Patriots Winning QB Battle Between Drake Maye, Caleb Williams?

The New England Patriots are looking like they're winning the battle between Drake Maye and Caleb Williams.

Nov 10, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) drops back to pass against the Chicago Bears during the first quarter at Soldier Field. / Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

The Week 10 matchup between the New England Patriots and Chicago Bears wouldn't normally suggest must-watch football. Both teams have struggled this season.

However, the matchup between the No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams and the No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye made many football fans tune in for the game.

In the first matchup between these two young and talented quarterbacks, Maye came out on top. When everything was said and done, the Patriots allowed Williams and the Bears to score just three points and ended up winning by a final score of 19-3.

Maye didn't put together a huge game, but it was a better performance than Williams turned in.

Following the game, NFL analyst Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston has stated that the big first takeaway is that New England got the better quarterback.

"The first takeaway from this game is that the Patriots got the better guy," Perry said. "Drake Maye showing poise, showing some resiliency, and on Caleb Williams' end, just not enough from a No. 1 overall pick who has some talent with his weapons around him in that offensive huddle. Some really unforced errors on his part. Holding onto the football helps lead to nine sacks for the New England Patriots, and just some wild spray misses -- completely inexcusable, quite frankly, when it comes to any quarterback at this level; just missing open receivers without anybody really around him."

Perry makes a very good point. Williams has the kind of situation that rookie quarterbacks dream of having. He has elite wide receivers in Keenan Allen, D.J. Moore, and Rome Odunze.

Maye, on the other hand, has none of those elite weapons.

Throughout the game, Williams ended up completing 16 of his 30 pass attempts for 120 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions. He chipped in with 15 yards on the ground.

As for the Patriots' rookie, Maye completed 15 of his 25 passes for 184 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Maye also picked up 24 yards on four attempts.

Clearly, Maye got the upper hand in his first matchup with Williams.

Already claiming that the Patriots got the better quarterback is a bit premature. Both quarterbacks are in their first season. However, this sets up a long-term battle between the two young franchise faces.

New England should certainly feel good about how the first matchup between the quarterbacks went. Maye and Williams both have a lot of work to put in and it will be interesting to revisit this debate in five years or so.

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