7 Stunning Facts About Tom Brady’s Playoff Career

In Monday’s Hot Clicks: Tom Brady advances to yet another Super Bowl, Matt LaFleur comes under fire for a questionable coaching decision and more.

Just another January for Tom Brady

Despite all the valid reasons to hate Tom Brady, it’s become increasingly difficult in recent years to deny that he’s the greatest player in the history of the NFL. Anyone still stumping for Joe Montana or Peyton Manning after the Patriots defeated the Falcons in Super Bowl LI to win Brady his fifth ring surely shut up after he got his sixth two years later.

After his Buccaneers beat the Packers on Sunday, Brady is now in prime position to win a preposterous seventh Super Bowl—and do it with a new team. Brady has been to so many Super Bowls and won so many of them that it’s difficult to come up with new ways to say how impressive it is. But I’m going to try anyway. Here are seven facts about Brady’s postseason career that are hopefully interesting enough to drive home how otherworldly he’s been.

Brady has thrown more playoff touchdown passes than any other Bucs QB

After tossing three in the NFC title game, Brady now has seven TDs in his three games this January with the Bucs, surpassing Super Bowl–winning QB Brad Johnson (five touchdowns in four playoff games).

Brady has more Super Bowl appearances than the Bucs have playoff wins

Even after leading Tampa Bay to three postseason victories this year, Brady’s 10 Super Bowls exceed the Bucs’ nine playoff wins.

In two weeks, Brady will start his 10th Super Bowl. No other quarterback has started more than five

John Elway is second all-time with those five Super Bowl starts. Brady’s peers, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers have combined to start nine.

Brady has reached the Super Bowl in more than half of the seasons in which he was the full-time starting quarterback

Setting aside his rookie year when he sat behind Drew Bledsoe and the 2008 season, which he missed with a torn ACL, Brady has 10 Super Bowl appearances in 19 years.

Brady is also tied for the most conference championship game losses

With a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, Brady is 10–4. (After the Packers’ loss on Sunday, Rodgers is tied with Donovan McNabb and Ken Stabler with a 1–4 record in conference title games.) If Brady loses to the Chiefs, he’ll tie Jim Kelly for most Super Bowl losses with four.

Brady has played in more conference championship games than 26 NFL franchises

Only the 49ers, Steelers, Cowboys and Patriots have more conference championship appearances. He’s tied with the Packers and Raiders. His 10 Super Bowl appearances surpass the marks of every franchise except his old one. But if he manages to get back to the Super Bowl at age 44 next year, Brady would even tie the Patriots.

Brady and LeBron James are the only athletes in the four major North American leagues to play in the championship game/round 10 times in the past 30 years

Brady is the only player ever to appear in 10 NFL championships/Super Bowls.

Brady hasn’t done it alone, of course. He’s had the fortune of playing with some great defenses. The Bucs probably don’t beat the Packers if their defense doesn’t hold Green Bay to just six points off Brady’s three interceptions. That’s part of the reason I’ll always say that Peyton Manning was a better quarterback at his peak than Brady ever was. But that’s a discussion for another day. 

The best of SI

Matt LaFleur’s conservative decision cost the Packers the game and may have a lasting effect on his relationship with Aaron Rodgers. ... Tom Brady already had the greatest legacy of any quarterback ever, and somehow found a way to add to it. ...Patrick Mahomes looks ready to take the torch from Brady in the Super Bowl. ... Grading the Yankees’ deal for Jameson Taillon. 

Around the sports world

Tony Romo predicted a Bucs-Chiefs Super Bowl all the way back in Week 12. ... Veteran tight end Greg Olsen is retiring to become an analyst for Fox. ... Longtime Eagles assistant Duce Staley is leaving the team after being passed over for the head coaching job. ... Patrick Cantlay barely made the cut at this week’s PGA Tour event but shot a final-round 61 to come within one stroke of winning. 

Patrick Mahomes has his own ridiculous stats

Matt LaFleur’s awful decision was preceded by this questionable choice from Aaron Rodgers

Rodgers reacts to the field goal decision

Brady threw some ducks in the second half but this one was a beauty

All he does is win

The receiver has to be really wide open to prompt a lollipop touchdown pass like that

This was the start of a bad day for this particular Bills fan

Just wait until all those empty seats rush to pee during intermission

Weston McKennie’s goal celebration is inspired by Harry Potter. He even has a Harry Potter tattoo on his hand

A scrum of sweaty rugby players + freezing temperatures = a ton of steam

Not sports

A rare volcanic rock discovered in Brazil that looks exactly like Cookie Monster could be worth $10,000. ... Assassin’s Creed Valhalla players have discovered a bizarre way to unlock a secret weapon. ... The Waldorf Astoria is opening a resort on a private island in the Maldives that costs $80,000 per night. ... An Oklahoma state legislator wants to establish an official season for hunting Sasquatch.

Someone in the comments called it “Brrrrrnie”

Imagine how awful your government has to be to get you to protest in conditions like these

This pro-Navalny protest in Yakutsk in the negative 50C absolutely blows my mind pic.twitter.com/1vnTqxUvtT

— Bakhti Nishanov (@b_nishanov) January 23, 2021

This is the kind of movie you wish you could see in a theater

A good song

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