Happy Birthday Tom Brady: 5 Performances where the QB proved he's the GOAT
Tom Brady has turned 45 years old and he is marking his birthday with celebrations with his family on Wednesday. Yet, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback remains focused on the upcoming NFL season.
Despite having retired for a grand total of six weeks before deciding there was still more for him to do in the NFL, Brady already has a career filled with more high points than others can even dream of.
Starting with his illustrious career with the New England Patriots, where he won six Super Bowl championships, right through to his time with the Bucs, where he carried the team to their first title in almost 20 years.
However, it’s not just the Super Bowl wins and stats which make Brady’s career memorable. It's the performances on the field that were so good, so impactful, and so important that they cemented his status as the GOAT.
7x Super Bowl Champion
Happy 45th birthday to Tom Brady 🎉🎂
🐐 7x Super Bowl Champion
🐐 3x MVP
🐐 All-time TD pass leader
🐐 All-time passing yard leader
🐐 1,124 career rushing yards
THE GOAT 🐐 https://t.co/xifKF6IXHF
Fans of a certain vintage will claim Terry Bradshaw is the greatest QB of all time, while the next generation will say that nobody comes close to rivaling Joe Montana. However, at every single turn, Brady was able to produce performances which caused those stances to change… or at least waver.
Here, to celebrate his birthday, we look at five of his best performances. These were the efforts that showed the true greatness of Brady and his position as, arguably, the best ever.
#5 – Pittsburgh Steelers - AFC Championship 2005
The 2004 NFL season saw Tom Brady and the New England Patriots reach the AFC Championship game where they would face the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Brady’s legacy was already strong by this point, but his display against the Steelers was one which catapulted him into the echelons of true greatness.
The night before the battle with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the quarterback battled an incredibly high fever, but was still able to play.
Like Michael Jordan, another GOAT, he battled through the flu and produced one of the most dominant displays the NFL has seen.
He threw for 207 yards and two touchdown passes in a 41-27 victory against a team that was 15-1 for the season. Brady would then recall the game as one of his most satisfying victories.
#4 – Jacksonville Jaguars - AFC Championship 2018
By 2018, there was already a belief that Tom Brady was the greatest quarterback to have played in the NFL, but he was still able to add further success.
It’s hard to imagine the Jacksonville Jaguars being so competent as recently as 2018, but they reached the AFC Championship game with a confident brand of football.
Brady and the Pats expected a tough afternoon, and the Jags held a 10-point lead going into the fourth quarter of the game.
Gillette Stadium feared they were witnessing a shock result only for Brady to step up and produce yet another magical comeback.
He threw 38 passes and completed 26 of them for a total of 290 yards, while he produced two exquisite touchdown passes to Danny Amendola.
It was a performance that showed Brady didn’t need to throw for record yards, he just knew how to make the right passes at the right time, a hallmark of his career.