In the Divisional Round, Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams proved he didn’t have to be a hero. Meanwhile, Drake Maye faces another huge defensive challenge in the AFC Championship game. As for their counterparts, Sam Darnold and Jarrett Stidham, there are many question marks. So, will the quarterback matchup force a Rams vs. Patriots battle in the Super Bowl?
The Rams will travel to take on the Seahawks on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. (ET). On the other side of the coin, the Patriots will visit the Broncos at 3 p.m.
Stafford and Maye are expected to battle it out for the NFL’s MVP award. Obviously, they have the 2025 pedigree to get their team to the big dance.
However, Darnold is an NFL journeyman who nobody expected to be in this position. His team is favored to beat the Rams and advance to the Super Bowl.
It’s not the same for Stidham, who makes his first NFL start since 2023. His team is in the underdog role.
But does it always come down to the quarterbacks?
Of course not. If it did, the NFL wouldn’t be very exciting. And it just so happens that two of the league’s best defenses have the lesser quarterback in these matchups.
The Seahawks have an impressive unit. However, they didn’t have much success against Stafford in their most recent matchup. Stafford threw for 457 yards with three touchdowns, no interceptions, and was not sacked.
But again, that was mid-December. This is for a trip to the Super Bowl. It’s not that the earlier game didn’t matter. It’s not that the Seahawks were somehow less prepared. But what matters is that the defense might be able to lift its game when it matters most.
In the first meeting against Stafford, the Seahawks limited him to a season-low 130 yards. But Stafford still had two TD passes, and his team won, 21-19.
The Seahawks enter the game with the mindset that they can keep Stafford in check, according to The Athletic.
“If we do what we do, everything will take care of itself,” outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu said. “From our preparation in practice, to the meeting rooms after practice, to the next day, everything. How we take care of our bodies.
“Everything plays a part in it. If we just keep doing what we do, keep everything the same, don’t tweak nothing, don’t panic, we’ll be all right.”
However, the Seahawks will face a two-fold problem. This could be Stafford’s swan song. It’s his chance to put his name down among the historical quarterback greats who have won two Super Bowl titles. There are only 13 of those in the league’s history. That’s powerful motivation for Stafford.
The other side of the problem is Sean McVay. It’s not anything against Mike Macdonald. But Macdonald is unproven at this level of the game. McVay has one title under his belt, and it came with Stafford under center.
Meanwhile, Darnold hasn’t proven he can win this type of game. Plus, he has a checkered history against the Rams. He got blasted for nine sacks last year as a member of the Vikings. This year, he threw four interceptions in a game against the Rams.
But did Darnold get rid of the ghosts with the clutch performance in the 38-37 regular-season win? He threw for 270 yards with two TDs, even though he added two more interceptions.
Basically, this comes down to taking care of the football. If Darnold turns it over multiple times, the Seahawks are likely going to be in trouble.
What about the Jarrett Stidham-Drake Maye battle?
Even though Stidham has been in the NFL for six years, he’s been with three teams and has only four starting assignments. Maye has made 29 starts in the NFL, and he has a solid record of 17-12.
It may seem weird, but Maye, as a second-year player, has more experience. He even has more playoff experience, winning two games this year. And in those games, Maye has thrown for 447 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions.
Now, there are those fumble issues for Maye. He has coughed the ball up six times in those two playoff games. No matter what Stidham lacks as an NFL quarterback, if the Broncos win by plus-three in the turnover battle, Maye and the Patriots will be in trouble.
Maye’s teammate, Stefon Diggs, said he stands firmly behind the young quarterback. There is context to the fumbles, Diggs said, according to patspulpit.com
“I think none of his plays are really bad plays,” Diggs said. “It’s just part of football. I watch him, and his demeanor and his temperament throughout the game, it never changes. I think he’s consistent. The more people that band behind him, you see it. Once he gets rolling, he’s real scary.”
It’s going to be hard for Stidham to drive the Broncos down the field if they can’t consistently run the football. And the Patriots were very capable of stopping the run in the regular season, allowing just 101.7 yards per game, good enough for No. 6 in the league.
Then, they held the Chargers (87 yards) and Texans (48) well under that average. So there’s a decided advantage for the Patriots’ defense against Stidham. And that gives Maye a decided advantage in the game.
So how does this play out?
Do you want to lean on the “defense wins championships” mantra? Or do you want to side with the quarterbacks who have a significant edge?
Since the NFL rarely plays to what is expected, it’s probably going to be a split. One defense will win, and one quarterback will win. And along those lines, it seems like the Broncos and the Rams would emerge as the Super Bowl opponents.
