Tom Brady

The Patriots have had their share of peaks and valleys over the course of a season. With Tom Brady at quarterback, however, the team always seemed capable of making a deep run. A captain every season since 2002, Brady became the definition of a field leader, particularly when the stakes were highest.

Brady's arm strength and accuracy have always been among his greatest assets, but his ability to diagnose a defense separated him from other quarterbacks. He could quickly survey the field, recognize where the coverage was vulnerable and locate the receiver with the best chance to exploit it.

Brady's regular-season résumé places him among the greatest quarterbacks ever. His postseason numbers leave little room for qualification. At the time of this card, he held the NFL postseason records for games played (37), touchdown passes (71) and passing yards (10,226), while also owning a record five Super Bowl championships.

A new decade brought a new uniform, but the results looked familiar. In Week 4 of 2020, Tampa Bay entered the fourth quarter trailing the Chargers. Brady took control, throwing the go-ahead touchdown as the Buccaneers rallied for a 38-31 victory. It marked his first fourth-quarter comeback with Tampa Bay.

2005 — League Leaders

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Complete NFL Passing Record

New England Patriots — 2009

For the sixth time in seven seasons, New England captured the AFC East. Despite a regular-season loss to Baltimore, the Patriots remained among the league's better teams, finishing third offensively and 11th defensively. Much of the attention centered on the return of Brady, who had missed the 2008 season with an injury.

2001 Season

Brady took firm control of the Patriots' offense in his second NFL season. In his first career start, he defeated Indianapolis in Week 3, and the victories continued to accumulate. He guided New England to the AFC East title before leading playoff wins over the Raiders, Steelers and Rams, culminating in the franchise's first Super Bowl championship.

Brady needed an organization willing to put its faith in him as a quarterback. New England became that team. Once the Patriots handed him the reins, he helped steer the franchise toward an unprecedented run of success, ultimately leading the team to six Lombardi trophies.

Tom formed one half of the most successful quarterback-coach partnership in NFL history. Together, Brady and Bill Belichick posted a record .764 winning percentage, including the playoffs.

New England underwent plenty of change around Brady, but the quarterback remained a constant in 2019, his 20th season with the franchise. He continued to perform at an elite level, throwing for 4,057 yards and 24 touchdowns while guiding the Patriots back to the postseason.

A Brady-less playoff picture was difficult to imagine. The 22-year veteran returned to postseason action on Jan. 16, 2022, against Philadelphia. In Tampa Bay's 31-15 victory over the Eagles, Brady threw two touchdown passes while leading the Buccaneers past the Eagles secondary.

The Brady Effect

Win. Make the playoffs. Win the ring.

That formula worked immediately in Tampa Bay. In the quarterback's first season with the Buccaneers, the team captured a championship. Receiver Mike Evans summed up Brady's impact by describing him as a natural winner and leader who consistently gets his teams to the postseason.

In Week 17 of 2022, Tampa Bay needed Brady to deliver a vintage performance. In a playoff-clinching victory over Carolina, he threw for 432 yards and three touchdowns, then added a 1-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter to help put the game away.

Brady developed a reputation as one of the sport's ultimate clutch performers, driven by an extraordinary desire to win. That competitiveness pushed both himself and the players around him. After missing most of the previous season, he returned in 2009 and threw for 4,398 yards with a 65.7% completion rate, earning Comeback Player of the Year honors.

At this stage of his career, Brady's biggest challenge seemed to be surpassing records he had already established himself. In Week 8 of 2021, he threw four touchdown passes against the Saints, recording his fifth four-touchdown game of the season. The performance broke the record he had set the previous year for the most such games by a quarterback over 40.

Brady continued to produce at an elite level in 2020, completing 401 passes, his highest total since 2015. His production also showed that he could still attack downfield. At age 43, he led the league with 36 completions on throws traveling at least 20 yards downfield, according to Pro Football Focus.

Comebacks became part of Brady's postseason résumé. In the AFC Championship Game against Jacksonville, the Patriots entered the fourth quarter trailing 20-10. Brady answered by connecting with Danny Amendola for two fourth-quarter touchdowns, lifting New England to a 24-20 victory and another Super Bowl appearance.

Brady's first postseason run with Tampa Bay was historic. The Buccaneers won three road playoff games on the way to Super Bowl LV, with Brady throwing 10 touchdown passes along the way. The franchise had never previously won more than one road game in a single postseason, and its entire playoff history had produced just 10 touchdown passes before that run.

Tampa Bay quickly became a championship contender with Brady under center, winning Super Bowl LV in his first season with the team. His presence also helped attract other players. General manager Jason Licht called Brady the "ultimate cheat code," noting that players wanted the opportunity to play alongside him.

A double-digit deficit against the Chargers wasn't enough to convince Tampa Bay that the game was over. With Brady leading the offense, the Buccaneers rallied from behind for a 38-31 victory in Week 4 of 2020.

Brady approached every season with the same objective: start the job the right way and finish it with a victory. After Tampa Bay won Super Bowl LV, the quarterback summed up that mindset: reaching the championship wasn't enough. The team still had to finish the job.

Brady remained closely connected to Michigan football long after leaving Ann Arbor. He celebrated when his alma mater defeated rival Ohio State on Nov. 27, 2021, calling it one of the great days he could remember in college football.

Complete NFL Passing Record (Through 2006)

Brady had quietly started 108 consecutive games, including 14 postseason contests, dating back to September 30, 2001. During that stretch, the Patriots went 26-5 in games decided by fewer than seven points.

Brady continued to add milestones in 2015. With a season-opening victory over Pittsburgh, he established an NFL record for most wins as a starting quarterback with one team, reaching 161. In Week 5, he also appeared in his 213th game with New England, setting another franchise record.

Career TDs

Quarterbacks in their 40s had never led the NFL in touchdown passes until Brady changed that. At age 44 in 2021, he topped the league with 43 touchdown throws. The previous oldest quarterback to lead the NFL in touchdown passes? Brady himself, who recorded 36 in 2015 at age 38. He ultimately led the league in touchdown passes four times.

400th Career TD

Brady's 400th career touchdown pass came against Jacksonville in Week 3 of 2015. One statistic made the milestone even more remarkable: only 43 of his first 400 touchdown passes came while New England was trailing. Brady's tendency was clear: put the Patriots in front early and keep them there.

During Tampa Bay's 30-17 victory over Atlanta in Week 13 of 2021, Brady lined up under center in the first quarter and executed a play-action fake before rolling right. He then floated a pass to 6-foot-5 Cameron Brate, who made a contested catch for a 3-yard touchdown.

2021 ESPYs

Brady and the Buccaneers collected major honors at the 2021 ESPY Awards. Brady was named "Best Athlete, Men's Sports" and "NFL Player of the Year," while Tampa Bay earned "Best Team." The awards followed a remarkable season that ended with the Buccaneers winning Super Bowl LV.

2020 Season

Although Brady's teams were often in control, his ability to engineer a comeback was equally impressive. In Week 15 of 2020, Tampa Bay fell behind Atlanta 17-0. Brady responded by directing five consecutive scoring drives, bringing the Buccaneers all the way back for a 31-27 victory.

When Brady arrived at Michigan, six other quarterbacks were already on the roster. After spending his first two seasons as a backup, he earned the starting job as a junior in 1998 and delivered a breakout season. He threw 14 touchdown passes and helped the Wolverines win 10 games.

4,000 Yard Club — Topps, 2012 Passing

Brady's dominance against Buffalo became one of the defining rivalries of his career. In 22 games against the Bills, he posted a 20-2 record while throwing for 5,407 yards and 51 touchdowns.