Tom Brady's biggest playoff loss: Cowboys en route to creating history

Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Atlanta Falcons
Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady

Tom Brady is the final boss in the NFL playoffs. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers superstar has made it to ten Super Bowls in his career and won seven. He holds almost every, if not every, playoff quarterback record. He holds the record for the most wins, most passing yards, most passing touchdowns, and most Super Bowl MVPs.

Of Brady's 13 playoff losses, seven have been by one score. However, like almost every great quarterback, he has been on the receiving end of some embarrassing playoff losses.

Here are the five biggest playoff losses of his career:

Tom Brady's five Biggest Playoff losses

#5 - Patriots 16-26 Broncos, 2013 AFC Championship Game - 10 Points

AFC Championship - New England Patriots v Denver Broncos
AFC Championship - New England Patriots v Denver Broncos

The soon-to-be NFL MVP Peyton Manning put on a clinic against Brady and the Patriots at Mile High and beat them by 10 points to advance to Super Bowl 48.

Manning threw for 400 yards and two touchdowns and helped the Broncos build a 20-3 lead by the end of the third quarter. Brady and the Patriots tried to rally back and outscored the Broncos 13-6 in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late.

#4 - Patriots 13-27 Broncos, 2005 AFC Divisional Round - 14 points

Brady's first playoff loss also came against the Broncos in the 2005 AFC Divisional round. Quarterback Jake Plummer threw for 197 yards and one touchdown while running back Mike Anderson rushed for 69 yards and two touchdowns to end the Patriots' dream of a Super Bowl three-peat.

#3 - Ravens 28-13 Patriots, 2012 AFC Championship Game - 15 points

Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens rolled into Foxborough and rolled over the Patriots to head to Super Bowl 47. Brady threw the ball 54 times, but completed only 29 for 320 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions.

Flacco threw for 240 yards and three touchdowns in a stellar performance.

#2 - Cowboys 31-14 Buccaneers, 2022 Wildcard Round - 17 points

Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys put Brady and the Buccaneers on a meat grinder and thrashed them 31-14 to hand the quarterback his biggest playoff defeat as a Buccaneer. Dallas led 24-0 before cooling off, which allowed the Buccaneers to try and mount a comeback and make the score respectable.

Cowboys kicker Brett Maher missed, an NFL game record, four extra points, which helped Brady avoid the most lopsided loss of his playoff career.

#1 - Ravens 33-14 Patriots, 2009 AFC Wildcard Game - 19 points

Tom Brady missed the entire 2008 season with a knee injury and returned with a vengeance in 2009, winning the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award. His exceptional year was brutally cut short in the playoffs, as the Ravens stomped the Patriots 33-14 in the wildcard round.

Flacco had an abysmal game, completing only four of his ten pass attempts for 34 yards and one interception, but running back Ray Rice picked up the slack, rushing for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Ravens' Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain also rushed for one touchdown each in a dominating rushing display.

The Ravens' defense was also on song, holding Brady to 154 passing yards and two touchdowns with three interceptions.

Quick Links

App download animated image Get the free App now