“How many of you have ever felt personally victimized by Tom Brady?”
Most, if not all, of the league’s 32 teams would raise their hand in response to that question, with Brady claiming 243 career victories, 57 more than any quarterback in NFL history (Brett Favre and Peyton Manning are tied for second at 186). That doesn’t even include Brady’s 35 playoff wins, more than double the amount his idol Joe Montana won (16) across stints with San Francisco and Kansas City.
Simply put, Brady is the best there ever was, finishing his extraordinary 22-year run as the NFL’s all-time leader in almost every meaningful statistic. But of all the teams he conquered in that span, who did Brady torment most?
As seen in the graphic below (courtesy of FanDuel), the easy answer is the Buffalo Bills, with Brady winning 33 of his 36 regular-season matchups against them. Of course, that’s skewed by the fact Brady spent almost his entire career in the AFC East, facing the Bills more than any team except for the Jets (37 lifetime meetings).
You could argue, at least by win percentage, that Brady was most successful against the Falcons, one of five teams he never lost to (Dallas, Minnesota, New England and Tampa Bay were the others). Brady’s 9-0 mark against Atlanta doesn’t include his historic comeback in Super Bowl LI, considered by most to be his magnum opus.
Remarkably, Brady only had a losing record against two teams—the Seahawks (who he won a Super Bowl against in 2014) and Saints. There were certainly opponents that gave Brady a harder time than others—he lost to the Dolphins on 12 occasions with all but one of those defeats coming at Hard Rock Stadium. But for the vast majority of the league, Brady was an utter nuisance, an aggravating splinter under everyone’s skin.
Not only did Brady earn our respect (often begrudgingly), but he also made a killing, laughing all the way to the bank with a record $475 million in career earnings. Not bad for a sixth-round flyer many had their doubts about, including ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper, who wondered at the time if Brady’s skill set would translate to the pros.
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