Drake Maye and Spencer Rattler were picked 147 picks apart in last year’s NFL draft.

The New England Patriots, searching for Tom Brady’s successor, selected Maye with the expectation that the third overall pick could one day be the franchise’s next great quarterback. The New Orleans Saints, by contrast, took Rattler under entirely different circumstances. The fifth-rounder, drafted 144th overall, was not taken to be the next Drew Brees. Rattler, once thought to be a potential No. 1 overall pick, was simply too good a value to pass on.

But here they were on Sunday afternoon, engaged in a battle in which their draft status seemed to matter little.

The ball barely touched the ground for long stretches. The two men raced their offenses up and down the field. Sunday wasn’t quite a shootout

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