going against a rookie quarterback in the same class, or any quarterback in your class in general, it’s a little extra,” Maye said during his press conference on Wednesday before practice. “I’m looking forward to going out there and getting a chance to play the Bears.”
Within that same answer, Maye also talked about the time he spent with Daniels and Williams during the pre-draft process.
“Yeah, I think both as rookies, coming out as quarterbacks, you spend a lot of time with those guys. You see them, some on visits, some at the combine,” he said. “Really, with Caleb, I’ve seen him since high school. We’d go to the same camps. We were at the Elite 11 [camp] with each other. We got some college visits together. So, the whole thing, going through the process again. We kept up with each other in college. We were friends, and I enjoyed watching him do his thing.”
Maye won’t get to see Daniels in-person this year, but he’s been able to watch him closely while breaking down film from the Commanders’ game against Chicago. New England’s new face has been impressed with both Daniels and Williams, but it’s all about one thing for all three guys early on.
Showing they can win in the league.
“Yeah, I think the biggest thing is you see them on film. I’m just watching Jayden play the Bears defense and watching these teams. I think that’s pretty cool. I think you see some of the highlight plays. I think the biggest thing is you see how the overall team is doing,” Maye added.
“That’s the main goal for really all us rookies in this class, to put wins in the win column. If we get another chance to do that, we’ve got to get some more in that column.”
On Sunday, Maye has a chance to get a leg up on Williams in the head-to-head series.
Who knows, maybe it could be the 2025 Super Bowl matchup 40 years after the first meeting for Lombardi between Chicago and New England.
I have a feeling Maye would be able to make things more respectable than 46-10.