Chiefs nemesis Tom Brady will be playing in his 10th Super Bowl. Here’s a running tally
The Kansas City sports fan’s shortlist of villains has one constant.
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr., better known as Tom Brady (or, if you happened to be in New England during the bajillion years he won Super Bowls there, Tom Terrific or just TB12).
That’s right, we’re going to spend a few minutes talking about Tom Brady. But rather than bash him for his avocado toast and and butt-chin and impossibly perfect hair (come on, dude’s 43 ... no way he has no gray), we choose here to recall his 10 Super Bowl appearances.
Well, actually nine, because the 10th is yet to come, on Feb. 7, against the Kansas City Chiefs at Brady’s home field — Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
For real, though, this is a piece about the greatness of Tom Brady, because love him or hate him (and KC fans certainly lean toward the latter), he’s arguably the greatest to ever do it.
The man is 6-3 all-time in Super Bowls.
First up, the triumphs.
Super Bowl XXXVI, 2001 season
Patriots 20, St. Louis Rams 17
It was a fresh-faced Brady against the Greatest Show on Turf — Kurt Warner and friends — in the city of New Orleans. (Patrick Mahomes was 6; wonder who he was pulling for). Brady didn’t have a Hall of Fame outing, with just 145 yards through the air and a single touchdown. The Pats actually had trouble moving the ball all night, but when they needed a field goal to win it, they got it. And Brady, at the tender age of 24, had his first Super Bowl ring, then the youngest QB to win one.
Super Bowl XXXVIII, 2003
Patriots 32, Carolina Panthers 29
This game was quintessential Tom Terrific. Brady rose to the occasion with 354 yards and three passing touchdowns. And once again, an Adam Vinatieri field goal would clinch it. Ring No. 2 would soon be fitted.
Super Bowl XXXIX, 2004
Patriots 24, vs. Philadelphia Eagles 21
It’s at this point in our Brady narrative arc that we introduce to you one Andy Reid. Then head coach of the hard-luck Eagles, the current Chiefs head coach had the unfortunate luck of drawing a matchup against Brady and Sith Lord Bill Belichick in Reid’s first career Super Bowl. You know the rest. Brady passed for 236 yards and a couple of TDs, yada yada. Ring No. 3 was on the way.
Super Bowl XLIX, 2014
Patriots 28, Seattle Seahawks 24
Imagine the coaching hubris it took to think you’d be better off attempting a pass at the goal line instead of simply handing off to Marshawn Lynch, who’d been gashing the Pats all afternoon. But that’s exactly what the Seahawks did. Russell Wilson’s pass was intercepted and Brady, who passed for 328 yards and four scores that day against a pair of picks, had his fourth ring.
Super Bowl LI, 2016
Patriots 34, Atlanta Falcons 28, OT
Not to be outdone by the play-calling of the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX, the Falcons earned their own spot in Brady’s black book by blowing a 21-3 halftime lead that swelled to 28-3 in the third quarter. Nineteen fourth-quarter points later, the game was in overtime ... and betting against Brady in OT is like thinking a Snickers wrapper is a winning Mega Millions ticket. Brady’s passing stats in this one hit their own jackpot — 466 yards and a pair of TDs. Hello, ring No. 5.
Super Bowl LIII, 2018
Patriots 13, L.A. Rams 3
Field goals were the big winners in this one. Brady didn’t score a touchdown (to be fair, L.A.’s Jared Goff didn’t, either), but a Super Bowl victory is a Super Bowl victory. And this, ladies and gentlemen, completes our tour of Brady’s Super Bowl Wins, with ring No. 6.
And now, for the Super Bowls that Brady didn’t win ...
Super Bowl XLII, 2007
N.Y. Giants 17, Patriots 14
The 2007 postseason stacked an unbeaten Patriots team that had just bested the San Diego Chargers for the AFC championship against the NFC-champion Giants. The Pats were coming off a lackluster three-pick performance by Brady against the Bolts. And against the G-men, he was sacked five times. He still managed to put New England ahead late on a TD pass to Randy Moss, but Eli Manning was up to the task, too, leading New York on a last-gasp scoring drive to win it.
Super Bowl XLVI, 2011
N.Y. Giants 21, Patriots 17
Four years after their first Super Bowl showdown, this time at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Manning showed that he still had Brady’s number. Brady played pretty heroically after coughing up a safety on the Patriots’ first drive of the game, at one point completing 16 straight passes, but it wasn’t enough.
Super Bowl LII, 2017
Philadelphia Eagles 41, Patriots 33
This should be a trivia question: Who is the only quarterback not named Eli Manning to beat Tom Brady in a Super Bowl? Why, none other than former Chiefs backup Nick Foles, who played out of his mind to lead Philly past Brady and Co. Brady really couldn’t have played much better, either, finishing with a playoff- and Super Bowl-record 505 passing yards.
More trivia: Four NFL QBs have lost three Super Bowls. For all he’s accomplished, Brady is one; Jim Kelly, Fran Tarkenton and John Elway are the others.
This story was originally published January 29, 2021 at 5:00 AM.