Patriots’ Drake Maye Limited by Shoulder Issue Ahead of Super Bowl

Both Super Bowl quarterbacks appear on injury reports, but shine in conference title games

Quarterback injuries are stealing the spotlight as the Patriots and 49ers prepare for the biggest showdown of the year. It’s almost as if the football gods decided to keep things interesting, with both teams’ signal-callers popping up on their respective injury reports.

Patriots rookie Drake Maye found himself tagged with a right shoulder issue and marked as "limited." Now, before you picture him grimacing on the practice field, this designation actually came from a hypothetical practice scenario—no real passes thrown, just paperwork. Maye, cool as a cucumber, says he expects to be ready for the big game, chalking up the shoulder trouble to a little too much throwing. He’s taking some extra rest and, in his words, feels good about his recovery. Sometimes, even the strongest arms need a pit stop. His recent form has been electric, coming off a dominant Giants win that pushed New England deeper into the spotlight.

Shoulder or not, Maye looked every bit the hero in the AFC Championship game, tossing for 86 yards, rushing for 65, and punching in a touchdown. His late-game run was the cherry on top, sealing the win for New England over the Denver Broncos. Word on the street is Maye may have improvised the play that sent the Patriots marching into the Super Bowl—talk about thinking on your feet! Depth has also become a priority in New England, with the front office adding help through recent practice signings.

Meanwhile, over in the NFC, 49ers quarterback Sam Darnold was also listed as limited, this time with an oblique issue. But you wouldn’t know it from his stat line: Darnold threw for a whopping 346 yards and three touchdowns in the NFC Championship game. Not too shabby for a guy nursing an injury. Across the conference, New York is undergoing its own transition with a renewed search for a new coordinator to reshape its offense.

With both quarterbacks tending to their bumps and bruises but still putting on a show, fans everywhere are holding their breath to see how their health will shape the Super Bowl. Maye and Darnold both seem hell-bent on taking the field, but as kickoff draws near, their exact status is still up in the air. Stay tuned—this story’s got more twists than a pretzel.