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Tom Brady has turned 45 years old and he is marking his birthday with celebrations with his family on Wednesday. Yet, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback remains focused on the upcoming NFL season.
Despite having retired for a grand total of six weeks before deciding there was still more for him to do in the NFL, Brady already has a career filled with more high points than others can even dream of.
Starting with his illustrious career with the New England Patriots, where he won six Super Bowl championships, right through to his time with the Bucs, where he carried the team to their first title in almost 20 years.
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However, it’s not just the Super Bowl wins and stats which make Brady’s career memorable. It's the performances on the field that were so good, so impactful, and so important that they cemented his status as the GOAT.
Fans of a certain vintage will claim Terry Bradshaw is the greatest QB of all time, while the next generation will say that nobody comes close to rivaling Joe Montana. However, at every single turn, Brady was able to produce performances which caused those stances to change… or at least waver.
Here, to celebrate his birthday, we look at five of his best performances. These were the efforts that showed the true greatness of Brady and his position as, arguably, the best ever.
#5 – Pittsburgh Steelers - AFC Championship 2005
The 2004 NFL season saw Tom Brady and the New England Patriots reach the AFC Championship game where they would face the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Brady’s legacy was already strong by this point, but his display against the Steelers was one which catapulted him into the echelons of true greatness.
The night before the battle with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the quarterback battled an incredibly high fever, but was still able to play.
Like Michael Jordan, another GOAT, he battled through the flu and produced one of the most dominant displays the NFL has seen.
He threw for 207 yards and two touchdown passes in a 41-27 victory against a team that was 15-1 for the season. Brady would then recall the game as one of his most satisfying victories.
#4 – Jacksonville Jaguars - AFC Championship 2018
By 2018, there was already a belief that Tom Brady was the greatest quarterback to have played in the NFL, but he was still able to add further success.
It’s hard to imagine the Jacksonville Jaguars being so competent as recently as 2018, but they reached the AFC Championship game with a confident brand of football.
Brady and the Pats expected a tough afternoon, and the Jags held a 10-point lead going into the fourth quarter of the game.
Gillette Stadium feared they were witnessing a shock result only for Brady to step up and produce yet another magical comeback.
He threw 38 passes and completed 26 of them for a total of 290 yards, while he produced two exquisite touchdown passes to Danny Amendola.
It was a performance that showed Brady didn’t need to throw for record yards, he just knew how to make the right passes at the right time, a hallmark of his career.
#3 – Kansas City Chiefs - AFC Championship 2019
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs were becoming a serious problem when they took on the New England Patriots and Tom Brady in the 2019 AFC Championship game.
Andy Reid had built a superhuman offensive unit and few believed that Bill Belichick’s defense would create enough stops to allow Brady to win the game.
Yet, what we saw was Tom Brady producing yet another string to add to his bow as the Pats came out on top in an offensive shootout.
A 37-31 win in overtime was a result nobody saw coming, but like a chameleon, Brady saw his surroundings and took on the shape of Mahomes, the young upstart, and started flinging the ball all over.
The match ended with the Patriots QB having thrown for 348 yards, completing five third-down passes in overtime, as he prevented Mahomes taking his crown for another year.
#2 – St. Louis Rams - Super Bowl XXXVI
One of the greatest moments in the NFL career of Tom Brady came way back in February 2002. It was the first championship of the Brady/Belichick era and the young QB was outstanding. He won his first of five Super Bowl MVP awards that night.
While not the greatest statistical display of his career, throwing for just one touchdown and 145 yards, it was the coolness of Brady’s character which impressed.
Remember, he was still only in his first year as a starter in New England, yet, he showed poise to lead the team. He carried them with crucial completions at difficult moments and the veterans on the team looked to him for guidance. It was this performance that marked him out as special.
#1 – Atlanta Falcons - Super Bowl LI
There isn’t a more memorable Super Bowl than when the Atlanta Falcons lost to the New England Patriots in Texas.
When an athlete becomes extremely successful and experienced, there tends to be an air of invincibility about them. Everyone knew Tom Brady was no longer at the peak of his powers in 2017, but his presence on the field was still imposing.
You could never rule a Patriots team out, even when they fell to a 28-3 deficit with Brady throwing an interception and struggling.
The obituaries of his career had already gone to print when the QB embarked on the defining moment of his NFL legacy.
The Falcons were confident, they were cocky, but as soon as they gave up a touchdown, they were fearful.
Imagine Tom Brady being the shark in the water, you see the iconic fin in the distance and then the panic sets in. The Falcons knew they were having to defend against the GOAT and they collapsed.
He threw for 466 yards and two touchdowns as well as two-point conversions that kept the Falcons in touching distance.
As soon as the Pats won the toss in overtime, you knew the game was over. Nobody was taking this away from Tom Brady, it was his night and everyone knew it. Once more, he drove down the field and the Patriots would score the winning touchdown.
Not only did he now have the greatest number of Super Bowl titles in history, but he also had the greatest Super Bowl comeback to his name… which is fitting for the GOAT.
