Ranking Tom Brady’s Super Bowl Performances

Tom Brady, the GOAT is about to play in his record 10th Super Bowl.

Which would finally give us a round Top 10 Tom Brady Super Bowls list. But since I can’t see into the future, we are stuck today with a top nine.

Trust me if I could see into the future, I wouldn’t be writing blogs. I would own Gamestop and wouldn’t have bought a Cam Newton jersey after the week 2 Seattle game.

So let’s break down Tom Brady’s top nine, Super Bowl performances.

I will be taking plenty into account while ranking these. Not just the stats, but his involvement in the game as well as the historical relevance of his performance.

9) Super Bowl LIII

I am starting off this list with a victory to show you that I mean business.

This was easily Brady’s worst statistical Super Bowl. 21-35, 262 yards and 1 INT and no touchdowns. The only Super Bowl that Brady has not thrown a TD pass.

His first pass attempt of the game was actually an interception.

He is remembered for his second to last drive of the game. Running Hoss Y Juke three straight times and then his picture perfect toss to Gronk to set up the game winning TD.

But Julian Edelman took home game MVP honors and rightfully so.

This game gets remembered more for Bill Belichick and Brian Flores putting the Rams offense in a straight jacket and ending Jared Goff’s career just when people thought it was taking off.

Brady deserves plenty of credit for the 2018 Super Bowl run, but his masterpiece came two weeks prior at a frigid Arrowhead stadium when he out dueled Patrick Mahomes to go to the big game.

That overtime drive (which I was somehow lucky enough to see in person) will go down as an all time Brady moment.

Just not this game.

8) Super Bowl XLII

Let’s get this one out of the way early. I don’t like to talk about it.

No need to spell out the historical ramifications of this game. I shouldn’t remind you that the Giants defense held at that time, the greatest offense in NFL history to 14 points.

Whoops I just did.

Brady was 29-48, 266 yards a TD but no picks.

You could say he outplayed Eli in this game who was 19-34, 255 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT. And without the miracle helmet catch, Eli finishes closer to a paltry 200 yards passing.

Brady wasn’t great in this game. But it’s hard to blame him for his offensive line failing to protect him.

And it stands to remember he did engineer what seemed to be a game winning drive in the 4th quarter with a touchdown pass to Randy Moss that was quickly forgotten.

Also forgotten is how he was perhaps a half yard short of connecting with Moss on basically what was a Hail Mary. A ball by the way which Brady threw about 67 yards in flight.

The similarity between this game and this Sunday’s game is the defensive coordinator facing Brady. Steve Spagnuolo was the man credited with the gameplan in taking down the Patriots undefeated season. He’s the defensive coordinator for the Chiefs.

7) Super Bowl XXXVI

Starting this list off with two wins to just one loss. I told you I’m serious.

This Super Bowl holds a special place in many fans’ hearts and I’m sure some of you see this and say boo to this ranking.

While it is a great game and launched the dynasty, it is not a top tier Tom Brady performance.

The stats, 16-27, 145 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT.

Pretty pedestrian in my opinion. Granted, a much different era of football twenty years ago. And if Brady had been out there slinging the ball all over the place the Rams offense gets more time to wear down the tired Pats D at the end of the game and the Rams probably win.

I’m not here to argue about game plans I am here to deliver facts.

Yes Brady threw a dot to Patten in the corner of the end zone before half.

And yes he gave John Madden goosebumps at the end of the game.

But rewatch that final drive. He makes from what I count, one big time throw. The rest are check downs to forgotten Patriot JR Redmond.

Which I repeat was the correct thing to do. A more nervous quarterback may of attempted to force a pass and turned it over rather than taking what the defense gave him until he could open it up and find Brown for the big play.

I’m not here to argue game plan. I’m just saying this was an average performance from Brady.

And while it was a great game, it’s more remembered for Belichick’s scheme which put the Greatest Show on Turf firmly on its ass.

6) Super Bowl XXXIX

The one that cemented the dynasty? Here? In the bottom half?

Yup.

Overall Brady was pretty good in this one. In fact no stinkers or mediocre stat lines for Brady in big games from here on out.

23-33, 236 yards, 2 TD’s, 0 INT.

This game however belonged to the game MVP, Deion Branch.

He caught 11 passes, a super bowl record at the time. Tied later actually by Wes Welker in Super Bowl XLII.

And this game also sort of defined the Patriots of the early 2000’s. They won it as a team playing pure complementary football.

Outside of Branch no one truly stood out in this game. There was no over arching great defensive performance. Brady was good and Corey Dillon ran efficiently. It was a good team win over a very talented Eagles squad coached by… Andy Reid.

5) Super Bowl XLVI

Ah finally found another loss.

I had trouble trying to think of where to rank this one because it was a somewhat volatile performance by Brady.

The statistics, 27-41, 276 yards, 2 TD’s, 1 INT. Good, but not great.

Brady had two bad mistakes in this game. A safety on the Pats first possession that lead to the Giants scoring 9 total points in all. And an interception in the 4th quarter where he attempted his own Eli, heaving up a prayer moment.

So why on earth is this game ranked this highly?

Well Brady did in fact set a Super Bowl record with 16 consecutive completions. There were stretches of this game where he was simply on fire and could not be stopped.

And this was playing with a receiving corps that was good but not top of the line. Gronk was a decoy, a lame duck on a bum ankle. He had to rely on Aaron Hernandez, Wes Welker and Danny Woodhead. (Chad OchoCinco was there too).

Which brings us to Welker.

Brady had led the Patriots on a drive that took up four minutes of clock. Bled the game from 8 minutes to go down to four.

I am a firm believer that it was a Welker drop, not a bad Brady pass.

Welker was in a soft spot of the Giants zone, Brady was simply just trying to get the ball there, not lead him. Welker caught every target in that game, except for that one. He dropped it, plain and simple.

If Welker catches that ball, the Patriots score at the least a field goal to push their lead to five, and bleed the clock down to at least the two minute warning.

I don’t blame Brady for that.

4) Super Bowl XXXVIII

Somehow a forgotten championship from the Patriots run. And I’m not sure how, it was an incredible game.

It promised to be a heavyweight show down between two dominant defenses. And it certainly played that way at times.

The other parts of the game however were a complete 180 and turned into a heavyweight quarterback duel between Brady and…

*checks notes*

Jake Delhomme?

The stats are pretty surprising, Brady was 32-48 for 354 yards, 3 TD’s and a pick.

A far cry from his previous Super Bowl appearance where he threw for 145 yards. This time the Pats leaned on Brady’s arm.

The final drive, was something to behold.

Many people remember the kick off by John Kasay went out of bounds and gave New England favorable field position.

But Brady had to overcome an offensive pass interference on the final drive as well.

I implore you to watch the drive again. On 3rd and 3 with 15 seconds left, Brady throws a laser to Deion Branch for the first down and to set up Vinatieri for another championship winning kick.

If he doesn’t make that throw, it’s 4th and 3 with 9 seconds left. Which either leads to a punt for overtime, or going for it, but with no guarantee that you get into field goal range. And if you don’t convert, Carolina is in Hail Mary range.

A forgotten Super Bowl and game winning drive that deserves way more recognition.

3) Super Bowl LII

This game had to be at the top of the list. Just a couple weeks removed from a gruesome hand injury Brady set a Super Bowl record with 505 passing yards.

Nick Wright tries his best and darnedest to forget this performance but Brady was spectacular.

Brady was 28-48, with the aforementioned 505 yards and three TD’s, no picks. But… one fumble.

I can honestly say I was absolutely shocked by the strip sack at the end of the game. I remember sitting on the couch smiling because I had seen this move play out time and time again.

Brady at the end of the game, needing a touchdown scoring drive to win a championship? I knew I was going to be happy with the result. Which led to my absolute shock about what happened.

It would have been great for Brady to win this one. A record shattering performance to cap off number six. But without this, perhaps 2018 doesn’t happen. Perhaps the team doesn’t ride the “We’re still here” mantra to a championship.

As far as performances go though it’s tough to top this one but I have a couple that do.

 

2) Super Bowl LI

28-3.

That’s really all you need to say about this game for it to be in the elite category of Tom Brady performances.

43-62, 466 yards, 2 TD’s, 1 INT. Although the pick six just added to the legend.

Coming back from a 25 point deficit is an incredible feat, times that by ten when it’s done in the Super Bowl halfway through the 3rd quarter.

This was the game where any and all hold outs about who was the GOAT were vanquished. Brady led his team from a 25 point deficit, and passed Montana for most rings among QB’s.

Just one year after Manning was dragged by a great defense to his second ring and the narrative of Manning perhaps being the true GOAT was sparked. Brady did this and put that idea to sleep for good.

And some of you might be shocked that this isn’t number one, let me explain why.

1) Super Bowl XLIX

This is a hill I am willing to die on, that this game is actually in fact, Tom Brady’s finest hour.

37-50, 328 yards, 4 TD’s, 2 INT.

A terrific stat line, but not record breaking, no 25 point hole to climb out of, so what makes this one the greatest?

In fact, the Patriots successfully wiped out the largest second half deficit in the games history to that point when they trailed 24-14 in the 4th quarter.

Brady accomplished the feat, as well as that impressive stat line against the best defense in the NFL that season, and arguably the best secondary in the history of football.

This was prime Legion of Boom that Brady faced off against and he carved them up.

The performance also came on the heels of the entire Deflategate scandal. For two weeks Brady had to answer questions about air pressure rather than how he would fare against Richard Sherman.

For two weeks, anyone outside of the region of New England immediately deemed Brady a cheater and discredited any previous accomplishments.

And with the world watching closely to football air pressure. Brady with fully inflated footballs, surgically dissected the best defense in the NFL.

In the immortal words of Brandon Browner. Inflate this.

What’s more a dynasty was hanging in the balance that night.

Seattle was going for consecutive super bowl titles. The Patriots were looking for their first banner in a decade.

If Seattle won, they become the favorites to lay claim to the 2010’s team of the decade crown. They become the dynasty.

The Patriots narrative all of a sudden would become:

• Brady and Belichick don’t have what it takes anymore.
• They won three straight, but now they’ve lost three straight. They aren’t as good as we all thought, they are .500 in the big game.
• It’s been ten years since a championship.

There was so much more on the line that night in Arizona than we realized at the time. And against the best defense in the league Tom Brady had his finest hour as quarterback of the New England Patriots.

Connor Ryan (@connoryan68/@PodVerbalCommit/@YourFantasy_CGS)