Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback of all-time, and he’s only adding to his legacy by playing in his ninth Super Bowl.
The New England Patriots are set to face the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII this coming Sunday. For Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, it will be his ninth time appearing on the biggest stage in the sport. Counting this coming game, Brady, head coach Bill Belichick, and the Patriots have made three consecutive Super Bowls.
They also played in Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks, meaning the team has made four of the last five championships. This run is just the latest, and possibly the greatest, achievement in Brady’s star-studded career.
Brady already holds many postseason and Super Bowl records. He has 2,576 career passing yards in Super Bowls. The closest player is Kurt Warner with 1,156 yards. Brady also had a record 18 passing touchdowns and the closest player is Joe Montana with 11.
Clearly, Brady has a stranglehold on most Super Bowl career records, but how do his individual performances look? In this article, we’ll be taking a look at No. 12’s best Super Bowl performances. While the main focus of the rankings will be on his individual stat lines, I will be factoring in whether the team won or lost. It’s the star quarterback’s job to lead his team to victory, after all.
8. Super Bowl XXXVI
Score: New England Patriots 20 over St. Louis Rams 17
In the second game of the 2001 season, Patriots starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe went down with an injury and Brady took over. In his second season as a pro, Brady made his first NFL start and got the Patriots to the Super Bowl. While he did make the Pro Bowl that season, he was still inexperienced and did not get as many passing attempts in that Super Bowl as he did in future ones.
Brady threw the ball 27 times and completed 16 passes for a completion percentage of just over 59. He also threw a touchdown and finished with a quarterback rating of 86.2 Brady also ran the ball one time for three yards. Yeah, he wasn’t much of a runner, even back then. The Patriots did pull out the win, but most of the credit should go to the defense for containing the explosive Rams offense and to Adam Vinatieri for his game-winning kick.
Brady did a good job of not committing any turnovers, but he was largely overshadowed by Kurt Warner. He became a more crucial role of the Patriots offense in future seasons. Despite all this, the Brady still was named the game’s MVP.