FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will be starting his 34th playoff game in Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons, which will extend own NFL record.
As one would expect based on his 24-9 record in the postseason, there are no shortage of standout performances he has turned in.
So which ones stand out most?
A top-10 list like this sparks debate, with some putting added emphasis on one area (e.g., level of competition), while others focus more on a final stat line or responding to the pressure of the highest stakes.
With that as the springboard, here’s our “Brady 10.”
10. Jan. 7, 2007 : Wild-card round — Patriots 37, Jets 16 — This was one of the more underrated playoff performances of Brady’s career when considering it came with a receiving corps led by Jabar Gaffney and Reche Caldwell. Furthermore, it came on the heels of a 17-14 regular-season loss to the Eric Mangini-coached Jets. Mangini knew the Patriots’ system intimately from his time as an assistant, but Brady was effective against Mangini’s plan in going 22-of-34 for 212 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. It marked the 10th straight playoff game in which he had a passing touchdown.
9. Jan. 13, 2013: Divisional round — Patriots 41, Texans 28 — Finishing 25-of-40 for 344 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions, Brady helped New England roll over the Texans for the second time in a span of a month. This was Brady’s 23rd career postseason game, which broke Tedy Bruschi’s franchise record (22), as Wes Welker (eight catches, 131 yards) was his go-to target.
8. Jan. 14, 2012: Divisional round — Patriots 45, Broncos 10 — It was Brady vs. Tim Tebow, Part II, as the teams had met just one month earlier in Denver. Brady threw a career-high six touchdown passes while finishing 26-of-34 for 363 yards and a passer rating of 137.6. Tight end Rob Gronkowski (10 catches, 145 yards, three TDs) was his top target.
7. Jan. 12, 2008: Divisional round — Patriots 31, Jaguars 20 — The Jaguars sat in zone coverage for most of the game while rushing four defenders and Brady responded with his most efficient playoff game ever, going 26-of-28 for 262 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions. His passer rating was 141.4, an all-time playoff high for him, as he pretty much made it look easy.
6. Feb. 6, 2005: Super Bowl XXXIX — Patriots 24, Eagles 21 — Brady finished 23-of-33 for 236 yards, with two touchdowns (one to linebacker-turned-tight-end Mike Vrabel) as the Patriots’ defense ultimately held off the Eagles when it counted. Brady’s favorite target was receiver Deion Branch, who had 11 receptions for 133 yards to earn MVP honors.
5. Feb. 3, 2002: Super Bowl XXXVI — Patriots 20, Rams 17 — From a bottom-line stats perspective, this game is closer to the bottom of the list (16-of-27 for 145 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT), but it gets a bump from a clutch standpoint. While John Madden was telling the TV audience the Patriots should take a knee and play for overtime, Brady — then in his second NFL season and first as a starter — helped lead the Patriots to the winning field goal at the final gun.
4. Feb. 1, 2015: Super Bowl XLIX — Patriots 28, Seahawks 24 — It took Malcolm Butler’s goal-line interception to seal the victory, but Brady was remarkable in the fourth quarter to help the Patriots storm back from a 10-point deficit. He finished 37-of-50 for 328 yards, with four touchdowns and two interceptions, to earn MVP honors, and then gave the truck he won as MVP to Butler.
3. Jan. 10, 2015: Divisional round — Patriots 35, Ravens 31 — Brady was 33-of-50 for 367 yards, with three touchdowns and one interception, to lead a furious second-half comeback from 14 points down aided by an unusual tactic in which the Patriots declared eligible receivers ineligible. Brady added a 4-yard touchdown run that he capped off with an emphatic spike, and then his fire transferred over to the postgame interview room when he countered criticism from Ravens coach John Harbaugh by telling him to study the rulebook.
2. Jan. 22, 2017: Divisional round — Patriots 36, Steelers 17 — Brady’s most recent performance ranks among his best, as he was 32-of-42 for 384 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Brady masterfully manipulated the Steelers’ defense before the snap and his accuracy was pinpoint on almost every throw, with Chris Hogan (9 catches, 180 yards, 2 TDs) and Julian Edelman (8 catches, 118 yards, 1 TD) his top targets.
1. Feb. 1, 2004: Super Bowl XXXVIII — Patriots 32, Panthers 29 — A scoreless game until just over three minutes left in the second quarter turned into a shootout the rest of the way, with Brady finishing 32-of-48 for 354 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Similar to his first Super Bowl, it required a game-winning drive in the final minute, with this one aided by a Carolina kickoff that went out of bounds and helped the Patriots start the drive on their 40.
