Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold completed his redemption tour with a Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots. His road to NFL immortality is an example to Drake Maye.
After all, while mic’d up on Monday Night Football in 2019, Sam Darnold remarked that he was “seeing ghosts” because of the Patriots’ constant blitzing. It was sort of a metaphor for Darnald’s time with the Jets. He never recovered from it, and two years later, the Jets traded him to the Carolina Panthers. He then went to San Francisco to learn from 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, and before long, he continued his journey, finding his footing with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024. That success enabled him to get a three-year, $105 million deal with the Seahawks in the offseason.
Consider it money well spent. Darnold engineered the Seahawks to a successful season by leading them to the Super Bowl. You can say it was poetic that the Patriots saw him conquer the ghosts once and for all after he and the Seahawks celebrated on the field as Super Bowl champs on Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium.
Ironically, it was second-year Patriots quarterback Drake Maye who saw ghosts in the Patriots’ 29-13 loss to the Seahawks. He was sacked six times and hit 15 times, and the Patriots punted on their first eight full series. He had three turnovers (two interceptions, one fumble).
When Darnold had the ball and threw a touchdown pass to AJ Barner after Byron Murphy recovered Maye’s fumble on the Seattle 37-yard line with 10 seconds left in the third quarter, it might as well have been over after the Seahawks took a 19-0 lead.
Maye was never going to figure out the Seahawks on this night. His offensive line couldn’t protect him, and the Patriots quarterback turned out to be a punching bag. It reached the point where you felt sorry for him. Then, when Uchenna Nwosu intercepted Maye’s pass for a touchdown on a Devon Witherspoon blitz, you might as well call it a mercy rule when the Seahawks took a 29-7 lead with 4:27 left.
Maye served as a game manager during the Patriots’ playoff run and nothing more. This was never going to work against the best defense in the league. It’s no wonder the Seahawks were favored by four in this year’s Super Bowl. It turned out they won by 16 points because of Maye’s poor game.
But Darnold wasn’t exactly great, either. He didn’t need to on this Sunday night with the way his defense attacked his counterpart. To the Seahawks quarterback’s credit, he did lead the Seahawks to the red zone, resulting in Jason Myers’ five field goals. Maye couldn’t even do that.
The Patriots had chances to give the Seahawks a scare, but Maye couldn’t get his team to the red zone when it mattered. It was just another learning experience for the second-youngest quarterback ever to play in the Super Bowl. It’s something he won’t forget. But it doesn’t have to define his career.
Darnold went through trials and tribulations with the Jets. He recovered nicely by being persistent and willing to learn as a backup. He kept working through it. If he can do it, so can Maye.
Here’s what the Patriots quarterback has going for him. He plays for an organization that will give him a chance to succeed. He has competent coaches to work with in Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels. There’s a reason to believe Maye will be back on this stage and be better for it.
It probably won’t happen next season. The Patriots will face a tough schedule that includes games against the Kansas City Chiefs, Super Bowl champion Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, and Green Bay Packers. It’s going to be tough for him to take the next step. Plus, Super Bowl runners-up have that dreaded hangover where the team is never the same.
Maybe Maye surprises us here. If not, it will happen to him eventually. A game like this could and should be the best thing that ever happened to him.
Sure, it wasn’t pleasant. But it wasn’t that way for Darnold on that October night at East Rutherford against the Patriots. Darnold bounced back, conquering his ghosts. It would be fitting if Maye could do the same.
