9. New England 34, New Orleans 17 (Nov. 25, 2001 @ New England)

The numbers: 19 for 26 (73.1%), 258 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs, 9.9 YPA, 143.9
The story: On a stormy night in Foxboro, the 5-5 Patriots welcomed the 5-4 Saints and launched one of the great late-season rallies in NFL history — a rally orchestrated by the inexperienced Brady. In just his ninth NFL start, Brady shredded the New Orleans defense, throwing TDs to four different receivers: venerable Troy Brown, journeyman ballcarrier Antowain Smith, immortal wideout Charles Johnson and legendary fullback Marc Edwards. New England would win its next eight games of 2001, concluding with its improbable Super Bowl XXXVI victory over St. Louis.

8. New England 31, Minnesota 7 (Oct. 30, 2006 @ Minnesota)

The numbers: 29 for 43 (67.4%), 372 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT, 8.7 YPA, 115.6 rating
The story: Brady proved the Cold, Hard Football Facts maxim — espoused at the start of the 2006 season — that he could win throwing to tackling dummies on wagon wheels. He dissected one of the league’s top defenses on the road in a hostile arena, with all the icy emotion and ruthless efficiency of a gridiron assassin. Brady completed 6 of 6 passes for 94 yards and a TD on the game’s first drive, and ended with 257 first-half yards. He connected with 10 different receivers, including TD passes to four different players: Brown, tight end Ben Watson, New England newcomer Reche Caldwell and rookie Chad Jackson. Along the way, he ran his record in domes to 10-0 and upped his indoor passer rating to 104.1.

7. New England 30, Denver 26 (Nov. 3, 2003 @ Denver)

The numbers: 20 for 35 (57.1%), 350 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 10.0 YPA, 108.0 rating
The story: What would become an NFL-record 21-game win streak nearly died in Denver after a mere five wins before Brady once again unleashed a masterpiece. New England trailed 24-23 with less than three minutes to play and was pinned at its own 1 when coach Bill Belichick opted to take an intentional safety instead of punt. New England got the ball back at its own 42 with 2:15 to play and Brady quickly put the game away by completing 4 of 5 passes for 58 yards, punctuated by an 18-yard, game-winning TD toss to Givens. New England would not lose another game until October 2004.

6. New England 20, St. Louis 17 (Feb. 3, 2002, Super Bowl XXXVI @ New Orleans)

The numbers: 16 for 27 (59.3%), 145 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 5.4 YPA, 86.2 rating
The story: It says quite a bit about Brady’s brilliant career when the only walk-off scoring drive in Super Bowl history merits just the sixth spot on the list of his greatest games. The truth is that Brady was merely ordinary for 58 minutes and 39 seconds, as the coaching staff kept the wraps on the Patriots passing game to avoid a shootout with the “Greatest Show on Turf.”

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While announcer John Madden famously told New England to take a knee and play for overtime, Brady molded the foundation of a legend. With no timeouts remaining, he calmly drove the Patriots 53 yards in 74 seconds, completing 5 of 7 passes before spiking the ball to set up Adam Vinatieri’s 48-yard game-winner. The drive earned Brady his first Super Bowl MVP award in just his 17th NFL start.

5. New England 29, San Diego 26 (Oct. 14, 2001 @ New England)

The numbers: 33 for 54 (61.4%), 364 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INT, 6.7 YPA, 93.4 rating
The story: For some reason, Brady in his first year developed a reputation among the "pundits" as a role-playing game manager. Apparently, nobody saw him play that season. Take, for example, his third ever NFL start, when he attempted 54 passes and connected on 33 for 364 yards. That’s the equivalent of about three games of work for Ben Roethlisberger in his first two seasons in the league. The Patriots needed every single attempt. Brady led New England to three straight scoring drives to overcome a 10-point deficit with less than four minutes left and to win with an overtime field goal. Brady completed 15 of 20 passes for 155 yards on those three must-score drives.

4. New England 23, Pittsburgh 20 (Sept. 25, 2005 @ Pittsburgh)

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The numbers: 31 for 41 (75.6%), 372 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT, 9.1 YPA, 92.7 rating
The story: The heaviest of the NFL’s heavyweights — the current winners of the last three Super Bowls — squared off in an early-season rematch of the 2004 AFC title game. Brady again hushed a loud road crowd with a display of clutch, surgical precision and artistic mastery. He completed a perfect 12 of 12 passes for 167 yards in the fourth quarter, which ended with Brady taking New England 37 yards on four plays to set up Vinatieri’s 43-yard game-winner with one second to play.

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