“Second Year QB Back in Super Bowl”: Tony Romo Makes Drake Maye-Tom Brady Comparison After Patriots’ Win

Drake Maye is walking a path New England fans know well. Like Tom Brady before him, Maye is heading to the Super Bowl as the New England Patriots’ quarterback in just his second NFL season. A rare feat that instantly invites comparisons to the franchise icon who defined an era in Foxborough.

Calling the AFC Championship Game on CBS, Tony Romo couldn’t help but draw the parallel as the Patriots closed out a gritty 10–7 win over the Denver Broncos at Mile High.

“Second year QB back in the Super Bowl, I don’t think we’ve ever seen that, oh wait … we did when Tom Brady was there,” Romo said. “I’m not gonna say it’s the start of a dynasty, but I will say it’s been an unbelievable ride for them.”

Maye’s defining moment came late in the fourth quarter with everything on the line. With 1:57 left, New England faced third-and-five near its own 40-yard line, and Denver had just burned its final timeout. A punt would’ve given the Broncos a chance to steal the game.

The call was an outside-zone run from an I-formation look. Except Maye had other ideas.

He pulled the ball from Rhamondre Stevenson and kept it himself, sprinting on a naked bootleg into open space. The Broncos’ defense bit hard. So hard, in fact, that even Maye’s own teammates didn’t see it coming.

“I hit my block, and all the defenders started running the other way,” center Garrett Bradbury told the Boston Herald. “I’m like, ‘What? Oh my God.’”

After the game, Maye admitted he never told the huddle he might keep it. “I debated telling you guys if I was gonna keep it or not,” he said. “But I just decided not to.” The run iced the game and became the signature play of New England’s 2025 postseason run.

The setting made the moment even louder. In a snowy, wind-whipped AFC Championship at Empower Field at Mile High, Maye delivered something even Brady never managed: a playoff win in Denver.

Brady went 0-for-4 in postseason trips to Mile High, including three AFC title losses. Maye is now 1-for-1.

The numbers weren’t pretty — 10-of-21 passing for 86 yards — but the context mattered. Snow, brutal conditions, shaky pass protection, and limited field position turned the game into a survival test. Maye answered it with poise, smart decisions, and his legs.

He finished with a rushing touchdown and led both teams in rushing by the fourth quarter, repeatedly extending drives that looked dead on arrival. He also showed maturity beyond his years: throwing the ball away when needed, managing the clock, and staying calm as Denver threatened late.