NFL: Tom Brady Has Thrown For the Most Passing Yards In a Super Bowl Game
As if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback didn’t have enough accolades in his stellar career resume, Tom Brady has one more record that will probably be mentioned before Super Bowl LV this Sunday. He has thrown for the most yards in any individual Super Bowl game, totaling 505 yards in Super Bowl LII against the Philadelphia Eagles. Unfortunately for Brady and the New England Patriots that day, his record-setting effort did not result in a victory, as the Eagles prevailed 41-33.
Tom Brady's big night
Brady’s historic night was fueled by standout games by his receivers and tight end, including Danny Amendola, Chris Hogan, and Rob Gronkowski, who each had more yards than Philadelphia’s leading receiver, Corey Clement. Amendola reeled in 8 catches for 152 yards, Hogan snatched 6 catches for 128 yards, and Gronkowski brought in a team-high 9 catches for 116 yards. The Patriots kept needing to air it out because Eagles quarterback Nick Foles had a great game of his own, throwing for 373 yards and 3 touchdowns.
In addition to holding the single-game record for yards, Brady also possesses the record for most cumulative yards passing during his career in the big game. In his nine previous Super Bowl appearances, he’s recorded 2,838 yards passing. For context, that total achieved in Super Bowls alone for Brady is more than the total number of passing yards Lamar Jackson, Cam Newton, and Carson Wentz each threw for this NFL regular season. The second-highest cumulative total for yards passing in career Super Bowl appearances is 1,156 by Kurt Warner. Warner appeared in three Super Bowls, two with the St. Louis Rams, and one with the Arizona Cardinals.
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Even though his record likely won’t be eclipsed any time soon, the 43-year-old quarterback has a great chance to add to his record-setting total in a significant way on Sunday. Tampa Bay already played the Chiefs earlier in the season, and Brady threw for 345 yards in that contest, with three touchdowns. Kansas City ranked towards the middle of the league in many defensive categories against the pass, so while they won’t be pushovers come Sunday, they certainly don’t pose the defensive threat on paper that some of Brady’s other Super Bowl opponents have over the years.
When the future Hall of Famer played in his first Super Bowl against the St. Louis Rams back in the 2001 season, it didn’t seem like the former University of Michigan star would find himself as the most prolific passer in Super Bowl history. Patriots coach Bill Belichick was(and still is) known for controlling football games with his defense, and hoping his offense contributes just enough to earn a victory. That was certainly the game plan against the Rams in 2001, as New England held “The Greatest Show on Turf” offense to just 17 total points. Brady and the offense were by no means spectacular, but they made plays when it mattered most. With the game tied 17-17 late in the fourth quarter, most fans assumed that New England offensive coordinator Charlie Weis would conservatively play for overtime.
However, it was at the moment where Brady’s championship mettle first appeared, as he led a drive from deep in St. Louis territory that put the team in field goal range. From there, kicker Adam Vinatieri knocked through the game-winning boot, and a dynasty unlike any we have seen in the history of the NFL was born.
It was recently reported that Brady was not considering stepping away from football after Sunday’s game, leaving fans’ imagination to run wild with visions of what else the historic player could accomplish.
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