How many NFL playoff championship games has Tom Brady lost? Analyzing the legendary quarterback's championship games

Tom Brady is the ultimate clutch quarterback in the history of the NFL, at least in the Super Bowl era. He has reached 10 Super Bowls and won seven, by far the highest in history. That means he has won 10 NFL Championship games as well to feature in the Super Bowl.

He has played in both the AFC and the NFC. He played for two decades with the New England Patriots in the AFC and reached nine Super Bowls with them. With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he plays in the NFC and has been to a Super Bowl with them too, which he won.

This is Tom Brady's third season with the Buccaneers and last season they did not reach the NFC Championship game. This means he has a 100 percent record in NFC Championship games.

He lost four AFC Championship games while playing for the New England Patriots. He has lost twice to the Denver Broncos and once each to the Indianapolis Colts and the Baltimore Ravens. Three of his four losses came to Peyton Manning in the championship game. We will evaluate each of these losses a bit more in detail.

Evaluating Tom Brady's losses in AFC Championship games

Tom Brady is the most successful quarterback to ever play the game and comes up good when it matters the most. However, his performances in AFC Championship games have been somewhat middling.

His quarterback rating stands at 83.3 and his completion percentage is just 62.3 percent. He has 18 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in this round of the playoffs. He has been lucky in the support he has received from his teammates in winning nine out of the 13 AFC Championship games he has been to.

He won his first three appearances in AFC Championship games in 2002, 2004 and 2005 and each time went on to win the Super Bowl. His first loss came in 2007 to the Indianapolis Colts.

Peyton Manning and the Colts defeated the New England Patriots 38-34. Brady had one touchdown and one interception for a passer rating of 79.5. His interception came with 17 seconds left and ended the game. The Colts scored 32 points in the second half.

The game was widely billed as Manning's revenge after losing twice to the Patriots in the playoffs in the preceding seasons. The Colts would go on to defeat the Chicago Bears to give Manning his first Super Bowl.

Brady next lost an AFC Championship game in 2013 to the Baltimore Ravens. He had a passer rating of 62.3 and threw one touchdown and two interceptions. It was still a better performance against the same opponents from the previous season. In 2012, his passer rating was a measly 57.5 and he threw two interceptions and no touchdowns, but they won the game.

This time they lost 28-13 and were held scoreless in the second half. The Baltimore Ravens would go on to win the Super Bowl, defeating the San Francisco 49ers. It remains Tom Brady's only loss to a team not led by Peyton Manning in any NFL Championship game.

The following season, Tom Brady lost another AFC Championship game in 2013 to the Denver Broncos. Peyton Manning, now with the Broncos, was coming off an MVP season where he set the record for most touchdown passes (55) and yards (5,477). They defeated the Patriots 26-16. Brady played okay, finishing with a passer rating of 93.9 with a touchdown. The Broncos would go on to lose to the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl.

In 2014, Tom Brady won the AFC Championship game enroute to winning his fourth Super Bowl but faltered again in 2015 against the Broncos. He threw one touchdown and two interceptions with a passer rating of 56.4, his lowest ever in an AFC Championship game. Much of it was due to the Broncos having an elite defense. Manning won the matchup barely 20-18 and would go on to win the Super Bowl against the Carolina Panthers before retiring.