Tom Brady’s 7-3 record in the Super Bowl is impressive, but his 10-4 record in conference championship games is equally amazing.
This Sunday, Brady will be on the call for the NFC Championship Game at Lumen Field (6:30 p.m. ET on FOX) with Kevin Burkhardt, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi. The No. 1-seeded Seattle Seahawks take on the division-rival Los Angeles Rams with a trip to Santa Clara for Super Bowl LX on the line. On “The Herd” on Friday, Brady called it “the game of the year” in the NFL between potentially the two best teams.
Brady said of conference championship games: “I was fortunate to play in quite a few of them, and they all took on a little different feel and flavor depending on whether you were playing on the road or whether you were playing at home and the opponent. There were tough weather games we played in. There were days where it was great weather, there were really tough defenses, there were tough offenses, and this game is a struggle.”
Perhaps the most famous conference championship that Brady played in was in the 2018 season, when he and the New England Patriots took on an upstart Kansas City Chiefs team at Arrowhead Stadium. Patrick Mahomes was coming off his first season as the starting quarterback, which saw him win the NFL MVP award.
“It was one of the greatest championship games I’d ever been a part of and one of the greatest memories I ever remember having, leaving a football field.”
The Patriots had the ball for 43:59 compared to the Chiefs’ 20:53, and outgained the Chiefs 524-290. Brady threw two interceptions that kept the game close, including one in the second half that gave Kansas City a short field to take the lead in the fourth quarter.
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The Patriots led 17-7 going into the fourth quarter, but the Chiefs outscored them 24-14 in the fourth quarter to force overtime.
In overtime, though, the Patriots went 75 yards on 13 plays and scored on a two-yard touchdown run from running back Rex Burkhead to seal Brady’s final trip to the Super Bowl with the Pats. Brady finished the game 30-of-46 for 348 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Burkhead and running back Sony Michel each had two touchdowns, while Julian Edelman (seven catches for 96 yards) and Rob Gronkowski (six catches for 79 yards) powered the passing game.
“They had a great season,” Brady said of Kansas City. “The Chiefs, I think they were the No. 1 seed. Patrick was phenomenal that entire season. And I just got to watch ’em from afar … it wasn’t just his play style that I really admired about Patrick at a young age. It was every time he would answer questions after a tough loss, he answered them the right way. Every time there was an incredible win that he had, I thought that he always gave the credit to his teammates and his coaches, and I really value that, certainly as a quarterback and as a leader.”
After the game, Brady was not able to find Mahomes on the field, so he ended up in the Chiefs locker room to make sure he delivered a positive message to him that day.
“We’re jumping around the field and I didn’t get a chance on the field to go over and see Patrick,” Brady recalled. “So, we got done with the celebration with the trophy, and I was like, ‘You know what? I’d love to go over there and just wish Pat … just tell him congratulations. Tell him what I thought of him.’ I’d never had a chance to do that.
“And so, I walked over and it was near the media area, but that’s where the Chiefs locker room was. And I kind of asked one of the guys, ‘Hey, is Pat in there? I’d love to say hi.’ So, I got to walk into the locker room and just to convey the message that I really wanted to get across to him, which was, ‘You’re a great young player, you’re doing everything the right way, and it’s been fun watching you this year and you’ve got a bright future and I know you’re going to win a lot of Super Bowls.’ And he has not disappointed. He has won a lot of Super Bowls, and he’s a tremendous leader for that organization and I love watching him play.”
When asked how he got into the Chiefs’ locker room without a credential, Brady said, “This is my credential,” putting his hand over his face. “I usually just show this and they go, ‘OK, you’re good. You could walk through.’ It doesn’t always work, but usually in football environments it does work.”
