BOSTON — The Tom Brady topic has gotten a little tired in New England. It’s understandable. Although Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time and will forever be a part of Boston sports history, he left us a few years ago. Both the novelty of Brady playing for the Bucs and the storyline of the Patriots making the wrong decision to let him go have run their course. And certainly the sheer mediocrity of the 2022 Buccaneers has drained the story of all juice for most of this season. At times, watching Brady play this year has been tedious and boring, something some never thought possible.
Still… what Brady did on Sunday calls for a brief moment of reflection.
With a chance to win the division, the Bucs fell behind the Panthers and then leaned on their 45-year-old quarterback to lead them to victory. Brady got through.
The overall stats are absurd: Brady completed 34 of his 45 passes for 432 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions – good for a 127.3 passer rating. He also rushed for a touchdown on a QB sneak.
In his 17th week of the year, Brady set a new season high in passing yardage and passer rating.
In fact, it was only the second time Brady has thrown for as many yards as he threw for 432 yards in a loss to the Rams last year since joining the Bucs.
The 432-yard streak is the fifth-highest single-game yardage in his 23-year regular-season career. (He threw more yards in a game twice in his postseason career, both in the Super Bowl. He’s done many things in his life.)
Brady did most of his damage by throwing Mike Evans low, and the throws were massive.
MICHAEL LYNN EVANSIII
📺: #CARvsTB on FOX pic.twitter.com/9t0gLXlMHT
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) January 1, 2023
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🐐 pic.twitter.com/hYOwQQDy2Q— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) January 1, 2023
The person throwing these passes is 45 years old. you already know that But it’s still worth remembering.
That accomplishment came after someone found out that Brady has spent more time in the NFL than outside of the NFL in his lifetime.
.@TomBrady is already half his life in the league 😱 pic.twitter.com/eLBS07KbJt
— NFL (@NFL) December 29, 2022
(Is now a good time to mention that Brady hasn’t missed a game through injury since 2008? Because that’s a whole thing, too. Only three current NFL quarterbacks — Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco, and Matt Ryan — have ever been in the NFL in 2008. Most current QBs haven’t even been to college.)
Mind you, 45-year-olds shouldn’t be playing professional football. If they are, they might be stepping on the pigskin in the ’70s. They certainly aren’t playing quarterback, with 250-pound, muscle-bound, fast balls trying to knock their heads off with every shot.
Across NFL history, here’s the full list of players who even attempted to play quarterback at age 45: George Blanda. That’s it.
Blanda had mostly left his QB days behind, having been the previously hinted kicker in the ’70s.
In his season at the age of 45, Blanda threw a total of 15 passes. He completed five of them for 77 yards and a touchdown.
That was basically a single ride out of Brady’s 45-year season.
Brady isn’t new to breaking records. At the age of 44, he surpassed every all-time QB at that age combined.
Brady has now thrown for 107 touchdowns in the regular season after rushing for 43 yards. If you combine every other quarterback in touchdown history after age 43, you get… 22 touchdowns.
The scoreboard reads: Tom Brady 107, History of the NFL 22. It’s a blowout.
Again, it’s not necessarily new. And the story of “Tom Brady is doing something crazy for his age” has been told many times.
But that… that was very special. The arm strength, the balance, the lead, it’s all clearly intact even in his 16th NFL game as a 45-year-old, and it’s sure to have people wondering if he can play until he’s 50.
Whether he does or whether he retires this spring doesn’t change the fact that what took place Sunday was a notable moment worth reflecting on a busy NFL Sunday. The GOAT still manages to find new ways to impress in the year 23. This is really something.
He also now has up to 4,610 passing yards in the season that ranks second in the NFL, behind only Patrick Mahomes. And with Game 17, Brady needs to beef up the pre-playoff numbers next week if he so desires. (The smart move would be if the Bucs rested him, but good luck telling Tom Brady he can’t play football.)
Tom Brady, Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images
He will – probably – stop one day. But that day has clearly not come yet.
You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.