Tom Brady’s 10 Best Moments

Tom Brady’s 10 Best Moments

It’s over, done, finished for good this time… we think.

The NFL’s greatest ever player Tom Brady retired (again) after 23 seasons and seven Super Bowl titles.

Now there are all sorts of questions and justifiable doubts about whether or not Brady is in fact finished as a player, but looking at this video compared to the clumsily worded statement 12 months ago that turned out to just be an attempt to leave Tampa, this feels a lot more final.

Even if it seems like he was walking on the beach and just decided to film the video on a whim.

Anyway, what is not up for debate is the fact Brady has had an all time NFL career and it is going to be likely impossible for any player to match the success and longevity he enjoyed.

His former team paid a glowing tribute to him with this video.

It’s fair to say he didn’t go out in a blaze of glory, but even in the midst of his worst season record wise, he still produced a couple of trademark game winning drives.

But there were plenty of memorable moments over the last two decades and we’ve had a crack at narrowing down the best 10.

10 – 2014 Divisional Round – The Best Pass

There are thousands of options to choose from but the best completion of Brady’s career came in the 2014 AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Down 31-28, Brady delivered the ball with pinpoint accuracy right into the arms of Brandon LaFell for the go ahead touchdown.

In a season where many wrote him off, Brady showed he still had it in 2014.

9 – 2018 AFC Championship – The Busted Hand

Danny Amendola might have been the hero of this game (rightfully so) but Brady’s performance in this game cannot be underrated.

Four days after splitting open his throwing hand in a practice drill gone wrong, Brady took on the best defence in the league, losing his best weapon Rob Gronkowski and turned to Amendola to get them to a third Super Bowl in four years.

8 – Super Bowl XXXVIII – Game Manager? Yeah Right

In the early days of his career, Brady was maligned as a game manager who was carried to all of his success by a good defence and running game.

At times that might have been true, but by his third season as a starter, Brady was more than contributing.

That was evident in Super Bowl XXXVIII against the Carolina Panthers in a game that was billed as a defensive battle.

Taking on a fearsome front seven and an intimidating secondary, Brady threw for 354 yards and three touchdowns (back when that was an exception stat line for a quarterback) and produced another game winning drive.

7 – Week 17, 2007 – The Record Breaker

Despite having three titles and a number of accolades, Brady still had some doubters heading into the 2007 season.

However with the addition of Randy Moss, Wes Welker and a revitalised offence, Brady showed just what he could do when asked to shoulder the load.

He set the NFL record for passing touchdowns with this throw to Randy Moss in Week 17 as the Patriots went 16-0 in the regular season.

It wasn’t all perfect for them that season though, just ask Eli Manning and the New York Giants how that campaign ended.

6 – 2019 AFC Championship – The De Facto Super Bowl

New England’s sixth Super Bowl title may have come a fortnight later against the LA Rams, but for all intents and purposes, this was the true title game.

Facing off against the guy who was marked as the most likely challenger to Brady’s mantle, the aging veteran showed he’s still got it, coming through in the clutch in a hostile environment.

While Brady had plenty of better games statistically, the big throws he made in the critical moments cements this as one of his signature performances in the latter stages of his career.

5 – Super Bowl LV – He’s Still Got It

It was the divorce many expected but were still stunned by, Tom Brady left the New England Patriots in March 2020 and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

To his credit Brady could not have found a more supportive landing spot with the Bucs, who allowed him to bring in some of his favourite targets and essentially run the show alongside head coach Bruce Arians.

Brady won title number seven in Tampa’s home stadium as the Buccaneers dismantled the Chiefs 31-9 in the only Super Bowl of Brady’s career not decided by a one score margin.

Despite throwing for three touchdowns in the game, he saved his best throw of the postseason for the boat parade with the Lombardi Trophy.

4 – Super Bowl LII – A Record Setting Performance

It will be impossible to determine the exact moment that Tom Brady decided he was done in New England but this game might have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.

It was a historic day for Brady in Minnesota throwing for a Super Bowl record 505 yards but it wouldn’t be enough in the end as the Patriots defence could not make a stop.

While they did make it back and finish the job a year later, this one will go down as one of Brady’s best performances without the end reward.

3 – Super Bowl XLIX – Breaking the Drought

After an eventful 2014 season where some were questioning if Brady might be coming to the end of his career, he came back with a bang and lead the Patriots to a Super Bowl appearance against the reigning champions Seattle.

It was a proper heavyweight battle, some regard it as the best Super Bowl of all time as the teams went back and forth.

Down 10 in the fourth quarter, Brady lead a pair of touchdown drives to give the Patriots a late lead.

And when Malcolm Butler sealed the game with a goalline interception, the jubilation on Brady’s face after ending a decade long title drought could not be hidden.

2 – Super Bowl XXXVI – The First One

When the New England Patriots made Super Bowl XXXVI against the Rams, Brady was an unhearalded 24 year old quarterback still establishing who he was.

Despite going into the game as a two touchdown underdog, the Patriots held their own and Brady had the chance to win the game with one of his now famous fourth quarter drives.

With commentator John Madden calling on the Pats to kneel on the ball and take it to overtime, Brady instead took the advice of fellow quarterback Drew Bledsoe and decided to go out there and sling it.

1 – Super Bowl LI: Never in Doubt

If you want to see the quintessential Tom Brady effort, start watching Super Bowl LI midway through the third quarter.

Down 28-3, just about everyone had written the Patriots off (with good reason) and Brady simply took over.

New England went on to score 25 unanswered points to send the game to overtime before Brady orchestrated a possession that ended with a James White touchdown to win it.

In the course of the comeback Brady set a Super Bowl record with 466 passing yards that would be broken 12 months later.