Patriots' Drake Maye must buck brutal 32-year QB trend to return to Super Bowl

History isn't on Maye's side: No AFC QB has made it back after a Super Bowl debut loss since 1994

If the New England Patriots want to get back to the Super Bowl with Drake Maye, he's going to have to buck a brutal trend that no AFC quarterback has been able to shake over the past 32 years.

Getting back to the Super Bowl is hard enough, but it's been impossible for quarterbacks who are in Maye's situation: Since 1994, no AFC quarterback has returned to the big game after losing his Super Bowl debut. Maye lost his Super Bowl debut in February when the Patriots went down in a 29-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

During an interview from The Masters that was released over the weekend, Maye seemed to have a solid mental grasp on just how difficult it's going to be to lead New England back to the NFL's biggest game.

"That's the biggest thing about it: It's humbling," Maye said. "You've got to get back to work. When you're so close and within reach, you want that feeling. Everybody says, 'You'll be back,' it's not that easy. So, we've got to get back to work and I'm looking forward to trying to prove to myself that we can get back and just have another year to get a chance at it."

Maye's right, it's definitely "not that easy."

The Patriots star is the seventh AFC quarterback over the past 32 years to lose his Super Bowl debut, and none of the previous six have made it back to the big game.

Here's the list of AFC quarterbacks since 1994 who lost their Super Bowl debut:

• Super Bowl XXIX: Stan Humphries (Chargers)
• Super Bowl XXX: Neil O'Donnell (Steelers)
• Super Bowl XXXI: Drew Bledsoe (Patriots) -- Bledsoe did return as a backup, but that doesn't count
• Super Bowl XXIV: Steve McNair (Titans)
• Super Bowl XXXVII: Rich Gannon (Raiders)
• Super Bowl LVI: Joe Burrow (Bengals)
• Super Bowl LX: Drake Maye (Patriots)

Although no one has made it back, Burrow came extremely close. The Bengals QB came just one game away from ending this 32-year drought, but Cincinnati lost to Kansas City in the 2022 AFC title game. If the Bengals had won, it would have meant back-to-back Super Bowl trips for Burrow, but they ended up losing to the Chiefs, 23-20.

Maye led the Patriots to the Super Bowl in his second year with the team, which is the same thing Burrow did. It's also the same thing Dan Marino did, and although he had a Hall of Fame career in Miami, the Dolphins legend never made it back to the Super Bowl despite playing 14 more seasons AFTER his initial appearance.

The last AFC QB to eventually make a return to the big game after losing his Super Bowl debut was Jim Kelly. The Hall of Famer made his Super Bowl debut with the Bills in 1990, which started a run of four consecutive Super Bowl appearances for Kelly and the Bills. Of course, Kelly went 0-4 in those games, so he didn't end up winning a ring.

If you want the last AFC QB to win a Lombardi Trophy after losing his Super Bowl debut, you have to go all the way back to John Elway. Elway's Broncos lost to the Giants in his first big game start in Super Bowl XXI, but he finally got over the hump 11 years later by beating the Packers in Super Bowl XXXII. Elway actually lost two more Super Bowls before his first win, so his career record in the big game was 0-3 before he notched his first of two championships. 

If you include NFC quarterbacks on this list, that might make Maye (and Burrow) feel slightly better. Over the past 32 years, there have been 19 total NFL quarterbacks to lose their Super Bowl debut, and one of them did bounce back to lead their team back to the big game: Jalen Hurts. After losing to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, Hurts led the Eagles back to the big game, where they got revenge on Kansas City with a 40-22 win in Super Bowl LIX.

Bucking this trend is possible; it just hasn't happened in the AFC over the past 32 years.

Even if Maye does eventually get back to the Super Bowl with the Patriots, it seems highly unlikely that we'll see that happen in 2026. Only one quarterback ever has lost his Super Bowl debut and then bounced back to return to the Super Bowl in the following season: Bob Griese. The former Dolphins QB lost to the Cowboys in Super Bowl VI before leading them to a victory over Washington in Super Bowl VII to cap off Miami's undefeated season in 1972 (Griese only started six games in 1972 due to a broken ankle he suffered in October of that year. The Super Bowl ended up being his first start in his return from the injury).

History might be against him, but Maye has his eyes firmly on winning a Lombardi Trophy.

"Everybody's got the same goal this time of year, to get back to that game," Maye said. "Knowing that we were there and had a chance at it is just that much more fulfilling for me and being able to reach that."