Drake Maye Just Topped Rex Grossman For All-Time Worst Playoff Runs — Validating The Caleb Williams Pick
Drake Maye finished one vote shy of winning league MVP this year. Media and fans slobbered all over his regular season performances, heralding him as the true heir apparent to Tom Brady with the New England Patriots. He completed 72% of his passes and led the team to a 13-4 record. The only thing left to do was attend the coronation in Super Bowl LX. Yet as the playoffs unfolded, it became apparent Maye wasn’t anywhere near that elite level he’d showcased the previous four months.
Then it all came crashing down in the Super Bowl.
Under the relentless pressure of the Seattle Seahawks’ defense, Maye delivered his worst performance of the season. The QB looked rattled and uncertain, taking six sacks and committing three brutal turnovers, including two interceptions and a strip-sack returned for a touchdown. When the dust settled, Maye had the worst Expected Points Added (EPA) of any playoff quarterback in the past quarter century, eclipsing 2015 Peyton Manning and 2006 Rex Grossman for the honor.
Drake Maye proved the Bears should not regret taking Caleb Williams.
Over the past couple of months, you’ve seen articles popping up doing a 2024 re-draft. This is where people do what the 1st round would’ve looked like with the benefit of hindsight. Almost all of them had the Bears taking Maye over Caleb Williams because of his excellent regular season. Yet the true mettle of a quarterback shows up when the lights are brightest. Maye seemed to shrink from them, being carried the entire postseason by an elite defense. By contrast, Williams consistently delivered in big moments, engineering that epic comeback over Green Bay and forcing overtime with that all-time great 4th-down throw against the Rams.
Critics are not wrong. Williams still suffers from efficiency issues. He doesn’t hit the layups often enough, and he got greedy a bit too often in the playoffs. Yet nobody argues whether he belonged on that stage. Some even stated the postseason lost some of its juice after the Bears were eliminated. It feels like we’re just starting to see the real version of Williams blossom, whereas this might be the best Drake Maye will ever be. Everything went right for the Patriots this year, and their quarterback couldn’t close the deal.
| Quarterback | 2025 stat line vs. winning teams |
| Drake Maye | 1,997 yards, 12 TDs, 7 INTs |
| Caleb Williams | 2,599 yards, 19 TDs, 9 INTs |
Maye isn’t likely to see an easier runway ever again.
Keep in mind what happened in the AFC. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs were eliminated from postseason contention. That is unlikely to happen much in the future. The same was true of Lamar Jackson in Baltimore. Joe Burrow is still dangerous in Cincinnati. Let’s also not forget Maye has to share the AFC East with Josh Allen, who won their second meeting in December. That conference is loaded with too many good quarterbacks to believe Maye will see a playoff schedule as easy as the one he just saw ever again.
We already know Williams can elevate his play in the postseason. The only issue for him is cutting down the interceptions and improving the efficiency. The Superman cape will be there when it’s needed. This year confirmed everything the Bears felt about their young quarterback when they drafted him. He might not have been a finished product, but his ability to take plays beyond their original design was special. If harnessed by a smart enough coach, it could transform into some of the best quarterback play this league has seen.
Drake Maye will have a good career, but this past month has ended the debate. Chicago made the right decision.