Sam Darnold and Drake Maye beat Caleb Williams to the punch, but Williams can hopefully join the exclusive clubs sooner than later
The Seattle Seahawks will be representing the NFC in Super Bowl LX against the New England Patriots.
Super Bowl LX is set between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots after each team advanced in the Conference Championships on Sunday.
The story of the game is already about the quarterback position with Sam Darnold set to face off against Drake Maye, and it’s a quarterback matchup few could have expected at the start of the season. Yet, both quarterbacks were able to lead their respective teams to the final game.
In the meantime, the Chicago Bears will be watching the Super Bowl from the couch after falling short in the NFC’s Divisional Round, and it’s going to be even harder to watch for quarterback Caleb Williams, seeing two quarterbacks he’s connected to, go head-to-head.
Sam Darnold beats Caleb Williams, becoming first USC quarterback to start the Super Bowl
With Darnold heading on to the Super Bowl, that means he will be the first USC quarterback to start a Super Bowl game, a rare stat many Bears fans hoped Williams would be the first to achieve.
After Darnold left the Trojans for the 2018 NFL Draft, USC struggled for a few seasons before finally acquiring head coach Lincoln Riley, who brought quarterback Caleb Williams along with him from Oklahoma. In the first season together at USC in 2022, the Trojans went 11-3 with Williams winning the Heisman Trophy. The next year, Williams was drafted first overall by the Chicago Bears.
With how turbulent Darnold’s NFL career started and how much potential Williams had to start his career, few would have predicted Darnold being the first USC quarterback to reach the big game as a starter, yet here we are.
Drake Maye becomes first 2024 quarterback to reach the Super Bowl
As for Drake Maye, the Patriots young quarterback is now the first 2024 quarterback to reach the Super Bowl as well, which means two quarterbacks from that first-round have now lasted longer in the playoffs than Williams. Last season Jayden Daniels came close to a Super Bowl with the Washington Commanders, making it to the NFC Championship Game before losing to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Williams-Maye-Daniels debate was a strong one ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft to determine who would be the first overall pick. For Chicago, there wasn’t much debate in the decision, Williams was going to be their franchise quarterback. But, it would’ve been hard to go wrong with any of the three based on what we’ve seen over the last two seasons.
Yet, it’s unfortunate to see Daniels get so close last season and now seeing Maye in the Super Bowl while hoping that one day Williams can reach similar heights.
Caleb Williams’ time is coming, sooner than later
Even though Bears fans are left hoping that one day Williams can lead this team back to the Super Bowl, it’s clear it’s only a matter of time until that day comes.
Realistically, getting to the Super Bowl is very very hard and something few quarterbacks are ever capable of achieving. But, the Bears have something special brewing with Williams at quarterback and with Ben Johnson as the team’s head coach.
“We didn’t reach the goals we wanted to hit, and that’s to be a championship-caliber team,” Bears general manager Ryan Poles said last week. “That’ll never change. I am proud of the progress we made. Knowing that we can’t be complacent.”
The Bears have a big offseason ahead while joining 30 other teams watching the big game from home hoping that maybe next year will be their opportunity.
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