-
NFL NationESPN
Tom Brady retired Tuesday after 22 seasons, seven Super Bowl rings and 84,520 passing yards — the most in NFL history. The former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback played every NFL team at least once, with a .500 or better career record in the regular season against all except two — the New Orleans Saints (4-5) and the Seattle Seahawks (1-2).
Some teams certainly had to see him more often than others: The New York Jets lined up against his teams 37 times (Brady was 30-7 in those games); his former team, the Patriots, faced him once (Brady’s Bucs won).
He saved some of his most iconic moments for the postseason, where he had a 35-12 record. Brady was .500 or better against 18 of the 20 teams he faced in the playoffs. The exceptions? The Denver Broncos (1-3) and the New York Giants (0-2).
But over two-plus decades, he’s had great moments against them all. Which were the most memorable? Our NFL Nation reporters break it down.
Jump to:
ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN
CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND
JAX | KC | LAC | LAR | LV | MIA | MIN
NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF
SEA | TB | TEN | WSH
AFC EAST
Nov. 18, 2007: The Bills won’t be sorry to see the last of Brady, who finished his career with a 33-3 record against Buffalo. A number of games could fit here, but in the Patriots’ 56-10 rout in Orchard Park, New York, Brady threw five touchdowns and completed 31 of 39 passes for 373 yards to start the season 10-0. Brady has referred to the game as a “perfect night.” — Alaina Getzenberg
Oct. 21, 2007: The Dolphins have more wins against Brady than any other NFL franchise — but that doesn’t mean they’re sad to see him go. During the Patriots’ 16-0 season, Brady roasted Miami for 354 yards and set a career high throwing more touchdowns (6) than incompletions (4). His 84% completion percentage and perfect 158.3 passer rating that day are also career-bests. — Marcel Louis-Jacques
Oct. 3, 2021: When Brady ran out of the tunnel as a Buccaneer for his first (and only) return to Gillette Stadium since departing after 20 years, the stadium erupted like it was the Super Bowl. Then Brady went on to do what he often did: lead his team to a win. — Mike Reiss
Sept. 23, 2001: It wasn’t Brady’s greatest moment, per se, but it was his first moment. When Jets linebacker Mo Lewis knocked Drew Bledsoe out of the game with a vicious but legal hit — some players called it the loudest tackle they ever heard — it provided Brady with his first real opportunity to play. His late-game comeback attempt fell short — the Jets won, 10-3 — but Brady won the next week and off he went. In a sense, the Jets started Brady’s legendary career. The reclusive Lewis, a terrific player in his own right, hasn’t spoken of the play in a decade. He told friends he doesn’t want his career defined by one play. — Rich Cimini
AFC NORTH
Jan. 10, 2015: In another classic postseason game against the Ravens, Brady threw for 367 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-31 victory in an AFC divisional playoff game, rallying the Patriots from a 14-point second-half deficit. On the winning drive, Brady completed 8 of 9 passes and even ran for a first down. In this game, he threw his 46th career postseason touchdown pass, surpassing Joe Montana for first place on the all-time list. — Jamison Hensley
Sept. 12, 2010: Three days before the 2010 season opener against the Bengals, Brady was involved in a two-car accident. But he showed up to practice and later that day signed a four-year contract extension. Then he threw for 258 yards and three TDs against the Bengals in a 38-24 win. “I’m glad it’s over, but it was a good week,” Brady said. — Ben Baby
Oct. 9, 2016: In his return after serving his four-game Deflategate suspension, Brady looked as sharp as ever against the Browns. Showing no rust, he passed for 406 yards and three touchdowns as the Patriots hammered Cleveland 33-13. Brady went on to win another Super Bowl that season, improbably rallying New England from a 28-3 deficit against the Atlanta Falcons. The Browns finished the season 1-15. — Jake Trotter
Jan. 23, 2005: Brady had his Michael Jordan flu-game moment in the 2004 AFC Championship Game against the Steelers. The night before the game, Brady battled a high fever, but he came out the next day and, in frigid temperatures, he threw two touchdowns in a 41-27 victory to beat the 15-1 Steelers. In Man in the Arena, Brady called it his “most satisfying win” outside of his Super Bowls because the Steelers beat the Patriots in their regular-season meeting, and he got revenge. — Brooke Pryor
AFC SOUTH
Sept. 24, 2017: Brady threw five touchdowns in the Week 3 game against the Texans and he needed all five for the win. After the Texans kicked a field goal with 2 minutes and 24 seconds left in the game to go up 33-28, Brady led the Patriots down the field and threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandin Cooks with 23 seconds left to win the game. That was the Patriots’ fifth-straight regular-season victory over Houston and seventh of eight overall. — Sarah Barshop
Nov. 18, 2012: You would like to think it was one of the head-to-head battles against Peyton Manning. Those games, actually, were Manning against Bill Belichick’s defense. Brady’s best statistical game in a victory over the Colts came in Andrew Luck’s rookie season. In a game in which Brady basically let Luck and the Colts know it wasn’t the rookie’s time to take over the NFL yet, the Patriots quarterback was 24-of-35 for 331 yards and 3 touchdowns in New England’s 59-24 victory. — Mike Wells
Jan. 21, 2018: Brady rallied the Patriots from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit in the AFC Championship Game in Gillette Stadium. Brady threw two TD passes to Danny Amendola, but the comeback maybe doesn’t happen if Brady doesn’t complete a 21-yard pass to Amendola on third-and-19. Brady threw a 9-yard TD pass to Amendola four plays after that conversion that cut the Jaguars’ lead to 20-17. His 4-yard TD pass to Amendola with 2:48 to play was the winning score and sent the Patriots to the Super Bowl. — Michael DiRocco
Oct. 18, 2009: Brady threw for 380 yards and six touchdowns in a 59-0 win over the Titans in the snow at Gillette Stadium. His six TD passes tied the career high that he previously set against the Dolphins in Week 7 of the 2007 season. Brady completed 29-of-34 leading to a 152.8 passer rating against the Titans. — Turron Davenport
AFC WEST
Jan. 24, 2016: For some, the Brady-led comeback from 24-0 down during the 2013 season (344 yards, three TDs) to beat the Broncos in overtime is the one. But for the Broncos, who faced him plenty, Denver’s AFC Championship Game win on the way to Super Bowl 50 is THE game that showed all that Brady was as a competitor. One of the best defenses of Super Bowl era battered Brady like never before — four sacks, 20 quarterback hits — and yet he still had a chance to tie the game with 12 seconds remaining when a pass for a 2-point conversion was intercepted by the Broncos’ Bradley Roby. — Jeff Legwold
Jan. 20, 2019: Brady threw for 348 yards in leading the Patriots to a 37-31 overtime win in the AFC Championship Game. He was at his best in the fourth quarter and overtime, when he completed all five of his passes on third down, with the Patriots converting each time. — Adam Teicher
Jan. 19, 2002: The “Tuck Rule game,” of course. The legend of Brady and the Patriots dynasty was born in the snow in this AFC divisional playoff matchup, the last game ever played at Foxboro Stadium. With 1:50 left in regulation and the Patriots trailing 13-10, Brady was strip-sacked by Charles Woodson. Until the Tuck Rule was invoked. Brady kept the Patriots marching to a game-tying FG before leading them to a sudden-death game-winning field goal in OT. Even new Raiders coach Josh McDaniels, then with the Patriots, said it was a fumble. Albeit 20 years and 12 days later. — Paul Gutierrez
Oct. 4, 2020: The Chargers got out to a 17-point lead against the Buccaneers. But Brady threw for 369 yards and five touchdowns to five different receivers to rally for a 38-31 victory. At the time, it was the fifth-largest comeback in his career. — Shelley Smith
NFC EAST
Oct. 16, 2011: The Cowboys never beat Brady (0-6). He had a five-touchdown game vs. Dallas in 2007 with the Patriots and a four-touchdown game vs. Dallas in 2021 with the Buccaneers. But his greatness was never more on display than in 2011. Trailing 16-13 with 2:31 to play, there was a feeling of inevitability when Brady came on the field after a poor Cowboys drive that could have iced the game. He completed 8 of 9 passes for 78 yards, hitting Aaron Hernandez for an 8-yard touchdown with 27 seconds left to play and a 20-16 New England win. He matter-of-factly and precisely picked apart the Cowboys defense when it mattered most. — Todd Archer
Feb. 3, 2008: Memorable for Brady, just in the wrong way. This was the undefeated season ruined. “We’re only going to score 17 points?” Brady said beforehand with a chuckle. Yep, the 18-0 Patriots only scored 17 points in the first of two Super Bowl losses to his nemesis Eli Manning and the Giants. — Jordan Raanan
Feb. 4, 2018: Brady set a record with 505 passing yards against the Eagles in Super Bowl LII while tossing three touchdowns. And it still wasn’t enough. His counterpart, Nick Foles, threw three touchdowns and caught another on the Philly Special trick play, helping to deliver the first Super Bowl title to the city of Philadelphia. One of the most memorable images from that game is Brady sitting dejectedly on the field, hands on knees, following Brandon Graham‘s game-sealing strip sack. He was 1-1 against the Eagles in championship games, as the Patriots bested Philly 24-21 in 2005. — Tim McManus
Oct. 28, 2007: Brady threw for 306 yards and three touchdowns in a 52-7 win. But know this: Washington entered the game 4-2 with a defense ranked third in scoring and fifth in yards allowed. Washington was determined to take away big plays from Brady, playing single-high safety Sean Taylor 20 to 25 yards off the ball. Brady wasn’t bothered and methodically picked the defense apart. He attempted just three passes of 20 air yards or more. Washington’s defense finished the season 11th in scoring and eighth in yards — John Keim
NFC NORTH
Oct. 8, 2020: In one of his rare high-profile mistakes, Brady lost track of downs with 38 seconds remaining as he tried to bring the Buccaneers back from a 20-19 deficit. After a low-percentage pass to tight end Cameron Brate fell incomplete on fourth down, Brady held up four fingers as if he thought he had one more play remaining. He eventually admitted to the blunder. — Kevin Seifert
Dec. 26, 2020: Although the legend of Brady started in Ann Arbor as a former Michigan quarterback, he didn’t take it easy on the Lions in his last trip to Detroit. Brady and the Buccaneers beat down the Lions 47-7. Before resting the entire second half, Brady completed 22 of 27 passes for 348 yards and 4 touchdowns in the first half as the Buccaneers took a 34-0 lead. The victory also helped Tampa Bay seal a postseason spot for the first time since 2007. — Eric Woodyard
Jan. 24, 2021: Brady led the Buccaneers into Lambeau Field and upset the Packers and advance to Super Bowl LV. He uncharacteristically threw three interceptions, but the third of his three touchdown passes gave the Buccaneers a 28-10 lead early in the third quarter. Overall, he completed 20 of 36 passes for 280 yards. — Kevin Seifert
Dec. 13, 2020: The Vikings are one of four teams (Atlanta, Dallas and New England) to have never beaten Brady. Minnesota is 0-6 all-time against the GOAT and none of these losses was even close. In 2020, Brady threw for two touchdowns in his sole meeting against the Vikings while with Tampa Bay, which helped the Bucs rebound from losing three home games to begin a late-season winning streak that ended with Brady’s last Super Bowl victory. — Courtney Cronin
NFC SOUTH
Feb. 5, 2017: This one is obvious and might be one of the best Brady moments of all time, regardless of team. Brady led the Patriots back from down 28-3 in the middle of the third quarter to win Super Bowl LI in overtime 34-28. It’s a game — a moment — that still brings agita to Atlanta fans, is brought up every March 28 and mentioned any time a team has a 28-3 lead against another team. Brady had a massive day, too, throwing for 466 yards and two touchdowns in leading the Patriots to the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. — Michael Rothstein
Feb. 1, 2004: The Panthers had just completed a comeback to tie the Patriots at 29-29 with 1:08 remaining in Super Bowl XXXVIII. Brady’s already amazing day was made somewhat easier when John Kasay’s ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, giving New England the ball at their own 40. From there Brady completed 4 of 5 passes to set up Adam Vinatieri‘s game-winning kick with four seconds left. He finished with 354 yards passing and 3 touchdowns with 1 interception. — David Newton
Jan. 17, 2021: The Saints actually had Brady’s number for most of his stint in the NFC South, winning all four of their regular-season meetings. However, Brady and the Buccaneers won the one that mattered most — his only career playoff game against New Orleans and longtime counterpart Drew Brees. Brady threw two TD passes and ran for another in a 30-20 divisional-round victory in the Superdome, then went on to win his seventh Super Bowl ring at age 43. — Mike Triplett
Oct. 6, 2017: It wasn’t a great day for Brady, who threw for 303 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception to beat the Bucs 19-14. But it was what he did after the game that resonated. He sought out quarterback Jameis Winston and the two talked for several minutes in the tunnel. It was their first time meeting. “It was an honor. I told him thank you. A lot,” Winston said. “That’s a blessing, man, to meet someone like that. I dream to be able to be the type of quarterback he is for his team to our team.” — Jenna Laine
NFC WEST
Sept. 19, 2004: Believe it or not, Brady faced the Cardinals only twice, winning one and losing one. Neither game was all that memorable, though the 23-12 win in 2004 came in Week 2 and was part of a 14-2 Patriots surge that ended with them claiming another Super Bowl championship against the Eagles. Brady threw a pair of touchdowns in this meeting, which was the only game he ever started in the Valley of the Sun. — Josh Weinfuss
Feb. 3, 2002: Choosing between two Super Bowl wins is like asking Brady to choose a favorite child but it’s only right to take this back to where the legend of Brady began: Super Bowl XXXVI. In only his second year, Brady led the Patriots to a meeting with the high-powered Rams and, with the game on the line, took the Patriots on a 53-yard drive in the final 1:30 to set up the game-winning field goal in what was considered a significant upset. Brady took home his first Lombardi Trophy and first Super Bowl MVP. — Lindsey Thiry
Dec. 16, 2012: This might be one of the few losses that appear on this list but it was far more memorable than the other two times Brady played his favorite childhood team (both wins). The Niners jumped all over Brady’s Patriots to take a 31-3 lead but, as Brady did so many times in his career, New England came storming back to tie it at 31. The 49ers eventually won 41-34 but Brady attempted a career-high 65 passes, completing 36 for 443 yards in one of the most entertaining games of the season. — Nick Wagoner
Feb. 1, 2015: Malcolm Butler’s goal-line interception of Russell Wilson is the indelible memory of the Patriots’ 28-24 win over the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX. But it was Brady who led New England back from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit — against an all-time great defense — with touchdown passes that capped nine- and 10-play drives. Brady’s four TD passes in all were his most in any of his 10 Super Bowl appearances. It had been 10 years since Brady’s last Super Bowl title, so this victory marked his return to the top of the football world. — Brady Henderson