Tom Brady might never be topped on an NFL field.
But as the seven-time Super Bowl winner balances his $375 million FOX Sports announcing career with part-ownership of the Las Vegas Raiders (NFL) and Birmingham City (EFL), it can be easy to forget how great Brady was in an American football uniform.
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Tom Brady dominated the NFL like no one else in historyCredit: Getty
Throw in the fact that Brady won six rings with the New England Patriots and a seventh trophy with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Michael Jordan of the NFL was so successful for more than two decades that all of Brady’s Super Bowl wins can blend together.
But there definitely was a greatest game for Brady — and there was also a Super Bowl when he only threw for 145 yards in a win.
As Birmingham City prepares for its Championship season-opener vs Ipswich Town and Week 1 of the NFL season approaches, talkSPORT ranks all seven of the GOAT’s victories in American football’s Big Game.
7. Super Bowl LIII – New England Patriots 13, Los Angeles Rams 3
Most players spend their entire NFL careers dreaming of just reaching the Super Bowl.
Brady played in 10 big games and went 7-3 on football’s grandest stage, so he’s on a level of his own in football history.
After falling to the Eagles’ Philly Special in 2017, simply winning a ring again meant everything to Brady a year later.
He didn’t throw a touchdown in 2018, was intercepted once and was held to a 71.4 rating.
But in a game that saw wide receiver Julian Edelman win MVP, Brady still passed for 262 yards and led the Patriots on two fourth-quarter scoring drives to break a defensive-driven 3-3 tie at halftime.
If there can be such a thing as a boring Patriots Super Bowl victory, this was it for the Pats.
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Brady celebrated a tough win over the Rams in Super Bowl LIII with his familyCredit: Getty6. Super Bowl XXXVI – Patriots 20, St. Louis Rams 17
Brady was 24-years-old and the Patriots were coming out of the Drew Bledsoe era.
That partly explains why the NFL’s all-time passing leader was held to just 145 passing yards, while Kurt Warner lit it up with 365 for the Rams.
New England was still finding its identity under Bill Belichick and Brady was still proving himself.
St. Louis outgained the Pats by 160 yards and had the better roster.
But Belichick’s gritty crew still won it all, thanks to a heroic 48-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri as time expired.
It was the perfect start to Brady’s legendary Super Bowl run.
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Brady went 7-3 in the Super Bowl and nearly won two more rings vs the NY GiantsCredit: talksport5. Super Bowl XXXIX – Patriots 24, Philadelphia Eagles 21
This is when the Patriots began to become a dynasty.
The Eagles were a good and talented team, led by Donovan McNabb at quarterback and Terrell Owens at wide receiver.
Philadelphia also had a respected head coach in Andy Reid, who was on the verge of proving himself in the big game.
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Reid had to wait until he became a Kansas City Chief to win a Super Bowl, thanks to Brady and Belichick.
Brady put up lesser numbers compared to McNabb, who threw for 357 yards and three TDs.
With Deion Branch winning MVP, it was another team effort for New England, which used four Philly turnovers to seal the win.
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Brady leading the Patriots out of a Super Bowl tunnel became a common sceneCredit: Getty4. Super Bowl XXXVIII – Patriots 32, Carolina Panthers 29
The most forgotten of Brady’s Super Bowl wins.
Remember when Jake Delhomme led Carolina to the big game and the Panthers were up 22-21 in the fourth quarter?
Few do, but the Pats had to pull one out against John Fox’s team in 2003.
Brady started 2-for-2 in the Super Bowl by stepping up big on a huge stage.
He completed 32-of-48 passes for 354 yards, three TDs and a 100.5 rating, showing off a serious arm and being named MVP.
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What seemed too good to be true became a recurring sight for NFL fansCredit: Getty3. Super Bowl XLIX – Patriots 28, Seattle Seahawks 24
For 99.9 percent of NFL players, a last-second interception to preserve a Super Bowl win would be an undisputed career highlight.
For Brady, the miracle against the Seahawks — Malcolm Butler picked off Russell Wilson, as Pete Carroll made the wrong call and Marshawn Lynch was cruelly ignored — ranks third on his Super Bowl victory list.
In a wildly back-and-forth game, Brady outdueled Wilson when the latter was at his peak.
It was another breakthrough for a QB who delivered over and over, even when the Patriots had been counted out.
“Whatever it takes,” Brady said.
“Every team has a journey and a lot of people lost faith in us. But we held strong, we held together, and it’s a great feeling.”
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As the Super Bowl wins stacked up, Brady added Rob Gronkowski to the partyCredit: Getty2. Super Bowl LV – Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31, Kansas City Chiefs 9
Only an overtime all-time classic prevents this from being Brady’s greatest Super Bowl win.
He was pushed out in New England, fell out with Belichick, and then did it his way after Tampa Bay started 7-5 during a year when the coronavirus pandemic took over the world.
Brady outplayed Patrick Mahomes in the big game, while the Buccaneers’ defense shredded the Chiefs.
A collection of respected veterans chose Tampa Bay because Brady became a Buc.
Ndamukong Suh referred to Brady as a “great teammate” with the Bucs.
“I see why he’s so good, just because of his work ethic and the things that he builds himself off, and that mindset and focus,” Ndamukong Suh exclusively told talkSPORT.
Winning the Super Bowl on Tampa’s home field made it even sweeter, as Brady proved that he was bigger than New England and Belichick’s confining system.
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Gronkowski and Brady couldn’t believe they won a Super Bowl after leaving the PatsCredit: Getty1. Super Bowl LI – Patriots 34, Atlanta Falcons 28 in overtime
The Super Bowl that made Brady the true GOAT.
New England overcoming a 28-3 deficit late in the third quarter was a true team effort, with everyone from Julian Edelman and James White to Dion Lewis and Stephen Gostkowski playing key roles in the most unlikely victory in NFL playoff history.
Brady was at the core of New England’s stunning comeback, shaking off an uneven first half — which included giving up an 82-yard pick-six — to complete 43-of-62 passes for 466 yards, two touchdowns and a 95.2 rating.
Led by Brady, the Patriots refused to quit despite giving up 21 points in the third quarter, and being down 28-9 entering the fourth.
Only one QB could have turned 28-3 into a 34-28 OT victory at 40-years-old.
That was Brady, who pulled off the best Super Bowl win of his legendary career.
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Brady’s OT win over the Patriots was the sweetest of his career and hard to believeCredit: Getty Images – Getty