Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady displayed his greatness anew as he led his squad to a 28-24 comeback win over the New York Jets on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. With less than three minutes left, the 44-year-old Brady led the Buccaneers’ 9-play, a 93-yard attack that he capped with a 33-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Cyril Grayson. With his Sunday’s performance, Brady made history anew as the oldest quarterback to throw for 40 touchdowns in a season, breaking his old record of 43 years old when he threw 40 touchdowns last season with the Buccaneers.
With an interception, Brady completed 34 of 50 passes for 410 yards and three touchdowns as the Buccaneers improved to 12-4 on the season.
Brady only QB to accomplish the feat at 40-plus years old
Brady is the only quarterback who accomplished the feat at 40-plus years old, as Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers did it at age 37. Brady also joined retired signal-caller Drew Brees as the only quarterback who threw back-to-back 40-touchdown seasons. Brady also grabbed a share of the lead with Rodgers regarding the number of seasons with 40 or more touchdown passes with three. However, Rodgers can break the tie if he throws five touchdown passes on Sunday. Brady also moved to third place on the all-time list in terms of career games with 400 or more passing yards.
Brady is tied with Hall of Famer Dan Marino with 13 such games, behind Manning’s 14 and Brees’ 16. If he continues to play at a high-level next season, Brady is expected to break this mark.
Brady could become passing TDs, passing yards king
Brady currently leads the NFL in touchdown passes with 40 and passing yards with 4,990, and he could end the regular season as the leader in both categories.
The veteran quarterback finished as the NFL’s leader in touchdown passes four times, in 2002, 2007, 2010, and 2015, while he led the league in passing yards in 2005, 2007, and 2017. He could become the oldest quarterback to accomplish both feats if that happens. Brady leads Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford by two touchdowns while Rodgers, Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers, and Patrick Mahomes all have 35 touchdown passes this season.
Stafford is second behind Brady with 4,648 yards when it comes to passing yards, while Herbert has 4,631. Derek Carr of the Las Vegas Raiders is fourth with 4,618, and Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals has 4,611. Thanks to a 17th game, Brady also has a chance to break the Buccaneers’ franchise record for passing yards that is currently held by Jameis Winston, who threw for 5,109 yards in 2019. The Buccaneers will cap their regular-season campaign against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.
