Tom Brady proves yet again that he owns the Atlanta Falcons
Like a vintage red wine, Tom Brady seems to just get better with age – and it seems the Atlanta Falcons are always punch-drunk on his greatness.
Tom Brady orchestrated one of his all-time great comebacks from 28-3 down in the third quarter of Super Bowl LI against Atlanta, and in Week 2 of the 2021 season, he once again showed no remorse for the Falcons.
The seven-time champion tossed three first-half touchdowns as his team roared to a 21-10 half-time lead. Even though Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan guided his team to within three points of Tampa Bay at 28-25 by the end of the third quarter, the Bucs stepped on the gas in the fourth.
A pair of pick-sixes from defensive back Mike Edwards led the Bucs to score 20 unanswered points in the final quarter to surge to 2-0, with Brady finishing on 24 completions from 36 attempts for 276 yards and five passing touchdowns.
Why Tom Brady lives rent-free in the Falcons' minds
Simply put, Tom Brady has never lost to the Falcons. He's 9-0 when lining up against the Dirty Birds.
Fortunately for Atlanta, he only played them six times in 20 years in New England. Now that Tom Brady has made the NFC South his home, however, the Falcons will have to cope with facing the GOAT twice a year, every year, until he decides he has haunted them enough.
The suggestion that Brady is playing the best football of his 22-year career is no exaggeration. His fifth touchdown pass against the Falcons took him to nine TDs for the year – the most he's ever thrown through two weeks of an NFL season. Only Patrick Mahomes has ever topped this number, with 10 in 2018.
Brady has now thrown four or more touchdowns in four straight regular-season games. That streak brings him level with Hall of Fame QB Dan Marino's best-ever tally, and one behind Peyton Manning's record of five consecutive four-TD hauls.
Brady has 35 career games with four or more TD passes, the same as Peyton Manning, while only Drew Brees (37) has more.
If you look at the numbers, the reality is Tom Brady is playing better football now than he ever did in his 20s and 30s. His physical skills are as good as ever, and his mind carries all of that knowledge and experience built up over two decades.
And while those are impressive numbers across the board, unfortunately for the Falcons, they may be featuring in their own rendition of 'The Conjuring', with Tom Brady in a starring role.