How Brady's career intertwined with the Eagles

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He broke the Eagles hearts in 2004. The Eagles turned the tables 13 years later. And a couple weeks ago, he recorded the 278th and final win of his unparalleled career against the Eagles.

Tom Brady never played in the same division as the Eagles and he only played in the same conference for two of his 22 years.

Yet you can’t find a bigger nemesis in Eagles history than Brady, who reportedly plans to retire after winning seven Super Bowls and setting NFL records with 624 touchdown passes and 84,520 passing yards.

In nine career starts against the Eagles, Brady threw 19 touchdown passes and three interceptions. He had a passer rating of at least 100 in six of those nine games, and only Eli Manning and Tony Romo -- both with many more appearances -- have had more against the Eagles.

Brady is the only quarterback in NFL history to win and lose a Super Bowl against the same team.

And whatever happens in the future, one of the lowest moments in franchise history and unquestionably the greatest moment in franchise history both went through Tom Brady.

Brady went 7-2 all-time against the Eagles, with the first meeting 18 years ago and the last meeting 13 days ago. He and Drew Brees are the only quarterbacks to face the Eagles three times in the postseason. 

And if there's one enduring image of Brady that Eagles fans can remember for decades, it's him sitting by himself on the bench at US Bank Stadium, head staring at the turf, after the final seconds ran off in the Eagles' Super Bowl win four years ago. 

Let’s take a look at Brady’s nine career starts against the Eagles:

Patriots 31, Eagles 10, Sept. 14, 2003

The game: The first meeting between Brady and Donovan McNabb didn’t go well for the Eagles. McNabb had one of the worst games of his career, the Eagles committed six turnovers, and Brady threw three TD passes -- two to tight end Christian Fauria and one to Deion Branch. Paul Grasmanis and Corey Simon had Eagles sacks, but Brady finished with a 105.8 passer rating, and the Eagles fell to 0-2 in their first season at the Linc.

What Brady said: “We had great field position. We scored some points early off those turnovers to take the lead. Certainly, playing with a lead we took advantage of a lot of different situations.”

Patriots 24, Eagles 21, Feb. 6, 2005

The game: We learned later that the Patriots most likely cheated during the 2004 postseason, although to what extent that helped them it’s impossible to tell. It certainly didn’t hurt. In Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville, the Eagles found a way to stay in the game -- it was 14-14 early in the fourth quarter -- before the Patriots pulled away late. Brady threw TDs to David Givens and Mike Vrabel and picked on Eagles rookie corner Matt Ware, forced into action when Rod Hood had to leave the game. T.O. had 9-for-122 in the losing effort.

What Brady said: “We really are a team. I mean, in four seasons, I’ve never had a receiver complain about not getting the ball. I’ve never had a running back complain about not getting enough carries. An offensive line that busts their backs every day. And a defense that’s just unreal.”

Patriots 31, Eagles 28, Nov. 25, 2007

The game: A.J. Feeley started in place of injured Donovan McNabb in Foxboro and threw two TDs to Greg Lewis and one to Reggie Brown but also three INTs, including a potential go-ahead pass with four minutes left that Asante Samuel picked off in the end zone. Brady passed for 380 yards and a TD to future Eagle Jabar Gaffney. But he was sacked three times -- by Chris Gocong, Juqua Parker and Darren Howard, and he saw his NFL-record streak of consecutive games with at least three TD passes end at 10. 

What Brady said: “I thought they played really well. I think, as a team, I wish we had played a little bit better, but I give those guys a lot of credit.”

Patriots 38, Eagles 20, Nov. 27, 2011

The game: The Eagles took a 10-0 lead on a LeSean McCoy run and Alex Henery field goal, but the Patriots outscored them 38-10 the rest of the way. Statistically, Brady’s best game ever against the Eagles. He completed 71 percent of his passes, threw three TDs and had a 134.6 passer rating in the Vince Young-Tom Brady matchup at the Linc everybody was waiting for. Once again, Brady didn’t throw an interception, and he was sacked only once, by Mike Patterson. 

What Brady said: “It was good to get one on the road and getting down 10-0 and rallying, which we did, it showed some mental toughness. We were balanced today. We used the wide receivers and tight ends, we used draws, sweeps, downhill runs, quick hitters and all levels of the passing game. We did a good job of maximizing all the guys.”

Eagles 35, Patriots 28, Dec. 6, 2015

The game: The Eagles were 8-point underdogs in Foxboro but finally beat the Patriots for the first time in their fifth try in what turned out to be the second-to-last win of Chip Kelly’s Eagles coaching career. Malcolm Jenkins and Byron Maxwell picked off Brady, the first time the Eagles had ever intercepted him, and Jenkins returned his INT 99 yards for a TD -- the longest pick-six ever against Brady. Brady threw for 312 yards and three TDs but only completed 52 percent of his passes and had a lowly 71.4 passer rating. At one point the Eagles scored 35 straight points, the first team anybody did that against the Patriots since 1993.

What Brady said: “That was bad quarterbacking. The team trusts you to put the ball in your hands and make good decisions with it, and that (Jenkins INT) was a terrible decision. So it’s unfortunate, because those (INTs) cost you the game, and I’ve got to do a better job. I mean, a 99-, 100-yard interception return, that’s about as bad as you can do for a quarterback.”

Eagles 41, Patriots 33, Feb. 4, 2018

The game: You may remember this one. The Eagles ended their 56-year championship drought despite Brady’s Super Bowl-record 505 passing yards and three TDs. The Eagles didn’t intercept Brady, but their one sack -- Brandon Graham’s strip sack with 2:16 left -- might be the play Brady regrets most in his career. Philly Special. Corey Clement. Ajayi and Blount. Alshon’s remarkable TD. This game had everything. It was the last Super Bowl Brady lost and the only one he lost in his last five Super Bowls. The greatest game in modern Eagles history. The day Nick Foles, Doug Pederson and the Eagles toppled the GOAT.

What Brady said: “They made one great play when they had to.”

Patriots 17, Eagles 10, Nov. 17, 2019

The game: Brady’s worst game ever against the Eagles. This was his late in his last season with the Eagles and it was the only time he didn’t throw a TD against the Eagles. He completed only 55 percent of his passes for 216 yards and a 67.3 passer rating -- his lowest ever against the Eagles and 2nd-lowest in 2019. But the Eagles were even worse, netting just 255 yards.

What Brady said: “Up and down, that’s what it looked like to me. (We can) do everything better. But it doesn’t matter what I think, it matters what we do.”

Buccaneers 28, Eagles 22, Oct. 14, 2021

The game: In his first appearance against the Eagles with Tampa, Brady threw for 297 yards and two TDs, although Anthony Harris did become only the third Eagle ever to record an interception off Brady. The Eagles dropped to 2-4 and would fall to 2-5 in Vegas a week later before righting their season. The Bucs, who led by as many as 21 points in the 3rd quarter, improved to 5-1.

What Brady said: “It was a good win. It’s tough to win on the road. We didn’t play our best, so we have to get back to work. Their defense played tough. They have a good front. They really clogged up the run game in there and we just didn’t hit enough passes as we needed to. They made us earn it.”

Buccaneers 31, Eagles 15, Jan. 16, 2022

The game: Brady’s first postseason win against the Eagles in 17 years was typical Brady. He completed 37 percent of his passes, threw two TDs and had a 115.2 passer rating -- the sixth time he’s been over 100 vs. the Eagles. The Bucs led 31-0 before the Eagles scored a couple late touchdowns. The last win of Brady’s career.

What Brady said: “That team was 7-2 in their last nine games, playing really well. We got off to a good start, took kind of a commanding lead and glad we finished the way we did.”

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