How Brady has fared vs. Brees in eight career matchups

Share

When the Saints host the Buccaneers on Sunday night, it won't just mark the first-ever playoff game between the NFL's top two leaders in career touchdown passes, it will also mark the ninth showdown between future Hall of Famers Tom Brady and Drew Brees dating back to 1999.Here's a closer look at the previous eight games -- a head-to-head rivalry in which Brees has the 5-3 edge.

9 photos
1/9

Brady: 15/25, 250 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT 

 

Brees: 20/49, 293 yards, TD, INT

 

The first meeting between these two future Hall of Famers took place over 20 years ago when senior Tom Brady led his fourth-ranked Michigan Wolverines over junior Drew Brees' 11th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers. Brady had the better stats in the game despite ceding playing time to Drew Henson in both the second and fourth quarters.

2/9

Brady: 36/53, 353 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT

 

Brees: 10/18, 104 yards, TD, 0 INT

 

The quarterbacks' first meeting as pros saw the Chargers snap the defending Super Bowl champs' 12-game winning streak. Brees didn't have to do much, as LaDainian Tomlinson tied the Chargers' franchise record with 217 rushing yards. The New England offense went scoreless after halftime, with Brady throwing picks on the team's first two possessions of the half.

3/9

Brady: 19/32, 224 yards, TD, INT

 

Brees: 19/24, 248 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT

 

One of Brady's most lopsided losses in a Patriots uniform came early in the 2005 season, when Brees and the Chargers snapped New England's 21-game home winning streak. Once again, Tomlinson had a big day (134 yards, 2 TD) while San Diego blanked the Pats 24-0 after halftime as the Patriots managed just one second-half first down.

4/9

Brady: 21/36, 237 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT

 

Brees: 18/23, 371 yards, 5 TD, 0 INT

 

Drew Brees' best game in his Super Bowl-winning season of 2009 came against Brady and the Patriots in late November at the Superdome. Brees threw five touchdown passes to five different receivers, racking up a perfect 158.3 QB rating. Meanwhile, Brady's leading receiver on the day was Sam Aiken (!!) and he was pulled from the game in the fourth quarter.

5/9

Brady: 25/43, 269 yards, TD, INT

 

Brees: 17/36, 236 yards, 2 TD, INT

 

It looked like Brady would drop a fourth straight game to Brees when he threw an interception with 2:24 left in the fourth quarter and the Patriots trailing 27-23. But after taking possession at his own 30 with 1:13 left and no timeouts, Brady completed passes to Julian Edelman, Austin Collie and Aaron Dobson, setting the stage for a game-winning 17-yard TD toss to Kenbrell Thompkins with just 5 seconds left. 

6/9

Brady: 30/39, 447 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT

 

Brees: 27/45, 356 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT

 

If Brady was upset after a Week 1 loss to the Chiefs in 2017, he took out all his frustrations on the Saints early in Week 2. Brady threw for 177 yards and three touchdowns in the first quarter, building a 20-3 lead. Brady was up to 302 passing yards by halftime -- and he joined Warren Moon as the only QBs to throw for at least 400 passing yards and 3 touchdowns in a game after turning 40.

7/9

Brady: 23/36, 239 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT

 

Brees: 18/30, 160 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT

 

Tom Brady's first touchdown in a Buccaneers uniform was very similar to his last touchdown in a Patriots uniform: it was a pick-six. Saints corner Janoris Jenkins returned Brady's second interception of Week 1 36 yards to give New Orleans a 24-7 lead. Though Brady was able to account for three Bucs touchdowns (two passing, one rushing), his Tampa debut was an underwhelming start.

8/9

Brady: 22/38, 209 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT

 

Brees: 26/32, 222 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT

 

There's no sugar-coating the fact that the last time Tom Brady faced the Saints, he turned in one of the worst performances of his Hall of Fame career. The 35-point margin of defeat was his worst ever, and his 40.4 quarterback rating is his third-worst in 343 career games. Meanwhile, Brees completed a season-high 81 percent of his passes for his 26th career game with at least four touchdowns and zero interceptions.

9/9

Brady: 278.5 yards/game, 11 TD, 11 INT, 82.5 QB rating

 

Brees: 248.8 yards/game, 21 TD, 2 INT, 108.6 QB rating

 

Sunday's NFC Divisional Playoff will mark the first-ever playoff game featuring a pair of starting quarterbacks over 40. It'll also be the first postseason game featuring the league's top-two career leaders in touchdown passes, with Brady (581 TD) and Brees (571 TD) combining for over 1,050 regular-season scores. But it's Brees who has the 5-3 edge in career meetings, with his teams outscoring Brady's by 7.9 points per game.

This season alone, the Saints have outscored the Bucs 72-26, with Brees (6 TD, 0 INT) easily outdueling Brady (2 TD, 5 INT). 

Contact Us