Revisiting Every Tom Brady vs. Seahawks Matchup

Seattle found success against the G.O.A.T. in limited regular season opportunities. But the legendary quarterback got the last laugh in the most stunning loss in franchise history.

After days of speculation, legendary quarterback Tom Brady officially announced his retirement on Tuesday, bringing his phenomenal once-in-a-lifetime 22-year NFL career to a conclusion.

Hanging up his cleats while still playing at an elite level, Brady holds nearly every major NFL passing record, including career passing yards (84,520), career passing touchdowns (624), and career completions (7,263). He also ranks second in NFL history with 13 seasons of 4,000-plus passing yards and tied for first with six seasons of 35 or more passing touchdowns.

The ultimate competitor, Brady led the Patriots to six Super Bowl championships, including three of them in a four-year span from 2001 to 2004. He added a seventh Super Bowl ring with the Buccaneers in 2020 and participated in a ridiculous 10 Super Bowls over the course of his illustrious career.

Along the way, Brady won at least one true road game in every NFL city except Seattle, where he lost his lone game against the Seahawks at then-named CenturyLink Field back in 2012. In memory of the G.O.A.T.'s unrivaled career, let's take a trip down memory lane and revisit all four games where he faced the Seahawks, including the infamous Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Arizona back in February 2015.

October 17, 2004 - Patriots 30, Seahawks 20

In his fourth year as a full-time starter for New England, Brady didn't enjoy one of his best games in his first career matchup against Seattle. He completed just 19 out of 30 passes for 231 yards with one touchdown and threw a costly interception to safety Michael Boulware early in the fourth quarter, opening the door for the Seahawks to cut the deficit to 20-17 on a Shaun Alexander touchdown run. At that point, it seemed to be anyone's game in Foxboro.

But Brady redeemed himself on the next two drives, leading the Patriots to a field goal on the ensuing possession and setting up a Corey Dillon touchdown run with a 48-yard strike to receiver Bethel Johnson to push the lead back to 10 points. The Seahawks responded with one of the worst examples of two-minute clock management in modern NFL history, crawling 66 yards on 11 plays before fullback Mack Strong got stuffed at the goal line as the clock expired. It's crazy to imagine what fan responses would have been like if Twitter existed back then.

October 14, 2012 - Seahawks 24, Patriots 23

Due to a torn ACL suffered in the Patriots' season opener in 2008, Brady had to wait eight full years before his next opportunity to face the Seahawks. In the prime of his career, he torched Seattle's young secondary in the first half, completing 21 out of 30 passes for 216 yards and a pair of touchdowns as New England entered halftime with a 17-10 advantage. But after the Patriots tacked on a field goal midway through the third quarter, the "Legion of Boom" made a statement for the rest of the NFL, as cornerback Richard Sherman and safety Earl Thomas intercepted Brady on back-to-back possessions.

Interestingly, the Seahawks didn't capitalize off of either turnover and another Stephen Gostkowski field goal pushed the Patriots lead to 23-10 with 9:25 to go in the fourth quarter. From there, rookie quarterback Russell Wilson enjoyed his coming out party, throwing touchdown passes to Braylon Edwards and Sidney Rice to pull off a remarkable comeback and upset the defending AFC champions at CenturyLink Field. Brady wouldn't play another down in Seattle.

February 1, 2015 - Patriots 28, Seahawks 24

Only a few years after their first encounter in Seattle, Brady and Wilson met again in Glendale with a Lombardi Trophy on the line. Neither team found much offensive success early, as Brady was picked off by slot cornerback Jeremy Lane in the end zone to squander the only drive for either team that went past midfield in the first quarter. The two teams traded touchdown drives in the second quarter, with Brady hooking up with Brandon LaFell and Rob Gronkowski for a pair of touchdown tosses and the Seahawks receiving a rushing touchdown from Marshawn Lynch as well as a touchdown reception from the unheralded Chris Matthews.

Out of halftime, the Seahawks seemed to take control of the game with 10 unanswered points, as a touchdown pass from Wilson to Doug Baldwin extended the lead to 24-14 with 4:54 to go in the third quarter. Meanwhile, the Patriots couldn't get anything going, as Bobby Wagner picked off Brady and they failed to advance past midfield on their first three second half possessions. Unfortunately, after defensive end Cliff Avril left with a concussion, Brady started to pick Seattle apart in the final quarter and threw a pair of touchdowns to Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman to give the Patriots a four-point advantage. Those two scoring tosses proved to be the difference as Wilson was intercepted by Malcolm Butler at the goal line inside a minute to play to secure another title for Brady and company.

November 13, 2016 - Seahawks 30, Patriots 23

In what turned out to be Brady's last matchup against Wilson, Seattle enacted a bit of revenge in Foxboro in front of a nationally televised audience. Both teams opened with scoring drives, as LeGarrette Blount gave the Patriots and early 7-0 lead and kicker Stephen Hauschka knocked a 27-yard field goal between the uprights on the Seahawks' opening drive. Headlined by a touchdown pass from Wilson to Baldwin, Seattle would score on its next two drives to take a 12-7 lead, while Brady was intercepted by cornerback Deshawn Shead early in the second quarter and New England didn't score again until Blount found pay dirt with 1:14 to go in the half. Seattle responded with a magnificent two-minute drill, as Wilson connected with Baldwin for an 18-yard touchdown to give the Seahawks a 19-14 halftime advantage.

The second half proved to be a bit of a defensive slugfest, as the Patriots briefly took the lead on a third rushing touchdown by Blount, only for Hauschka and Gostkowski to engage in a field goal war. With the Seahawks nursing a 25-24 lead with under five minutes left to play, Wilson hooked up with Baldwin for their third scoring connection of the evening, as the 15-yard strike extended the lead to 31-24. Brady promptly marched the Patriots down to the Seahawks' one-yard line and Seattle's defense made a goal line stand for the ages, stuffing Blount and Brady on three consecutive runs before a fourth down pass to Gronkowski contested in coverage by Kam Chancellor fell incomplete. Both quarterbacks threw for over 300 yards, but Brady was held without a touchdown pass after throwing 12 of them in the previous four games, while Wilson threw three touchdowns in a masterful performance.