Tom Brady has played in over 300 games in his NFL career, including 40 playoff games. From all these games, to narrow it down to just the top 10 games only, is a little bit of a challenge. Some games are easy to pick- there’s almost a consensus to them, it’s the rest that are difficult to pick.
But I’ve done that. Each game unique for it’s own reasons. I’ve listed them here with highlights of each game attached.
Hope you enjoy it, as we begin…
No. 10- at Miami, 2007
Brady absolutely tore up the Miami Dolphins in this 2007 match up. This is the same Patriots team that went 16-0 in the regular season with Brady tossing a then NFL record 50 touchdown passes to guys like Wes Welker and Randy Moss. For this game, at one point, Brady was 11 for 11 for 220 yards and 4 touchdown passes…in the FIRST HALF. He finished the half with five touchdowns, and six overall, including a bomb on 3rd and 18 to Randy Moss for a 50 yard touchdown.
No. 9- vs. Tennessee Titans, 2009
On a snowy New England day, Brady was on fire, tossing an NFL record five touchdown passes in a single quarter, as the Patriots destroyed the Titans 59-0.
No. 8- at New York Giants, 2015
This is a hidden gem in the All-Time Brady games. The Giants have Brady’s number, we all know that. So during the Revenge Tour of 2015, Brady and the Patriots entered New York with an undefeated record, and found themselves down late in the 4th quarter with under two minutes to play. Brady then did Brady things, including a 4th and 10 conversion as the Patriots marched downfield for the game winning 54-yard field goal to stay undefeated. You know this felt good for Brady- to beat Eli in his own home.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDXBRP4HTqI
No. 7- Monday Night Football, at Miami, 2011
Opening Week of the 2011 season saw a classic all-time Brady game against one of his toughest opponents, at their home, and on Monday Night. Against Miami, Brady lit up the secondary to the tune of 517 yards and 4 touchdowns, including this 99-yard game clinching touchdown to Wes Welker.
No. 6- 2014 AFC Divisional Playoffs vs. Baltimore
The Ravens have always been a thorn in Brady’s playoff side. Prior to this 2014 Divisional matchup, Brady had a losing record in the playoffs against the Ravens, including a frustrating loss in 2012 at home in the AFC Title game. But this was 2014, and the Patriots and Brady were on a mission. Twice, they were down by 14 points, and twice they came back. It took every trick in the book, but Brady came through, tossing the game winning touchdown with just over five minutes to play. It was with this win, that you knew it was Brady’s season as he finally exercised some playoff demons.
For me, I’ll always remember this game for the fans signing The Outfield’s Your Love, not once, but twice!
No. 5.- 2006 AFC Divisional Playoffs at San Diego
Here it is, the Top 5 starts with one of the toughest playoff wins of Brady’s career. Throwing to guys named Gaffney and Caldwell, Brady brought the Patriots back from 11-down to pull off this improbable win over the top seeded, and heavily favored Chargers who had the league MVP in running back LaDanian Tomlinson.
This game should bring back memories later on in this post of another game where the Patriots had to go on the road against a tough AFC West opponent in which they were the underdogs. But that’s for later…on to #4!
No. 4- Super Bowl 51 vs the Atlanta Falcons
The Comeback. “Atlanta blew a 28-3 lead”, blah blah blah, this was the game that officially put Brady over Joe Montana as the G.O.A.T, this pretty much ended that conversation.
Brady set Super Bowl records for attempts, competitions, and yards on his way to winning his 5th title and 4th Super Bowl MVP.
No. 3- Super Bowl 49 vs the Seattle Seahawks
For me, this is Brady’s best Super Bowl ever, especially when you consider what exactly was at stake here. It was the possible birth of a dynasty in Seattle versus Brady starting down the barrel of a 3-3 Super Bowl record. The same Seahawks team that wrecked Peyton the year before, was now going up against Brady just two weeks after the whole Deflategate scandal broke. And with all that noise off the field, Brady and the Pats found themselves down 10 in the 4th quarter, which until then, no team had ever come back from in the Super Bowl.
But this is Tom Brady, who shredded the Legion of Boom in the 4th quarter completing 13 of 15 passes for 124 yards, converting on a 3rd and 14, and firing two touchdown passes, including the game winner with just 2:02 left to play.
Yes, Malcolm Butler made the game winning interception at the goal line, but make no mistake, this was Brady’s comeback too.
No. 2- 2018 AFC Championship game at Kansas City
If there was ever a “one more for the road” Brady game, this was it. A 41-year old Tom Brady guiding his Patriots into Arrowhead Stadium to face the top seeded and heavily favorite Kansas City Chiefs with their league MVP quarterback. By every definition, this didn’t look good for Brady and the Pats. The last time Brady played in Kansas City, back in 2014, he was benched in a 41-14 loss.
But this was the AFC Championship, and this was a fired up Tom Brady who one week earlier said “everyone thinks we suck”. It was at that point, you knew, the Patriots were gonna win, just not the way it happened.
That 4th quarter was amazing, with both teams trading bombs and leads. And then in overtime- 3rd and 10, 1st down, 3rd and 10, 1st down, 3rd and 9, 1st down. Just insane that the Patriots converted those three 3rd down and long- but it happened, and it was Brady at his best.
“One more for the road…” Why not? Just in case anybody forgot, he’s still Tom Brady, and he’s still here.
No. 1- Super Bowl 36, vs the St. Louis Rams
“What Tom Brady did, just gave me chills.” – John Madden
If you didn’t get the reference, Madden was talking about how Brady reminded him of Joe Montana. That’s what we all saw that night, Joe Montana reincarnated. The first one, the drive, Brady’s biggest moment on the national stage and he was as cool as a cucumber.
He calmly drove the underdog Patriots down the field and into position to win the game, which they did. If you had said at that moment, that Brady would go on to win five more Super Bowls, nobody would have believed you. But now, all these years later, you still go back to the first one to relieve that magic.
So here it is, the final drive of Super Bowl 36, and the first of many great Brady games to come.
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