The New England Patriots lost Super Bowl LX 29-13 to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, and they must hope they don't follow the path the Cincinnati Bengals have taken recently.

The Bengals lost the Super Bowl 23-20 to the Los Angeles Rams in the 2021 campaign before losing by the same score to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship the following year, but they haven't made the playoffs since. Like the Patriots this past season, Cincinnati had a breakout second-year quarterback.

Joe Burrow put together his first full NFL season in 2021, just like Maye did in 2025. Burrow is now one of the best quarterbacks in football, but he's been hampered by injuries and a subpar defense.

Both quarterbacks were top-three picks in the draft, as Cincinnati selected Burrow No. 1 overall in 2020 before New England chose Maye No. 3 in 2024. Maye began his rookie campaign as a backup to Jacoby Brissett and finished with 13 games played, while Burrow started right away before going down with season-ending knee injuries after 10 games.

Burrow then took a jump after the Bengals drafted star receiver Ja'Marr Chase in 2021, notching 4,611 passing yards on a 70.4 completion rate with 34 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. The former LSU Tiger then led them to playoff wins against the Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, and Chiefs.

Maye topped the NFL with a 77.1 ESPN QBR in 2025 while ranking fourth with 4,394 yards and third with 31 touchdowns. The former North Carolina Tar Heel also had eight picks and a 72 percent completion rate.

However, the Patriots had an easier path to the Super Bowl, as they beat the Los Angeles Chargers, a Houston Texans team without star wideout Nico Collins and a Denver Broncos squad without starting quarterback Bo Nix. New England leaned on its No. 2-ranked defense in all three games, winning 16-3, 28-16, and 10-7, respectively. It won the turnover battle by a combined 8-5 in those contests. Maye had less than 200 passing yards in the Texans game and Broncos games.

Conversely, Burrow and company beat a juggernaut Chiefs squad led by future Hall of Famer Patrick Mahomes and nearly defeated a Rams team with all-time greats Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and Aaron Donald. Meanwhile, the Patriots ran into a Seahawks team with the No. 1 defense and didn't score until the fourth quarter.

New England must add more offensive talent. While it finished eighth in football with 26.5 points per game this past season, Maye broke Burrow's record with 21 sacks taken during the postseason, as Burrow had 19 in the 2021 playoffs. Also, Burrow has played with both Chase and fellow star wideout Tee Higgins nearly his whole career, while Maye has no elite skill-position players around him. Veteran receiver Stefon Diggs finished 12th with 85 catches and 16th with 1,013 yards, but he's 32 and past his prime.

Pass-protection has been an issue for both quarterbacks, but Burrow at least has two of football's best wideouts. Maye has a better defense than Burrow's ever had, but he'll never reach his full potential if the Patriots don't add blue-chip talent on his side of the ball.

On the other hand, Cincinnati must improve a defense that's ranked in the bottom half of the league in points allowed per game in each of the last three seasons and 30th in 2025. Burrow led the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns in 2024, but the Bengals missed the postseason at 9-8 primarily because of defensive issues.

Lastly, the Seahawks finished second in scoring offense in 2025, along with their top-ranked defense, once again proving that having a complete team is the best way to win rings.