Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady was drafted in the sixth round in 2000, just one year after six current Eagles were born, including second-year wide receiver Jalen Reagor.
During Brady’s illustrious 22-year career, he has set numerous passing records, most notably for yards passing as he approaches 85,000.
Even this season, at age 44, Brady has thrown for a career-high 5,316 yards with 43 TDs and just 12 interceptions. He’s the oldest quarterback in NFL history to surpass 5,000 yards.
Still, Brady hasn’t faced the Eagles that often. In fact, he has played in and won more Super Bowls (10 and 7) than he has played games against the Eagles (8 overall, 6 in the regular season).
RUNNING REMATCH?:How Eagles set rushing records after Miles Sanders had 1 yard in 1st half vs. Bucs in October
WINNING FORMULA?:Here’s the Eagles’ recipe for beating Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in playoff opener
That, of course, is a result of playing the first 20 seasons of his career in the AFC with New England, with games only once every four years against NFC opponents.
But Brady will face the Eagles for the ninth time in his career, and second time this season, when Tampa Bay plays host to the Eagles in the wildcard round of the NFC playoffs Sunday.
Including the two Super Bowls against the Eagles, Brady is 6-2 overall. In the regular season, he’s 5-1 with 1,821 yards passing. Brady has completed 63.9% of his passes with 12 touchdown passes and only 3 interceptions. His rating is 92.7.
Brady has tortured other teams much more than the Eagles over his career. He’s 9-0 with a 117.4 rating against the Atlanta Falcons in the regular season. That doesn’t include the 2016-17 Super Bowl when Brady led the Patriots back from a 28-3 deficit.
He’s got a 33-3 record against the Buffalo Bills, and he has thrown for 9,059 yards against the Jets, his most against any team.
Here is how the previous eight games went for Brady and the Eagles:
Regular season
1. Sept. 14, 2003
Score: Patriots 31, Eagles 10 in Philly
Brady’s stats: 30-for-44, 255 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT, 105.8 rating
Final records: Patriots 14-2, won Super Bowl; Eagles 12-4, lost NFC Championship game
Comment: Brady ruined the Eagles’ second game in the newly-opened Lincoln Financial Field. Ironically, the Eagles lost the first game the week before to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 17-0.
2. Nov. 25, 2007
Score: Patriots 31, Eagles 28 at New England
Brady’s stats: 34-for-54, 380 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 90.0 rating
Final records: Patriots 16-0, lost Super Bowl; Eagles 8-8
Comment: The Patriots became the first team since the 1972 Dolphins to go undefeated in the regular season. But the Eagles, behind backup quarterback A.J. Feeley, gave the Patriots their stiffest challenge.
3. Nov. 27, 2011
Score: Patriots 38, Eagles 20 in Philly
Brady’s stats: 24-for-34, 361 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs, 134.6 rating
Final records: Patriots 13-3, lost Super Bowl; Eagles, 8-8.
Comment: The Eagles never really had a chance and fell to 4-7. They would lose one more, then close season with 4 straight wins, saving Andy Reid’s job.
4. Dec. 6, 2015
Score: Eagles 35, Patriots 28 at New England
Brady’s stats: 29-for-56, 312 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs, 71.4 rating
Final records: Patriots 12-4, lost AFC Championship game; Eagles 7-9
Comment: Malcolm Jenkins’ 99-yard interception return for a touchdown broke a 14-14 tie early in 3rd quarter. Soon after, Darren Sproles returned a punt 83 yards for a TD. Three weeks later, the Eagles fired head coach Chip Kelly.
5. Nov. 17, 2019
Score: Patriots 17, Eagles 10 in Philly
Brady’s stats: 26-for-47, 216 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, rating 67.3
Final records: Patriots 12-4, lost wildcard round; Eagles 9-7, lost wildcard round
Comment: The Eagles had a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter and didn’t score again. New England’s only TD pass came from wide receiver Julian Edelman early in the fourth quarter.
6. Oct. 14, 2021
Score: Buccaneers 28, Eagles 22 in Philly
Brady’s stats: 34-for-42, 297 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, rating 102.1
Final records: Buccaneers 13-7, Eagles 9-8
Comment: Brady became the second of five QBs over a seven-game stretch to complete at least 80% of his passes vs. Eagles. The Eagles recovered and went 7-3 to finish the season.
Super Bowl
1. Feb. 6, 2005
Score: Patriots 24, Eagles 21 in Jacksonville
Brady’s stats: 18-for-27, 144 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 92.2 rating
Final records: Patriots 14-2, Eagles 13-3
Comment: It wasn’t as much as what Brady did as what the Eagles didn’t do. Terrell Owens, playing on a broken ankle that hadn’t fully healed, had 9 catches for 122 yards. But quarterback Donovan McNabb threw 3 INTs, and Owens later said McNabb got tired as the Eagles were trying to rally late in the fourth quarter.
2. Feb. 4, 2018
Score: Eagles 41, Patriots 33 in Minneapolis
Brady’s stats: 28-for-48, 505 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT, 115.4 rating
Final records: Patriots 13-3, Eagles 13-3
Comment: Brady set the Super Bowl record for most passing yards in a game. But he will probably be remembered most for two other things that night – dropping a pass minutes before Eagles QB Nick Foles caught the famous “Philly Special” pass for a TD; and Brandon Graham’s strip-sack in the final two minutes with the Eagles clinging to a 5-point lead.
By the way, Brady still hasn’t shaken Foles’ hand.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfrankfl.
