Tom Brady's top 5 memorable moments from his time with the Patriots
Tom Brady returns to New England tonight to face the Patriots for the first time in his career. When Brady trots out of the tunnel with his Bucs, he'll see the six championship banners that he helped bring to Foxborough.
He'll take in the vast surroundings of Gillette Stadium, which are certain to include throngs of people all crammed in to see the quarterback that they once celebrated so triumphantly.
Tom Brady is returning to the place where it all started.
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Despite the outside noise and speculation, Brady is Foxborough's favorite son, and he provided the Patriots with some wonderful times. The future Hall of Famer was one of the foundations upon which the Patriots dynasty was built. The Patriots will pay tribute to him tonight, and the video package that honors Brady will highlight some of his greatest moments.
Here are five of the greatest moments from Brady's Patriot career.
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Greatest Brady moments for the Patriots
#1 - Fourth Quarter of Superbowl 49
By February 2015, the Patriots Dynasty was starting to resemble a fossil. Their last championship came in 2005, and in between, they suffered two heartbreaking Superbowl losses to the Giants.
But Super Bowl 49 saw the Patriots take on a new rising dynasty in the NFL: the high-flying Seattle Seahawks and their Legion of Boom defense.
The Seahawks controlled that game for three quarters, and when Brady and the offense stepped onto the field in the fourth quarter with 12 minutes left on the clock, they trailed by 10 points against one of the greatest defenses in NFL history.
What followed was what has come to be known as Brady's magic. Brady hit Julian Edelman in stride on a third-and-long to keep the drive going. The Seahawks defense couldn't fathom what would happen next, as Brady found Danny Amendola in the end zone a few plays later to trim the lead.
With six minutes remaining on the clock, Brady marched his team downfield as he completed eight passes on eight attempts. The Patriots scored the go-ahead touchdown, and one interception later, the Patriots' championship drought was over.
Brady breathed new life into the Patriots with a historic display against the best defense in the league.
#2 - Comeback against the Falcons
In Super Bowl 51 vs. the Atlanta Falcons, the Patriots found themselves down by a score of 28-3 in the third quarter. However, Brady helped to orchestrate an incredible comeback to win a second Superbowl title in three years.
Brady again struggled for three quarters before finding his rhythm in the fourth. The Falcons' offense went into panic mode as they continued to give Brady more offensive possessions.
The game went into overtime and when they won the coin toss, the writing was on the wall. Brady punished an exhausted Falcons defense before James White reached the endzone. Brady helped erase a 25-point deficit that led to the wildest comeback in Superbowl history.
#3 - Brady meets Patrick Mahomes
By early 2019, head coach Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs were the talk of the town. Led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, they had the best offense in the NFL. It was also around this time that pundits began to question Brady.
That year, those two teams met in the AFC Championship game in an epic battle.
The Patriots were the second seed in the AFC to the Chiefs. Brady went punch-for-punch with Patrick Mahomes as the game went into overtime.
The Patriots won the toss, and Brady led a 13-play drive into the end zone. The drive featured two critical third-down conversions as Brady summoned his competitive fire to win the game.
#4 - The very first Superbowl
Back when the Rams played in St. Louis, Brady played them in his very first Superbowl. The "Greatest Show on Turf," a moniker given the potent offense of the Rams, struggled mightily against head coach Bill Belichick's defense.
Although the game was mostly a defensive battle, Brady did manage to toss an important eight-yard touchdown to David Patten that helped to seal a close 20-17 victory for Brady and the Rams
#5 - The snow game against the Raiders
Everyone remembers the tuck rule game. What people don't know is how Brady endeared himself to his fans and teammates before the game. In a blizzard, Brady, the boy from sunny California, stepped onto the field in a shirt and shorts.
The roar when Drew Bledsoe's backup strutted out like that was deafening. Brady demonstrated how team-oriented his mentality was. He earned the respect of his veteran teammates, and they delivered by matching the Raiders' physicality to keep them in the game.
Brady led a drive in horrendous conditions to move into range for kicker Adam Vinatieri. His command of the offense and intelligent decision-making under enormous pressure shone like a lighthouse. The fire is still burning brightly, as Brady makes his triumphant return to New England a legend because of these moments.