Top 5 Tom Brady Playoff Games?

[A man named Brady]

For me In No Order

Jaguars 2007
Panthers Super Bowl
6 TDS Broncos
Ravens 2014
SB Vs Seahawks

HM. Jaguars 2005/Steelers 2004/Eagles 2004/Tuck Rule Game

 

[BradyManny]

Looks about right to me. Steelers 04 is in the top 5, though I'd say. He played that game with 100 and something fever, too.

Carolina & Seattle are tops for me. Seattle game has to be #1, I think. The first interception was dumb as it gets, but #2 was just a great defensive play. And other than that, he was perfect against the best D in the league.

If Wes Welker hangs onto that back-shoulder throw, then SB47 would've been in there. I think people forget how good he was for most of that game, until he took that hit and F'd up his shoulder.

 

[Oswlek]

Pitt 2004 might even be my #1, so it's definitely in my top 5. SB 38 and 49 are the other in the top three. I'm not too picky after that.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Let's not forget how lucky we are as fans that we can even have this debate.

The OP's list does look about right. [For those wondering, the Jaguars game was the one where TFB set a record—which would be the overall NFL record, if the NFL didn't separate regular season from postseason—for highest completion percentage in one game, 26/28 (92.9%). And IIRC, one of those two was a drop, and the other should arguably have been DPI.]

 

[Archeryaddict12]

The more you think about it, he has had a lot of really excellent playoff games. Not very many Duds, maybe 3

 

[JMC00]

The more you think about it, he has had a lot of really excellent playoff games. Not very many Duds, maybe 3

Call into 98.5 between 2-6 and say this and just listen to the tantrum.

 

[Kontradiction]

Here's mine...

1. 2007 AFC Divisional vs. Jaguars: 26/28 262 yds 3 TD's, 141.4 rating***
2. 2004 AFC Championship @ Steelers: 14/21 207 yds 2 TD's, 130.5 rating
3. 2014 Super Bowl 49 vs. Seahawks: 37/50 328 yds 4 TD's 2 INT's, 101.1 rating
4. 2003 Super Bowl 38 vs. Panthers: 32/48 354 yds 3 TD's 1 INT, 100.5 rating
5. 2011 AFC Divisional vs. Broncos: 26/34 363 yds 6 TD's 1 INT, 137.6 rating

***Carried a perfect passer rating (158.3) late into the game.

 

[BobDigital]

#1 2001/02 Raiders Divisional - A lot of people will remember the tuck rule and forgot in a blizzard he got 10 4th quarter points to force overtime then went a perfect 8/8 in OT to clinch it.

#2 2014/15 Superbowl - That 4th quarter will probably define Brady's career but the one above is what really started his legend. They are 1A 1B

#3 2003/04 Superbowl - This game is often over looked but his 4th quarter was pretty amazing. Scored 18 points and had to march down into FG range with 1:08 left. Also people forger he overcame what would usually be a drive killing penalty against a stingy D on that final drive.

#4 2006/07 - AFCCG Colts - This game is often overlooked and the stat line does not do Brady justice. I could write an entire article about this game and explain why it is Brady's most impressive loss ever. He pretty much took a team that was worse at everything against a team that was better at everything and had the 2nd best QB at the time and almost beat them. Dropped TDs and allowing late scores killed them. People point out Brady's game ending int but honestly he was not giving enough time against what was a really good D. They allowed something like 11 PPGs vs their other 3 opponents in the playoffs. It was a desperation pass with no time outs left and time winding down.

#5 2004.05 AFFCG Steelers - What makes this impressive is how efficient it was and how just on target he was. Also he had a fever of 103 the night before and got an IV. You just knew Brady was on point and if his team needed him to he would have hung 40.

HMs. Balt 2014/15

 

[FourierSeries]

May not have been his best game overall stats wise, but that 2001 SB will always be the most memorable to me because of that final drive. Madden saying they should take a knee, then saying they made the wrong decision trying to drive the ball down the field, then after watching the future GOAT at work saying he had goosebumps after driving the team into FG range.

The start of a dynasty and a HOF career.

 

[Oswlek]

he was not giving enough time against what was a really good D. They allowed something like 11 PPGs vs their other 3 opponents in the playoffs.

The Colts D was terrible. Worst run defense in NFL history, period. People point to the return of Bob Sanders, but he had virtually nothing to do with their success against KC/Baltimore. Sanders had already been back for weeks and played the week they allowed the Jaguars to run for 375 yards. What really led to the improvement was changing DL tactics and abominable offensive coaching by both Baltimore and KC. KC, in particular, was ungodly. 5 minutes in, I could see that, rather than opening big holes by running the DEs upfield, Indy was holding the LOS more. Despite me being able to recognize this midway through the first quarter, KC never did a PAP on first down. Not once.

Back to the AFCCG, Brady was good for the first half, but not as much in the second. On the pick, in particular, he had Heath Evans uncovered along the right sideline for at least a 15 yard gain. Yes, the drops, lousy officiating and injuries did him no favors, but he could have played better. I don't consider that one anywhere near the top 5.

 

[Kontradiction]

#4 2006/07 - AFCCG Colts - This game is often overlooked and the stat line does not do Brady justice. I could write an entire article about this game and explain why it is Brady's most impressive loss ever. He pretty much took a team that was worse at everything against a team that was better at everything and had the 2nd best QB at the time and almost beat them. Dropped TDs and allowing late scores killed them. People point out Brady's game ending int but honestly he was not giving enough time against what was a really good D. They allowed something like 11 PPGs vs their other 3 opponents in the playoffs. It was a desperation pass with no time outs left and time winding down.

Better at everything? There's no way in Hell that 2006 Colts defense was better than that 2006 Pats defense. New England's biggest problem in that game was having Eric Alexander covering Dallas Clark instead of Rodney (thanks again, Fisher... you scumbag). But, even without Rodney, I'm having trouble finding any advantage that that Colts team had on defense over the Pats outside of Bob Sanders. People forget that the 2006 defense was still very much the dynasty defense. But I do agree that the Pats were severely outgunned in that game and, because of Brady, nearly won. That's one of many examples to underscore why Brady is 10 times the quarterback that Peyton Manning is, was, or ever will be.

 

[doesntmatter1]

Kontra's list is exactly how I would rank it. And some of Brady's most surgical performances have come against Jack Del Rio. That 2007 Jag game was dink and dunk perfection.

 

[BobDigital]

The Colts D was terrible. Worst run defense in NFL history, period. People point to the return of Bob Sanders, but he had virtually nothing to do with their success against KC/Baltimore. Sanders had already been back for weeks and played the week they allowed the Jaguars to run for over 400 yards. What really led to the improvement was changing DL tactics and abominable offensive coaching by both Baltimore and KC. KC, in particular, was ungodly. 5 minutes in, I could see that, rather than opening big holes by running the DEs upfield, Indy was holding the LOS more. Despite me being able to recognize this midway through the first quarter, KC never did a PAP on first down. Not once.

Back to the AFCCG, Brady was good for the first half, but not as much in the second. On the pick, in particular, he had Heath Evans uncovered along the right sideline for at least a 15 yard gain. Yes, the drops, lousy officiating and injuries did him no favors, but he could have played better. I don't consider that one anywhere near the top 5.

Better at everything? There's no way in Hell that 2006 Colts defense was better than that 2006 Pats defense. New England's biggest problem in that game was having Eric Alexander covering Dallas Clark instead of Rodney (thanks again, Fisher... you scumbag). But, even without Rodney, I'm having trouble finding any advantage that that Colts team had on defense over the Pats outside of Bob Sanders. People forget that the 2006 defense was still very much the dynasty defense. But I do agree that the Pats were severely outgunned in that game and, because of Brady, nearly won. That's one of many examples to underscore why Brady is 10 times the quarterback that Peyton Manning is, was, or ever will be.

The Colts D was a good D that year. It was not just Bob Sanders though he was probably the 2nd best safety in the NFL during this time. They also had a pretty monstrous pass rush and their run D sure tightened up well enough. It does not really matter how they played in the regular season for me. It is how you play in your playoff run.

The 2006 Patriots D was not all that good. It was pretty good but I think the Colts D overall played better in their run than the pats did. They were decent but they lost a lot of key players and didn't replacement them well. Bruschi was not the same player. Rodney was a little older. The pass rush wasn't getting there like it use to. Also they has Eric Alexander playing a ton of minutes which is not a good sign. I will get more into this in detail later but I can't bring up certain pages right now for some reason.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

I take strength of opponent as a major factor; my top-2 are against the #1 ranked defenses. I like the OP's list. Mine is slightly different. Can't put the '06-07 Colts game on because they lost, although I agree it was an incredible performance by Brady. The week prior to that against SD was also very impressive despite Brady's INTs. SD had a great defense and stacked team that year; it was Brady versus that entire Chargers team, it seemed like (with some help from Troy Brown's strip fumble.)

1. SB49, 2014/15, Seahawks
2. AFCCG, 2004/05, Steelers
3. SB38, 2003/04, Panthers
4. AFCDG, 2014/15, Ravens
5. AFCDG, 2001/02, Raiders

Honorable mentions are SBs vs Rams and Eagles; several playoff wins against the Colts. I don't get excited about the 5/6 TD annihilation games. Those would be on Manning's list.

 

[Oswlek]

The Colts D was a good D that year.

I have to think you are confusing 2006 with either 2005 or 2007, Bob, because the Colts D was not remotely good that year. I'm not exaggerating by calling them the worst run D in the history of the league, they allowed a record ypc that still stands.

The 2006 Patriots D was not all that good. It was pretty good but I think the Colts D overall played better in their run than the pats did. They were decent but they lost a lot of key players and didn't replacement them well. Bruschi was not the same player. Rodney was a little older.

The 2006 team actually allowed the lowest points in franchise history. Their problem was that they were older and didn't have the depth to withstand Rodney's injury and the flu.

 

[voluntarysaftey]

06 Chargers game has to be one of the best Brady & team performances. Patriots had no business winning that game against an elite Chargers team.

Brady came up huge.
Defense came up huge.
Troy Brown came up amazingly huge with the strip fumble of an interception that was the result of terrible coaching / pure on the Chargers part.

 

[Archeryaddict12]

06 Chargers game has to be one of the best Brady & team performances. Patriots had no business winning that game against an elite Chargers team.

Brady came up huge.
Defense came up huge.
Troy Brown came up amazingly huge with the strip fumble of an interception that was the result of terrible coaching / pure on the Chargers part.

That's why I said, almost every playoff game Brady has been excellent and had the team in position to win. I think 09, 10 and 12 were his worst games. Otherwise Tom has been terrific, even in 11 and 07.

 

[BobDigital]

I have to think you are confusing 2006 with either 2005 or 2007, Bob, because the Colts D was not remotely good that year. I'm not exaggerating by calling them the worst run D in the history of the league, they allowed a record ypc that still stands.

The 2006 team actually allowed the lowest points in franchise history. Their problem was that they were older and didn't have the depth to withstand Rodney's injury and the flu.

#1 I am not confusing anything and I stand by what I say.
#2 I don't know if you meant it that way but the way you structured your sentence and called me bob came off kind of snide. I would hope we can have a cordial discussion about this.

First off let me be clear about what I mean. Take the regular season and throw it out the window. I don't care about ranks or bad games or trends during that time. How did you do in the playoffs is what I grade these Ds by and the Colts were better than the Pats IMO. If you have a different opinion that is fine but let me explain my reasoning so you can see where I am coming from.

In the wildcard round the Colts held KC to 8 points, 126 total yards and held them to 44 rushing yards on 17 carries

In the divisional round the Colts held Balt to 6 points 244 total yards and 83 rushing yards on 20 carries

I will ignore the Pats game cause that is a bit messy with a lot of crazy stuff happens but they allowed running 92 yards on 20 carries but most it of was 1 35 yard carry and they shut them down besides that fairly well.

In the SB they gave up 17 points (10 on D as 7 were on a KR TD) allowed 265 total yards but did get run on a bit for 111 yards but again a lot of that was on 1 52 run and besides that they did okay.

Obviously the run D could have been better in the playoffs and they gave up a couple big runs but besides that they did fairly well over those 4 games.

Their total yards given up were good and their PPG given up on D in the other 3 games (if you take out the KR TD was 8.6 & 10 (or 17 if you wanna put D & STs together which is 100% fair in the context of what we are discussing). That is not bad D IMO.

I will admit the Pats 2006 D in the regular season was very good but they were thin and injured and lacked depth and slowed down at the end.

2 other Pats playoff games that year.

Jets - 16 points 347 total yards 277 passing 70 rushing
Chargers - 21 points 352 total yards 204 passing 148 rushing
Colts - Again will not get into this game as it is hard to dissect but I will bring up the run stats. The Colts ran 30 times for 125 yards (2 by manning for overall no gain).

When you look at this I think it is fair to say a clear argument can be made that in the playoffs the Colts were the superior defensive team. You don't need to agree but you should agree that my point has merit.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

New England's biggest problem in that game was having Eric Alexander covering Dallas Clark instead of Rodney (thanks again, Fisher... you scumbag).

And even that wasn't what the Patriots intended; remember that the flu ran through the Pats' locker room in the days leading up to the game, and then, IIRC, there were reports that the stadium was mysteriously warm on game day. As a result, the Pats D was dropping like flies during the second half.

 

[Oswlek]

I don't know if you meant it that way but the way you structured your sentence and called me bob came off kind of snide.

There was nothing snide intended. I brought up those years because Indy actually was legitimately competitive in 2005 and 2007. Not in 2006, though.

Take the regular season and throw it out the window.

You can't do this. As much as legacies are defined by the playoffs, they were abominable in the regular season and this cannot be minimized in any way.

In the wildcard round the Colts held KC to 8 points, 126 total yards and held them to 44 rushing yards on 17 carries

In the divisional round the Colts held Balt to 6 points 244 total yards and 83 rushing yards on 20 carries

As I explained earlier, both games involved clueless offenses. In fact, Bill himself did a film breakdown heading into the AFCCG - a noteworthy occurrence since he usually reviewed the prior game - detailing all the reasons why Indy's defense was still the same ****ty defense it had been all year.

In the SB they 17 points

Against perhaps the worst SB quarterback in the history of the game.

When you look at this I think it is fair to say a clear argument can be made that in the playoffs the Colts were the superior defensive team. You don't need to agree but you should agree that my point has merit.

Not really. They did a nice job of surprising the first two teams with a DL adjustment and got lucky that neither actually accounted for it. They go lucky again that NE was beat to hell and even then they needed the refs to to strip the Patriots of at least 7 points. And then the faced a truly terrible SB offense.

I'll commend them for getting the most out of a lousy defense, but that doesn't somehow overrule how awful they had been all year. Frankly, the biggest bit of luck Indy had was NE knocking SD out because they could have put a 50 burger up on the Colts.

EDIT: The 2006 Colts were very much like the 2011 Patriots' defense. No one would ever say they were particularly good, but they played much better in the playoffs for one reason or another. In fact, NE's defense was arguably better, they just didn't have the same good fortune of facing an overmatched SB opponent.