When Tom Brady took the field Sunday for the AFC Championship, he broke yet another NFL postseason record before he even threw a pass. Sunday was Brady's 31st career playoff game, which breaks his tie with former teammate Adam Vinatieri for the most of all time.
Tom Brady breaks another postseason record in the AFC Championship
He passed former teammate Adam Vinatieri’s mark for the most playoff games ever.
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Brady further cemented his status as the greatest postseason quarterback ever. He owns virtually every playoff passing record, building up leads in some categories that appear to be insurmountable.
Much like in the regular season, Brady’s performance in January hasn’t waned as he’s reached his late 30s. In fact, he could be in the midst of his best playoff run ever. Over his last four postseason contests, Brady has completed 68 percent of his passes and thrown for 1,223 yards (306 per game) while tossing 12 touchdowns to go along with four interceptions. His quarterback rating during this stretch is 101.
Growing up in the Bay Area, Brady idolized former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana. But now, he's trumped almost all of Montana's playoff accolades.
| Wins | SB Wins | SB Appearances | SB MVP | Conference Title Games | Passing Yards | Passing TDs | Passes Complete | Comebacks | Game-Winning Drives | Pass Attempts |
| Brady (22) | Bradshaw (4) | Brady (6) | Montana (3) | Brady (10) | Brady (7,647) | Brady (55) | Brady (711) | Brady (6) | Brady (9) | Brady (1,127) |
| Montana (16) | Montana (4) | John Elway (5) | Brady (3) | Montana (7) | Peyton Manning (7,022) | Montana (45) | Peyton Manning (619) | Montana (5) | Montana (6) | Peyton Manning (972) |
| Terry Bradshaw (14) | Brady (4) | Bradshaw, Montana, Roger Staubach, Jim Kelly (4) | Bart Starr, Bradshaw, Eli Manning(2) | Elway (6) | Brett Favre (5,855) | Favre (44) | Favre (481) | Eli Manning, Russell Wilson (4) | Elway (5) | Favre (791) |
The only category Brady isn't leading or close to leading is passer rating. His 89.6 QB rating in the playoffs is 11th all time, though that may be due to the fact he's played in far more playoff games than any other quarterback. It's also worth noting Brady was largely a game manager during the Patriots' first Super Bowl run, not posting a passer rating north of 86.2 in any of New England's playoff games that season.
That’s all changed, though. In three Patriots’ Super Bowl victories since then, Brady’s completed 70 percent of his passes for 306 yards with nine touchdowns and three interceptions.
As Brady’s aged, he’s carried more responsibility, not less. He continues to defy the odds, scooping up nearly every playoff record imaginable.
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