"I’m still holding a little bit of a grudge ": When Tom Brady spoke about 2007 Patriots' chance to achieve immortality
Former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has won seven Super Bowl rings and lost three. Although Brady is hurt by those losses, Super Bowl XLII hurts him the most. On Feb. 3, 2008, Brady lost an opportunity to achieve immortal status with his Patriots dynasty.
In a weekly interview with the Westwood One’s Jim Gray in December 2020, Brady expressed disappointment over his first Super Bowl loss.
“That was the one that got away,” Brady said. “Michael Strahan has become a good friend. Obviously Eli [Manning] I’ve known for a long time. A lot of players on that team, I’m still holding a little bit of a grudge over that one because that one would have been… Immortal would be the word.”
The Patriots went to the Super Bowl undefeated at 16-0 only to suffer their first loss (17-14) of the season at the hands of Eli Manning’s Giants. Miami Dolphins achieved the unique feat of winning a Super Bowl undefeated in 1972 when they won 14-0 in the regular season and then won their remaining three games on the trot. However, no team has won the Super Bowl undefeated under the new format.
“We accomplished some amazing things that year,” Brady continued. “That 2007 team was incredible. We played so well for so long. I wish that team would have been remembered amongst all-time greats. And unfortunately, when you don’t win the last game of the year, that’s the reality of it. No one really remembers who finishes second. We unfortunately finished second that year," Brady continued.
Tom Brady and the New England Patriots failed to repeat 2007 season
Tom Brady and the Patriots got more opportunities in the future, however, they could never reach the Super Bowl undefeated. They won the Super Bowl after finishing the regular season with a 14-2 record on three occasions, 2003, 2004, and 2014.
Several teams have tried to come close to the feat, but all of them have failed. The Packers achieved a 15-1 regular season record in 2011 but were defeated by the Giants in the playoffs. In 2015, the Panthers were 15-1 but lost to the Broncos in the Super Bowl.
“You always think about the ones that got away," Tom Brady said.
In recent times, the Kansas City Chiefs came close to achieving an undefeated streak in 2024 when they won 11 successive games. However, they lost one game to the Bills and their last regular season game to the Browns before eventually losing the Super Bowl to the Eagles.