Ranking Tom Brady's seven Super Bowl victories

Planet Sport puts all seven of Tom Brady's Super Bowls in ranking order to find out what is the crowning glory of his NFL career.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the origin story of the man who would become the greatest player to ever put on an NFL jersey, the fact that Tom Brady was a sixth-round draft pick in 2000 is almost unfathomable.

Not the start you would expect for a future Hall of Famer, but like many NFL success stories the beginning of the Brady era owed a lot to chance as just over a year later, when Patriots starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe left the field through injury in the Pats' second game, at home to the New York Jets.

Brady trotted on for his first NFL appearance and from there, never has the term "The rest, as they say, is history" been more apt! Brady led the Patriots to a Super Bowl victory in that very same season and added six more rings, including one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a stellar career, to cement his legacy as the GOAT.
And he may not be done just yet after reversing his retirement decision to play at least one more season in Tampa Bay.
In honour of an achievement that may never be matched, we took a trip down memory lane to analyse Brady's seven Super Bowl victories and rank his performances from worst to best.

7. Super Bowl 53 - Patriots 13 - 3 Rams

February 3rd, 2019 - Mercedes-Benz Stadium - Atlanta, Georgia

Super Bowl 53 was one to forget as the Patriots defence smothered Jared Goff and the underperforming Rams offence, allowing a total of just 260 yards and three points.

With stats like that from their defence, the Patriots could probably have played Tom Brady Sr. at quarterback and still won. Brady Jr. did just enough to secure victory on a day where he himself was stifled by Aaron Donald and the Rams pass rush.

Statistically this is Brady's worst Super Bowl and it was one of two Championship games where he wasn't named MVP. However, he was at the centre of the key moment of the game for the Patriots, orchestrating a 71-yard third-quarter drive that ended with Sony Michel rushing for the only touchdown of the game.
And his 10 completions to Julian Edelman secured the MVP award for his good friend, the first time a wide receiver had won the accolade since Pittsburgh's Santonio Holmes in 2008.
And speaking of accolades, Brady set another couple of records, winning a record sixth Super Bowl ring and becoming the first man to win the Super Bowl in his forties.
Just another day at the office for the GOAT!

6. Super Bowl 39: Patriots 24 - 21 Eagles

February 6th, 2005 - Alltel Stadium - Jacksonville, Florida

Retaining the Super Bowl Championship is surprisingly rare and has been achieved only once since the year 2000. And it will surprise nobody to learn that Brady and the Patriots were the ones to do it!
However, this was an efficient, rather than explosive performance from Brady, who helped the Patriots win the turnover battle by a margin of +3 and did not throw an interception for the first time in his Super Bowl career.
Brady wasn't named MVP but had an enormous hand in Deion Branch's securing of the award, connecting with the wide receiver 11 times and equalling the Super Bowl wide receiver reception record.
And with that victory, Brady became just the fourth quarterback to win at least three Super Bowls, and also the fourth quarterback to throw a touchdown in three different Super Bowls.

5. Super Bowl 36: Patriots 20 - 17 Rams

February 3rd, 2002 - Superdome - New Orleans, Louisiana

Heading into Super Bowl 36, even after a sterling season in Brady's first campaign as starter, the Patriots were the underdogs against the St Louis Rams and their famous "Greatest Show on Turf" offence, led by future Hall of Famer Kurt Warner.
However, the Patriots defence restricted the Rams to just three points in over 30 minutes of football, forcing three turnovers and building a 17-3 third-quarter lead.
The Rams came roaring back and at 17-17 after the two-minute warning with the Pats in possession and no timeouts left, many thought that Belichick would play for overtime rather than relying on an inexperienced signal caller.
However, showing a confidence in Brady that seems obvious now but was more of a leap of faith in 2002, Belichick duly put the game in Brady's hands and the team on his shoulders.
And he was rewarded with a 53-yard drive that ended in an Adam Vinatieri field goal and a famous win for the Patriots.
Such was the drama of that last-minute drive, even the late, great John Madden, a commentator who had seen and done it all in the NFL, was moved to utter the famous line, "What Tom Brady just did, gives me goosebumps".
His stats may have been average but what Brady achieved in his very first Super Bowl cannot be overstated, and nudges this game up our rankings as a result.

4. Super Bowl 38: Patriots 32 - 29 Panthers

February 1st, 2004 - Reliant Stadium - Houston, Texas

Super Bowl 38 is remembered more for Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction than the match itself, but the game was actually one of the best Super Bowls of the noughties.
And that was because of the unlikely duel that broke out between Tom Brady and Panthers' quarterback Jake Delhomme, who combined for 677 yards and six touchdowns.
The two signal callers went toe-to-toe throughout the match, and after a Panthers touchdown locked the two sides together at 29-29 with 1:08 to play in regulation, it looked like the match would be the first Super Bowl to go into overtime.
Actually, what we should say is that "For three seconds it looked like the game would go into overtime", as Panthers kicker John Kasay picked the wrong time to put his kick off out of bounds and Brady was able to start his last drive of the game at the 40-yard line.
And of course he made the most of it, setting up Adam Vinatieri for a game-winning field goal and securing his second ring, as well as a second Super Bowl win in three years for the Patriots.

3. Super Bowl 49: Patriots 28 - 24 Seahawks

February 1st, 2015 - University of Phoenix Stadium - Glendale, Arizona

Malcolm Butler's famous interception of Russell Wilson in the last seconds of the game deservedly stole the headlines, but it was a familiar face who was named MVP after yet another sterling Super Bowl performance.
Brady threw for four touchdowns in a Super Bowl for the very first time, a feat made even more impressive by the fact that he was going up against the acclaimed Seattle defence, aka the "Legion of Boom", who had steamrollered Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 48.
Putting up 28 points against a Seahawks side that had allowed just 15.9 points per game in the regular season was a superb achievement.
And this win was made even more impressive when put into the context that Brady and the Pats had not won the Super Bowl for 10 years, losing their last two and having to answer the question of whether the Patriots dynasty was done.
A question that was answered in fine style by Brady and the Patriots in this, and two more Super Bowls!

2. Super Bowl 55: Buccaneers 24 - 9 Chiefs

February 7th, 2021 - Raymond James Stadium - Tampa, Florida

Brady faced perhaps his greatest-ever challenge in 2020, joining a Bucs side who had finished 7-9 in the previous season at the age of 43, in the middle of a pandemic.
And if that wasn't enough, Number 12 had to deal with doubts about whether he could recreate the success he enjoyed at the Patriots, without Bill Belichick by his side.
And once again the naysayers were proved wrong as Brady's presence galvanised the Bucs on both sides of the ball. The Bucs stormed to an 11-5 regular season record and advanced to their first Super Bowl since 2002, beating both Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers on their own turf in the playoffs.
Standing in the way of a famous victory in their own stadium were a red-hot Chiefs side looking to win their second Championship in a row.
And in the battle of Tom Brady vs Patrick Mahomes, it was Brady who came out on top, earning his highest ever passer rating in a Super Bowl and blowing the Chiefs away with three first half touchdown drives to take a 21-6 half-time lead that Kansas never recovered from.
And while the Bucs defence rightly took the plaudits for forcing Patrick Mahomes to run for his life on what seemed like virtually every play, Brady's role in putting pressure on his opposite number should not be underestimated.
And he was rewarded by joining his old pal Peyton Manning in one of the most exclusive clubs in the NFL, that of quarterbacks who have won the Super Bowl with two different teams.

1. Super Bowl 51: Patriots 34-28 Falcons (OT)

February 5th, 2017 - NRG Stadium - Houston, Texas

It takes a special performance and a special game to steal top spot from Brady's historic Championship win with the Bucs, and this match had it all.
However, when the Falcons raced out to a 28-3 lead midway through the third quarter of Super Bowl 51, a routine win looked on the cards. Then Tom Brady led the Patriots on a 75-yard drive that included a 15-yard run by the man himself and ended with a touchdown pass to James White.
And just like that a game broke out in Houston, and a legion of UK fans burning the midnight oil (this writer included) were woken from their slumber by the realisation that something special could be on the cards!
And so it proved, as Brady followed that drive with 25 unanswered points, including two further touchdowns, each followed by a two-point conversion.
And when the game went to overtime and the Patriots won the toss, there was already no doubt who was going to receive the Vince Lombardi trophy, as Brady marched his side 75 yards up the field once again and handed the ball off to James White for the winning score.
Arguably the greatest Super Bowl of all time was decided by a man who refused to lose and almost single-handedly dragged his side over the finishing line, throwing for more yards in the big game than any quarterback in NFL history and securing a record fifth ring for himself.
Super Bowl 51 was quite simply a showcase of everything that was great about Tom Brady, and while you can argue the toss about where the rest of his victories should sit in this list, there is no doubt in our minds which is number one!
Read more: Tom Brady news: 'Unfinished business' as GOAT targets eighth Super Bowl run

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