Ranking Tom Brady's 10 greatest games in the NFL playoffs
Name a better pairing than Tom Brady and the NFL playoffs. Brady-Bill Belichick perhaps comes closest, but you get the point.
Tom Brady is the definition of a perennial contender. Over the years, the league's most garlanded QB has put together some truly special performances in the NFL playoffs. Here are ten of the heroic quarterback's most iconic performances in the NFL playoffs.
Tom Brady's greatest playoff outings
#1 - Super Bowl 51 versus the Atlanta Falcons (2016)
This was one of the best late-game performances by any player in the history of the sport.
Early on, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots came out flat and fell behind Matt Ryan and Kyle Shanahan's passing attack. Near the end of the third quarter, the scoreboard read 28-3. It seemed the New England Patriots were going to lose the Super Bowl.
That's when Atlanta hit a wall and Tom Brady started to heat up. Within the final quarter and change, Brady made up a 25-point deficit and forced the game into overtime. By this point, the Atlanta Falcons never had a chance.
It was the largest comeback in Super Bowl history. Most New England Patriots fans would rank this as the best game they have ever seen. This might have been Tom Brady's greatest moment as an NFL quarterback.
#2 - 2018 AFC Championship against the Kansas City Chiefs (2018)
This was Patrick Mahomes' breakout season, which made Brady's showing all the more audacious. Mahomes spent the length of the regular season lighting up the league, throwing for 50 touchdowns. It seemed that the Chiefs were a shoe-in for the Super Bowl. However, they needed to get past Tom Brady first.
The Kansas City Chiefs had already played the New England Patriots earlier in the year. Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady went back and forth en route to a 40-43 loss for Kansas. With the game running so close, it appeared Patrick Mahomes was too good to lose a similar game twice.
However, Tom Brady's Patriots put up 37 in the AFC Championship game to send the young gun home. The game ended up going into overtime due to a late score by Brady with only about a minute left to play.
#3 - AFC Championship versus Jacksonville Jaguars (2017)
The Jacksonville Jaguars were balling in 2017. Leonard Fournette had a breakout rookie year, earning over 1,000 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Their defense was ranked second overall. Going into this meeting, though, Tom Brady was the favorite.
However, the legendary quarterback came out flat. Late in the game, it seemed that the New England Patriots were going to go home.
Brady chose this moment to put up one of the most clutch fourth-quarters of his career. At the end of the game, the New England Patriots came out on top and Blake Bortles was sent home.
#4 - AFC Championship versus the Denver Broncos (2015)
The Denver Broncos had one of the best defenses of all time in 2015. The team featured Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, Chris Harris Jr., TJ Ward, and others. The defense was nigh unbeatable.
While Tom Brady ultimately lost the game, he still got within one throw of forcing overtime. Down 20-12, Tom Brady had one drive to tie the game. He scored a touchdown but could not convert on the two-point attempt.
Had kicker Stephen Gostkowski not missed a kick earlier in the game, the Patriots would have been able to tie it with an extra point. Instead, they were forced to go for two at the end of a late scoring drive.
What was impressive about this was just how good the Denver Broncos defense was. Every other team failed to accomplish what Tom Brady did that season.
#5 - Super Bowl 52 versus Philadelphia Eagles (2017)
The Philadelphia Eagles were on fire during the 2017 regular season. But when Carson Wentz went down with an injury, few had the Philadelphia Eagles as contenders for the Super Bowl.
That is, everyone except for the Philadelphia Eagles. They coasted to a top seed and used their home-field advantage to deliver knockout blows to the Atlanta Falcons and the Minnesota Vikings.
People continued to doubt the Philadelphia Eagles up to the last second of the Super Bowl. That was the momentum the Eagles carried into the meeting with Tom Brady's Patriots.
Nick Foles played the best game of his life, forcing Tom Brady to reciprocate. While Tom Brady ultimately lost the game, it was not because of a lack of trying.
Brady threw for over 500 yards and three touchdowns, blowing up the stat sheet. The offensive performance was something unheard of in the Super Bowl, especially in a losing effort.
The game came down to a Hail Mary thrown by Tom Brady that was almost caught for a go-ahead touchdown.
#6 - Super Bowl 38 versus Philadelphia Eagles
Tom Brady won his third Super Bowl in this game. He finished the day with 236 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, according to Pro Football Reference. The Patriots won the game 24-21.
#7 - Super Bowl 36 versus St. Louis Rams
The game resulted in Tom Brady's first Super Bowl victory. He threw for 145 yards and one touchdown. While the stats aren't very Brady-like, it was his first Super Bowl.
#8 - Super Bowl 49 versus Seattle Seahawks
Tom Brady set up the New England Patriots to win this game. He had a 74 percent completion percentage and threw for four touchdowns. Everyone remembers this game for the interception at the goal line by Malcolm Butler which meant Tom Brady's heroic effort went a tad unnoticed.
#9 - Super Bowl 53 versus Los Angeles Rams
Wade Phillips had Tom Brady's number in this game. Even so, he was able to find Rob Gronkowski to set up the only touchdown of the game. His ability to overcome Wade Phillips overshadowed his stats on the night. He had 262 yards and an interception.
#10 - Super Bowl 55 versus Kansas City Chiefs
While Tom Brady did not have too much to do in this game, he did become the oldest quarterback to win a Super Bowl, and only the second quarterback to do it with two teams. He completed 72 percent of his passes and threw for 201 yards and three touchdowns en route to a 31-9 win.