Tom Brady’s Greatest Triumphs: Ranking the Top 7 Highlights of His Football Career
Tom Brady‘s time in the NFL has come to an end. For the second year in a row, the 45-year-old announced his retirement from football through social media video. Brady leaves the NFL with many records, including the most playoff victories, passing yards, Super Bowl victories, and passing touchdowns.
The breadth and depth of Brady’s accomplishments make it difficult to narrow down the highlights of his career. Below are the top seven highlights of his football career.
7. 2017 AFC Championship Game
Even though Brady had a hand injury entering this game, he still managed to lead the New England Patriots to a come-from-behind win against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
In the first quarter, the visiting Jaguars jumped out to a 14-3 advantage. During a crucial third-and-18 situation, quarterback Tom Brady completed a pass to wide receiver Danny Amendola. After two more drives, the Patriots took a 24-20 lead they held on to.
6. Super Bowl 36
The Patriots faced the St. Louis Rams as 14-point underdogs. On the other hand, the Patriots finished the first half with a 14-point edge. As time ran out, Brady kept his calm. After completing 5 of 7 passes for 53 yards, he threw a spiked ball into field goal range, allowing Adam Vinatieri to convert the game-winning field goal and secure the victory.
5. Tom Brady’s playoff debut in the infamous Tuck Rule Game
It seemed like Brady fumbled and lost the 2001 AFC Divisional Playoff game. But the officials overturned the call because he drew the ball back, making the throw incomplete. In the last contest ever played at Foxboro Stadium, the Patriots tied the game and eventually won in overtime, giving Brady the first postseason win of his career.
4. Super Bowl 39
The Patriots established a dynasty in 2005 when they won their third Super Bowl in four years. After completing 23 of 33 passes for 236 yards and two scores, he became just the fourth quarterback in Super Bowl history to achieve that feat.
Despite being practically perfect in New England’s 24-21 triumph over Philadelphia, Brady was not awarded Super Bowl MVP for the first time in his career.
3. Super Bowl 51
To this day, Fox Sports’ Joe Buck is moved by Tom Brady’s comeback in Super Bowl 51. Brady won his fourth Super Bowl MVP award after completing two touchdowns, 43 passes out of 62 for 466 yards.
The Patriots’ miraculous comeback changed Super Bowl history. Brady led an exciting comeback from 25 points down in the third quarter to tie the game with just a minute to go. When the game went into overtime, the Patriots scored first, sealing their fifth championship.
2. Unanimous MVP selection in 2010
Tom Brady is considered the best NFL player of the 2010s. The 2010 regular season saw Brady complete 324 of 492 passes for 3,900 yards, 36 touchdowns, and just four interceptions. The 2010 Passer Score for New England’s great quarterback was 56.97.
Just before the Super Bowl, the Associated Press revealed that Brady had received the Most Valuable Player award. After a fantastic season, he earned it with a unanimous 50 votes.
1. Tom Brady’s return to England on October 3, 2021
New England fans got a final look at Brady when he visited Gillette Stadium for the first time as an opponent. During this uplifting victory, he set a new record for throwing yards. With the 19-17 victory against Bill Belichick’s club, Brady joined an exclusive group of just three other quarterbacks in NFL history who defeated each of the league’s 32 teams.
Brady leaves the field as the owner of more Super Bowl rings than any single NFL organization, a 15-time Pro Bowler, and a strong candidate for not just the title of greatest NFL player of all time but also the greatest athlete in the history of any sport.
Stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference.
