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The two quarterbacks facing off against each other in Super Bowl LX — Seattle Seahawks’ Sam Darnold and New England Patriots’ Drake Maye — have taken different roads in the NFL to get to the biggest game of their careers to date.
Ultimately, one will walk away a champion, while the other will think about what they might have done differently to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy instead. So, who has the quarterback edge?
Former NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who currently works as a panelist for Amazon Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football,” has watched both quarterbacks all season long, and their playoff matchups leading up to this point. He knows which quarterback comes into this game playing better than the other.
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“Sam’s in a great groove right now, and I would give the edge to Sam and the Seahawks for sure,” he told Fox News Digital, while recapping his vacation in Aruba on behalf of the Aruba Tourism Authority.
Darnold has only played two playoff games given the Seahawks’ No. 1-seed status in the NFC. He didn’t have to do much against the San Francisco 49ers, as Kenneth Walker III scored three touchdowns and rushed for over 100 yards. Still, Darnold was able to complete 70% of his passes for 124 yards with a touchdown pass and a 110.9 quarterback rating.
But his best game this season came at the perfect time in the NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams, his NFC West rival. He matched Matthew Stafford’s three touchdown passes, while outdoing him in passing yards (346) in a fantastic performance to help his team to the Super Bowl.
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Darnold and the Seahawks are on a roll, and very clearly have the right momentum going into this contest. However, Fitzpatrick believes this is also a time that works perfectly for the Patriots and Maye, who has struggled in his first three playoff games of his career.
The defense has been the bright spot looking back at these playoffs, but Maye is also an MVP candidate because of how consistent and efficient he was all season. Fitzpatrick believes he can get back to that for this matchup.
“I think with Drake Maye with this off-week, or bye week, is going to be good for him because he has struggled a little bit in the playoffs,” he explained. “He was so consistent and efficient in the regular season. We’ve had the fumbles, it hasn’t been the same efficiency that there was in the season.
“For him to take a week and take a deep breath and realize, even though he hasn’t played his best the last three weeks, they’re in the Super Bowl. All he has to do is play his best game on Super Bowl Sunday, and they’re going to be just fine. It’s been nice for him to have a little bit of a reset.”
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Football fans know how impactful quarterback play is, making it even more crucial in the final game of the season.
Will Darnold stay hot in Santa Clara? Will Maye be back to his regular-season self come kickoff? Either way, Fitzpatrick wants both of them clicking on all cylinders.
“I’d love to see some fireworks. I know we’re not going to have snow, so we’re not going to get the 10-7 game, hopefully. But I would love to see this be a little bit of a shootout,” he said.
ONE HAPPY ISLAND, ONE HAPPY FITZ
After a long football season, Fitzpatrick and his wife, Liza, visited Aruba for some well-earned relaxation to reset and recharge before the Super Bowl.
He partnered with the Aruba Tourism Authority, which showcases the island’s commitment to responsible tourism, which includes protecting the island’s natural environment, celebrating local culture and inviting guests to travel mindfully through the Aruba Promise and Guest Guidelines.
Fitzpatrick did that and loved every minute of it, as he experienced the outdoor lifestyle that Aruba, nicknamed “One Happy Island,” has to offer.
“My wife and I — seven kids. So, we very rarely get away. So, when we get away, we gotta make sure it’s the right spot, and this one hit. It has the white-sand beaches, it has the resort, which is great. But it also has the adventure. I’m not a guy that likes to just sit on the beach and get the tan all day long. There was hiking, we were swimming in a natural pool, we went and searched some caves a little bit.
“The great thing for my wife and I, right away you feel relaxed. Then, we come home and there is this air of happiness and rejuvenation that we’re feeling. It stayed with us.”
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