Tom Brady – A History of His Super Bowl Appearances
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Children across the United States dream of taking up football and claiming Super Bowl glory as professionals. For many players, the chance to win a single ring in their career is the culmination of a lifelong dream. However, Tom Brady is no ordinary player, and his fans consider a season without a Super Bowl as an offseason.
The former New England Patriots and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback has reached a record ten Super Bowls and won seven. He claimed the Super Bowl MVP four times and had a 50% success rate in the AFC Championship game in 18 seasons as a starter.
He holds the distinct honor of being the entity with the most Super Bowl wins with 7. The next best are the six Super Bowl wins by the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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Brady holds many Super Bowl records which include most passing yards in a single game (505), most cumulative passing yards (3039), and most touchdown passes (21), most game pass attempts (62), and most career pass attempts (421).
He is the stuff of legends and will go down as a once in a lifetime player. We look at each of his Super Bowl appearances.
Super Bowl XXXVI: Tom Brady wins his maiden Super Bowl
New England Patriots finished rock bottom of the AFC East in 2000. Their season started horrendously when Drew Bledsoe sustained an injury. In retrospect, fans can view this as one of the all-time iconic moments in Patriots’ history as a future Hall of Famer, Tom Brady got his chance in the spotlight.
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Under Brady, the team’s fortunes changed. They won 10 of their next 14 games, secured the top seed, and advanced to Super Bowl XXXVI.
New England started slowly and only got onto the board in the second quarter. This came in the form of a pick-six. Later, Tom Brady got into the act and hurled a touchdown pass to help New England head into halftime, 11 points to the good.
Under Kurt Warner, the St. Louis Rams mounted a comeback with the teams tied at 17-17 heading into the dying seconds of regular time. Here, Brady displayed poise under pressure. He advanced with the threat of an interception looming large.
The quarterback started over 80 yards away from the end zone. In the next 8 plays, he advanced 53 yards to get within field goal range. No Super Bowl had ever gone into overtime, and Adam Vinatieri had destiny at his right foot.
The placekicker sent a huge 48-yard effort through the uprights at the Louisiana Superdome to clinch the Foxborough side’s first Super Bowl.
Tom Brady completed 16/27 passes for a 59.25% completion rate. He threw one touchdown pass and helped his side advance for the crucial final field goal attempt. As a result, he got voted the Super Bowl MVP.
Super Bowl XXXVIII: Tom Brady and The Patriots do an encore
Two years after his monumental win, Brady returned to the Super Bowl. The New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers played a scoreless opening quarter and remained even right until 26:55.
Tom Brady rushed 12 yards to earn a fresh set of downs and prolong the side’s sixth drive. Finally, he located wide receiver Deion Branch, who sprinted into the end zone and broke the deadlock.
167 seconds later, New England scored their second touchdown. The effort came after just 49 seconds after the Panthers responded with a touchdown.
The final 185 seconds of the half yielded a cumulative 24 points in the form of three touchdowns and a 50-yard field goal by the Carolina Panthers.
In the fourth quarter, The Panthers scored two touchdowns to take the lead but failed in the subsequent two-point attempt on both occasions.
The New England Patriots had their backs to the wall with under three minutes left. Tom Brady made huge gains on the back of a 68-yard drive across 11 plays. On the play’s final down, he passed to linebacker Mike Vrabel for a one-yard touchdown. It was all or nothing for New England who opted for a two-point effort to go seven clear with 2:51 left.
Now, Carolina had to score a touchdown and send the kick good just to tie the game. New England’s two-point gamble paid off as a point or a missed kick would have handed the initiative to the NFC champions.
The Panthers tied the game at 29-29 with a minute left. Following the template of two years ago, Brady remained cool under pressure in the final 60 seconds to advance 37 yards and get Vinatieri within range.
The kick flew through the uprights and New England clinched their second Super Bowl. Brady passed for 354 yards with a 66.6% passer completion and three touchdowns and clinched the game MVP.
Super Bowl XXXIX: Tom Brady and the New England Patriots defend the Vincent Lombardi Trophy
No team has achieved this feat until the 2020 NFL season. The Patriots came close in 2018, but defending the trophy is very tough. The Philadelphia Eagles scored first at the home of Jacksonville Jaguars, but New England responded strongly through Tom Brady with touchdown passes on either side of halftime.
New England faced adversity as The Eagles mounted a 10 play 74-yard drive to head to the final quarter level on points with the AFC Champions.
Unlike their previous triumphs, New England wasn’t playing against the clock at Super Bowl XXXIX. They took the game out of reach with a touchdown early in the fourth courtesy of Corey Dillon. Five minutes later, The Patriots went 10 points clear with a 22-year field goal.
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Nothing is over in football, and two touchdowns are possible in the last eight minutes. The Eagles clawed back to within seven points of the defending champions with a field goal just under two minutes from time. This drive of 13 plays marked the final scoring effort for the 2004 NFL season.
Tom Brady made 23 completions from 33 attempts with two touchdown passes. His tally was once again better than Super Bowl XXXVI. However, the MVP award went to Deion Branch.
Super Bowl XLII: Tom Brady’s first Super Bowl setback
The New England Patriots were unstoppable in the 2007 NFL season and ran past all challengers. However, in the AFC Championship Game, the impeccable Tom Brady misfired with three interceptions. This should have been a sign that a stellar season had caught up to him.
Standing in the way of Brady and Super Bowl glory was Eli Manning and the New York Giants, who finished 2nd in their division. Eli was attempting to emulate his brother Peyton Manning, who claimed the Vincent Lombardi Trophy and the MVP award at Super Bowl XLI.
New England took the lead with a touchdown early in the second to wipe out New York’s field goal advantage. Later, in the fourth quarter, Eli Manning orchestrated a brilliant play-action play. He drilled a straight pass into the end zone to David Tyree. The comeback was on!
New England, though, was a champion team and rose to the occasion. They gained 80 yards on a 12 play drive, with Brady passing for his first and only touchdown in the game. Moss’ six-yard reception saw The Patriots have a three-point cushion. However, it gave the NFC Champions the belief that it was all or nothing.
It felt like a reversal of fortunes from New England’s position from Super Bowl XXXVIII. Manning rose to the occasion and used the next drive to stun Massachusetts. Part of the credit goes to Tyree, who completed the renowned ‘The Helmet Catch’ to earn his side a fresh set of four downs.
Manning lobbed the football to Plaxico Burress to hand the Giants a lead with 35 seconds on the clock. Brady tried to make an unlikely comeback but got sacked. Later, his Hail Mary pass was incomplete with two seconds left. This marked the New England Patriots quarterback’s maiden Super Bowl setback in the Brady-Belichick era.
Tom Brady did not throw an interception in the game, but completed only 29/48 attempts at the University of Phoenix Stadium.
Super Bowl XLVI: Eli Manning crashes the party once more
New England made it to the season finale for the fifth time in the Brady-Belichick era. Standing in their way yet again was the New York Giants. The game offered The Patriots a chance to gain revenge. However, Eli Manning had other ideas at his brother’s home stadium.
New York Giants opened the scoring via a safety. Here, Tom Brady passed in desperation as the defense was about to sack him. It was a complete miscue with no receivers near the place the football landed. Hence the referees deemed it as ‘intentional grounding’.
In the next drive, The Giants advanced 78 yards to take a 9-0 lead and assert their dominance in the game.
The AFC champions opened their account with a field goal. Brady got into the act to set up a 96-yard drive across 14 plays and help New England take the halftime lead.
Three minutes into the third quarter, on the team’s next drive, the Patriots’ No.12 made a 12-yard pass to take the score to 17-9.
Ultimately, The Giants hit back with two field goals to claw to within two points. They sacked Tom Brady to earn the drive to set up the second field goal attempt.
Two drives later, The Giants scored a touchdown with 57 seconds left. As a result, they handed the ball to New England, who had sufficient time to recover a 4-point deficit.
Brady’s Hail Mary attempt with nanoseconds remaining had the Giants on tenterhooks as it was within the field. The Giants’ defense and New England’s offense rose to claim the football.
They tipped it, and time stood still as it dropped to the field. Rob Gronkowski attempted a last-ditch catch. However, it was not to be with Eli Manning maintaining his unbeaten record over New England in Super Bowl games.
Super Bowl XLIX: Tom Brady claims his fourth Super Bowl
New England returned to the Super Bowl and the very venue where they lost to The Giants seven years ago. Tom Brady would have heaved a sigh of relief to come up against a team without Eli Manning.
However, Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks presented a formidable threat. After a scoreless opening quarter, the New England Patriots opened their account on their third drive. Tom Brady made an 11-yard pass to Brandon LaFell.
Seattle responded swiftly, but Brady found his trusty aide, Rob Gronkowski, to restore The Patriots’ lead with 31 seconds left for halftime. Wilson responded with an 80-yard blitz across 5 plays in 29 seconds to restore parity to Super Bowl XLIX.
The Seahawks carried their momentum into the third quarter and scored a field goal. 6:45 into the quarter, Bobby Wagner intercepted a Brady pass attempt which resulted in Seattle earning a drive. This culminated in their third touchdown of the evening.
10 points behind, Tom Brady made the next two drives count in a big way with two touchdowns. The latter effort was a pass to Julian Edelman with 126 seconds left on the clock.
However, the team had only a 4-point advantage, and The Seahawks had plenty of time to get a touchdown of their own. Wilson earned back-to-back first downs before Malcolm Butler came up with two Super Bowl clinching moves.
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He stayed alert following a failed interception and pushed Jermaine Kearse out of bounds at New England’s 5-yard line. Seconds later, Butler intercepted a pass directed to Ricardo Lockette, who was free. The cornerback charged towards the football and made the most crucial catch of the game.
Ideally, he could have been the game MVP. However, the lead earned was all on Tom Brady’s efforts and he claimed his third MVP award. The New England Patriots No.12 passed for 328 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Super Bowl LI: Tom Brady snatches victory from the jaws of defeat
The Atlanta Falcons blitzed the New England Patriots in the opening half an hour of the game. Brady fell victim to an 82-yard pick-six as his team went down 21-0 with just over two minutes left till halftime.
New England opened their account with a field goal. Upon resumption, Matt Ryan registered a third touchdown pass to take the lead to 28-3.
However, Brady was not about to go gently into the good night. He rallied the offense and helped his side claw their way back into the reckoning. The defense too rose to the occasion and kept the Eagles scoreless in the final 23 minutes of the game.
New England advanced 75 yards, and Brady threw his first touchdown pass at 12:54 in the third. The Patriots still had a mountain to climb, but the charge was on!
They trailed by 19 heading into the last quarter and scored on each of their next three drives. Gostkowski made amends for his missed kick and scored a field goal.
With 8:24 left, New England secured the football after a fumble. They rapidly progressed to the end zone with Brady passing to Danny Amendola.
The AFC champions played against the clock and scored a touchdown with 57 seconds of regulation time left. As expected, they opted for a two-point conversion and scored to tie the game.
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This was the first Super Bowl to head into overtime. New England won the toss and capitalized. They did not surrender the football and kept earning timely first downs en route to a touchdown to complete the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history.
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For his clutch performance in the last two quarters and a Super Bowl record 466 yards passed, Tom Brady claimed his fourth Super Bowl MVP award. This broke his tie of three with Joe Montana.
Super Bowl LII: The Eagles reign supreme
New England reached back-to-back Super Bowls for the second time in the Brady-Belichick era. This time the NFC opposition came in the form of the Philadelphia Eagles, who were without their first choice quarterback Carson Wentz.
Nick Foles proved to be an able backup, but the five-time champions with an ageless wonder at quarterback were a different proposition altogether.
40-year-old Brady had to play catchup right from New England’s opening drive at the U.S. Bank Stadium. The Patriots got within range for a field goal but faced two consecutive touchdowns to fall 12 points behind.
Gostkowski sent a second kick through the uprights but couldn’t do the same later on in the quarter. Nick Foles passed for his first touchdown to take The Eagles 10 clear at halftime.
Tom Brady came into his own in the third quarter. He passed for two touchdowns on either side of Nick Foles’ second touchdown pass to head into the final 15 minutes, three points behind.
Six minutes into the fourth quarter, Brady found Rob Gronkowski for a 4-yard touchdown and New England led for the first time in the game.
Seven minutes later, Foles took Philadelphia five points ahead. Brady aimed to pull off yet another Super Bowl Houdini, but fumbled on a second down.
The ensuing play saw Philadelphia score a field goal to leave New England needing a touchdown and successful two-point attempt to force overtime yet again.
However, they could advance just 40 yards. On the final play, Brady went for the Hail Mary from the Patriots’ 49-yard line. The Eagles’ defense rose as one, with five players stopping Gronkowski from catching the football.
As a result, they clinched the title and Brady had to remain content with a new Super Bowl record for most passing yards in a game.
Super Bowl LIII: The last one at Foxborough
The New England Patriots completed a three-peat of the AFC Championship to earn a spot at Super Bowl LIII. Here they came up against the Los Angeles Rams. For Brady and Belichick, it marked a repeat opposition as the duo previously teamed up to deny The Rams who were based in St. Louis.
Both sides registered a paltry three points in the opening 45 minutes. New England took the halftime lead via a Stephen Gostkowski kick. The Rams drew even with a field goal of their own towards the end of the penultimate quarter.
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On New England’s eleventh drive, Brady elected to have Sony Michel run at the defense from 2-yards out to score the game’s only touchdown. With a minute left, Stephen Gostkowski sent a kick through the uprights to put the game beyond Los Angeles’ reach.
Brady had a below-par game in terms of stats with no touchdowns, one interception, and a 60% passer completion. His opposite number Jared Goff had an even worse time in the office with a 50% completion rate.
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New England made 22 first downs with wide receiver Julian Edelman, joining Deion Branch as the only men to deny Brady a Super Bowl MVP award to go with the Vincent Lombardi Trophy.
Brady holds a 7-3 record, and he has promised that he will be back. Could this once in a generation player look to claim his eighth ring? Which is your all-time favorite Tom Brady Super Bowl game?
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