The biggest mystery going into these NFL playoffs was how second-year New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye would look under the bright lights of Wild Card weekend.
The answer? Not quite as great as the guy who’s sure to have earned plenty of MVP votes from the regular season, which he wrapped with a 14-3 record, 72% completion rate, 4,394 passing yards, 31 touchdowns, and just 8 interceptions.
Maye accomplished two critical feats against the Chargers Sunday: he got a win for his team, and he looked significantly better in the second half than in the first.
But where does he stack up against recent greats and his contemporaries, including Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Patrick Mahomes?
Here’s the good news: while Maye’s numbers weren’t typical for his 2025 caliber of play, they were in line with several debuts from Super Bowl-winning QBs. He certainly had a better maiden voyage than Ben Roethlisberger, both Eli and Peyton Manning, Russell Wilson, and Jalen Hurts, (and two out of those five guys still got wins in their debuts). Obviously, when looking over this list, a player’s postseason debut doesn’t always indicate the success he’ll have in the future.
Plus, there's the context of opponents and conditions, (of course, a blizzard affects how everyone views Brady's playoffs debut).
It’s still fun to look, though.
The most notable point when comparing Maye’s stat-line to these other quarterbacks may be the unusual combination of his high passing yardage, plus 66 rushing yards. It truly demonstrates how, despite Maye’s accuracy issues in the first half of Sunday’s game, he was able to keep the Chargers defense honest with his legs, and that makes him a rare combination player in the playoffs.
'Elite' can be subjective, so the list is narrowed down to guys who made their playoffs debut following the 2000 season and went on to start in a Super Bowl. Here's the ranking of individual game performances, best-to-worst: (numbers via Pro Football Reference)
1. Joe Burrow: January 15, 2022 – vs. Las Vegas Raiders 26-19 W
24/34 (70.6%), 244 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
2. Drew Brees: January 8, 2005 – vs. New York Jets 20-17 L (OT)
31/42 (73.8%), 319 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 2 sacks
3. Patrick Mahomes: January 12, 2019 – vs. Indianapolis Colts 31-13 W
27/42 (65.9%), 278 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 4 sacks, 8 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD
4. Aaron Rodgers: January 10, 2010 – vs. Arizona Cardinals 51-45 L (OT)
28-42 (66.7%), 423 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT, 5 sacks, 1 fumble lost
5. Matthew Stafford: January 7, 2012 – at New Orleans Saints 45-28 L
28/43 (65.1%), 380 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT, 1 rushing TD
6. Colin Kaepernick: January 12, 2013 – vs. Green Bay Packers 45-31 W
17/31, (54.8%), 263 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 181 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs
7. Brock Purdy – January 14, 2023 – vs. Seattle Seahawks 41-23 W
18/30, (60%), 332 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 16 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD
8. Tom Brady: Jan 19, 2002 – vs. Oakland Raiders 16-13 W (OT)
32/52 (61.5%), 312 yards, 1 INT, 2 sacks, 16 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD
9. Donovan McNabb: December 31, 2000 – vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21-3 W
24/33 (72.7%), 161 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 2 sacks, 32 rushing yards, 1 TD
10. Jake Delhomme: January 3, 2004 – vs. Dallas Cowboys 29-10 W
18/29, (62.1%), 273 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 1 sack
11. Drake Maye: January 11, 2026 – vs. Los Angeles Chargers 16-3 W
17/29 (58.6%), 268 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 66 rushing yards, 1 fumble lost
12. Nick Foles: January 4, 2014 – vs. New Orleans Saints 26-24 L
23/33, (69%), 195 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
13. Russell Wilson: January 6, 2013 – at Washington Redskins 24-14 W
15/26 (57.7%), 187 yards, 1 TD, 67 rushing yards
14. Ben Roethlisberger: January 15, 2005 – vs. New York Jets 20-17 W (OT)
17/30 (56.7%), 181 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 30 rushing yards
15. Jimmy Garoppolo: January 11, 2020 – vs. Minnesota Vikings 27-10 W (first as starter)
11/19 (57.9%), 131 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 2 sacks
16. Matt Ryan: January 3, 2009 – at Arizona Cardinals 30-24 L
26/40 (65%), 199 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 6 rushing yards, 1 fumble lost
17. Cam Newton: January 12, vs. San Francisco 49ers 23-10 L
15/25 (64%), 267 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 54 rushing yards
18. Matt Hasselbeck: January 4, 2004 – at Green Bay Packers 33-27 L (OT)
25/45, (55.6%), 305 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
19. Jalen Hurts: January 16, 2022 – at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-15 L
23/43 (53.5%), 258 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 39 rushing yards
20. Joe Flacco: January 4, 2009 – at Miami Dolphins 27-9 W
9/23, (39.1%), 135 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 8 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD
21. Rex Grossman: January 15, 2006 – vs. Carolina Panthers 29-21 L
17/41, (41.5%), 192 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
22. Peyton Manning: January 16, 2000 – vs. Tennessee Titans 19-16 L
19/42 (45.2%), 227 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 0 fumbles
23. Eli Manning: January 8, 2006 – vs. Carolina Panthers 23-0 L
10/18 (55.6%), 113 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT, 22 rushing yards, 1 fumble lost