Ten has always been a number of completion.
Wings come in orders of 10. Decades are 10 years. And there were 10 Commandments in the Bible. On Sunday, Tom Brady put 10 on his resume as he’ll play in his tenth Super Bowl after the Buccaneers defeated the Packers 31-26 in the NFC Championship Game for a trip to Super Bowl LV in Tampa.
To appreciate what Brady has been able to do, you need to understand just how insane it is to make it to the biggest annual sporting event this country puts on. The New England Patriots are the only franchise that has more appearances than Brady, with 11. And with the way he’s playing at 43, who’s to say that he can’t at least tie that before he retires?
Here’s the list:
New England Patriots: 11
Tom Brady: 10
Steelers, Broncos, Cowboys: 8
49ers: 7
Washington, Packers, Dolphins, Giants, Raiders: 5
Bills, Vikings, Colts, Rams,Chiefs: 4
Eagles, Seahawks: 3
Panthers, Falcons, Ravens, Bengals, Bears, Buccaneers: 2
Saints, Cardinals, Titans, Chargers, Jets: 1
Browns, Lions, Jaguars, Texans: 0
Sunday’s game turned out to be the perfect example of why so many still believe in Brady, and why even more think he doesn’t have much left in the tank. The Bucs ended the first half with a bang after Brady connected with Scotty Miller for a 39-yard-touchdown to go up 21-10 at the break. TB12 went into the locker room after throwing for 2 touchdowns and 202 yards.
In the first 30 minutes, Brady was White Jesus. But in the final two quarters, he was Judas. Brady threw 3 interceptions in the second half as he looked like a 43-year-old that should hang it up. But, it’s not like Brady hadn’t been in that position before, given that he was the last quarterback to win a conference championship game (2007 against the Chargers) after throwing three interceptions in regulation.
The Bucs now join the Patriots (1985), Steelers (2005), Giants (2007), and Packers (2010) as the only teams that have ever won three road playoff games to make it to the Super Bowl, as Tampa Bay knocked off Washington, New Orleans, and Green Bay on the road, and they’ll become the first team to ever host a Super Bowl in their home stadium.
That Week 5 Thursday night loss to the Bears feels so long ago, huh?
I understand that a ton of people hate Tom Brady and hoped that his second-half meltdown would lead to a loss. But, it didn’t. We’re getting a chance to watch the greatest football player of all time break records at an age in which men shouldn’t even still be playing on Sundays.
So, get over yourselves and enjoy the show. We’re watching history being made in real-time, don’t miss it because you’re too busy being in your feelings.
Enjoy the greatness.