On Sunday, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady suffered a tough loss to the Los Angeles Rams. They fell behind 27-3 in the 3rd quarter, yet managed to come all the way back to tie the game at 27 with under a minute left. However, the Rams battled back and won the game with a field goal as time expired.
After erasing the 24-point deficit, losing on a last second field goal is gut-wrenching for Brady and Buccaneers fans. But that is not the only tough loss Brady has endured during the course of his Hall of Fame career.
We rank the three most gut-wrenching defeats in Tom Brady's career.
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3 Most Gut-Wrenching Losses in Tom Brady's Career
3. 2015-2016 AFC Championship Game – New England Patriots at Denver Broncos
In 2015, both the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos finished 12-4, but the Broncos earned home field advantage having defeated the Patriots earlier in the season.
The game was mostly a defensive struggle. In the 1st quarter, Patriots running back Steven Jackson rushed for a touchdown, making the score 7-6. However, Stephen Gostkowski missed the extra point. That single point would loom large.
Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning led the Broncos to a 17-9 halftime lead. Von Miller and Denver's defense was dominant for most of the game. They picked off Tom Brady twice during the game. New England only rushed for 44 yards. Brady was shockingly the Patriots leading rusher with three carries for 13 yards.
Yet, as the game progressed, Brady and the Patriots came back. The Patriots found themselves trailing 20-12 with seconds left. Brady found Rob Gronkowski for a 4-yard touchdown pass, cutting the deficit to 20-18. However, thanks to the earlier missed extra point, New England was force to go for two.
Tom Brady's pass fell incomplete and the Denver Broncos held on for the 20-18 victory. They went on to defeat the Carolina Panthers in the Super Bowl, earning Manning his 2nd Super Bowl championship.
3. 2021-2022 NFC Divisional Round – LA Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On Sunday, the football world almost witnessed another incredible comeback by Tom Brady, this time with the Buccaneers.
The Los Angeles Rams dominated on both sides of the ball for the majority of the game. The Rams built a 27-3 lead late in the 3rd quarter. Typically, that's game over. But Atlanta Falcons fans were having PTSD flashbacks to their Super Bowl loss to Tom Brady a few years ago.
As we all know, Brady and the Patriots erased a 28-3 deficit, winning the Super Bowl 34-28 in overtime.
Well, he almost did it again. Like that game, turnovers were a big part of the comeback. Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers lost two fumbles, and Matthew Stafford had a snap fly by his head, recovered by Tampa Bay.
Brady made big throw after big throw. He found Mike Evans for a long touchdown with just over three minutes left in the game. Evans beat Jalen Ramsey on one one for the score.
MIKE EVANS BEATS JALEN RAMSEY
ONE SCORE GAME 🤯 pic.twitter.com/egcYp2B5m4
— PFF (@PFF) January 23, 2022
That cut the deficit to 27-20. After Akers' 2nd fumble of the game, the Bucs were left with a short field. Brady completed a couple of passes to get into scoring range. Then on 4th and 1 from the Rams 9 yard line, Bucs tailback Leonard Fournette rushed for a touchdown. What looked nearly impossible about a half hour before, was suddenly the present. The game was tied at 27 with less than a minute left.
The Buccaneers had all of the momentum in the world. Yet, Stafford did not flinch. He completed a 20-yard pass to Cooper Kupp, moving the ball near midfield. On the very next play, Stafford found Kupp again open deep for 44 yards. Rams Pro Bowl kicker Matt Gay nailed the 30-yard field goal as time expired to win the game.
The argument for this being so gut wrenching is that there have only been a couple games in NFL history that saw a team trailing by 20+ points even tying the game. Everything was going the Bucs way. If it went to overtime, the whole world knew what was going to happen.
Stafford and the Rams denied Brady that opportunity.
3. 2006-2007 AFC Championship Game – New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts
The 2006 AFC Championship game is easily considered one of the best football games most fans have ever seen.
Tom Brady and the New England Patriots were looking for their 4th title in six seasons. They were the dominant force, against Manning and the high-powered Indianapolis Colts offense.
Once again, Manning was playing at home. But in this one, his team was the one that started slow. Brady marched down the field for two touchdown drives and led 14-3 early in the 2nd quarter. Later in the quarter, Manning threw a pass intercepted by Asante Samuel, who took it to the house for a touchdown. New England was suddenly leading 21-3.
I am a very big Tom Brady fan. I literally ran into the street after that play screaming in excitement. The game was over. I should have known better.
Manning led a furious comeback, scoring 18 unanswered points. With a few minutes left in the 3rd quarter, it was suddenly tied at 21. That's when the real fun began.
Brady came right back, leading a touchdown drive for the lead 28-21. Manning matched him, tying it at 28. Brady led the Patriots to a field goal drive for the lead once again, making it 31-28. Manning answered again, with a tying field goal.
The next drive, Brady was held to a field goal once again. Manning's chance was knocking at the door. He had never won a Super Bowl. He had never defeated Tom Brady in the playoffs. This was his chance. He did not disappoint.
He led the Colts on touchdown drive, with Joseph Addai running it in with just over a minute left. The Colts had finally done it. They defeated Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, 38-34.
Tom Brady has denied a lot of great players championships. He has some of the greatest comebacks in history. But it goes to show, he has also been on the wrong side of heart-wrenching defeats throughout his career.
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