Drake Maye and Caleb Williams are about to meet again under the lights, and the picture around them looks a whole lot different than it did when they entered the league in 2024.
Williams went No. 1 overall to the Chicago Bears after a decorated run at USC, where he won the 2022 Heisman Trophy. Maye came off the board a few picks later to the New England Patriots, who were betting on the North Carolina star to grow into their next franchise quarterback.
Both arrived with big expectations. Both also had to work through plenty of rookie-season bumps.
Now, more than two years later, they’re set to square off Thursday, Oct. 22, at Soldier Field with both teams in legitimate playoff territory.
The paths to get here looked very different at the start. Williams was installed as Chicago’s starter right away.
Maye spent the first five weeks of his rookie year backing up Jacoby Brissett before taking over. Williams finished his first season with 3,541 passing yards and 20 touchdowns, but the Bears still stumbled to a 5-12 record.
Maye flashed with both his arm and his legs, even though New England ended up 4-13.
Their first meeting came on Nov. 10, 2024, and Maye got the win. New England rolled to a 19-3 victory at Soldier Field, with Maye throwing for 184 yards and a touchdown. Williams managed just 120 passing yards and was sacked nine times.
That afternoon didn’t end up defining either quarterback’s future.
With Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels now running things in New England, Maye has taken a massive leap. He has thrown for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns, earned second-team All-Pro honors, and led the Patriots to Super Bowl LX.
Williams has surged too under new Bears head coach Ben Johnson. He threw 27 touchdowns and only seven interceptions, set a Bears franchise record with 3,942 passing yards, and helped Chicago reach its first playoff victory since the 2010 season.
So much for the rookie-year growing pains sticking around forever.
The 2025 success hasn’t looked like a fluke, either. New England and Chicago both sit at 4-2 as they head into this matchup, though each quarterback has dealt with adversity along the way in 2026.
Maye was sloppy with the ball early in the season, but he has settled in over the last three games. During that stretch, he has tossed 10 touchdowns and only one interception, and the Patriots have won three straight.
Williams missed three games with a hamstring injury, then returned in style against the Atlanta Falcons on Oct. 18. He went 30 of 36 for 305 yards and a touchdown in a 31-23 win.
Maye has been watching closely.
"He's special in the way he can move and kind of escape and evade pressure, and throwing on the run is pretty cool to watch," Maye said Tuesday.
"He can do some cool things, and he's got crazy arm talent, and it's fun to watch."
Vrabel had a similar view of Williams, pointing to the quarterback’s growth as a decision-maker and his ability to keep plays alive.
"His sack numbers are going down. He's taking care of the football, so it's a huge challenge," Vrabel said.
That’s what makes this game so compelling: there’s no longer any real argument about whether Maye or Williams belong in the NFL. The question now is how far they can carry the teams that once needed them to rescue their futures - and now need them to keep winning.
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