Taking a look at Tom Brady’s numbers in Week 16 against the Lions, and how his season so far compares to his last year with the Patriots in 2019.
It took Tom Brady only one half of Saturday's game vs. the Detroit Lions to make history.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback led his team to a 47-7 win in the Week 16 matchup to clinch their first playoff berth since 2007. In the blowout victory, Brady threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns before being replaced by backup QB Blaine Gabbert in the second half.
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SIGN UP HERE Brady's performance marked only the second time since at least 1991 that a player has had 340+ pass yards, 4+ pass TDs, and 0 INTs in a single half. The last QB to do it? It was Brady when he and the New England Patriots beat the Tennessee Titans 59-0 in Week 6 of the 2009 season.
With his four touchdown passes, Brady now owns the Buccaneers' single-season passing TDs record with 36. It's the 43-year-old's fifth time tallying at least 35 TD passes in a season, tying Green Bay Packers signal-caller Aaron Rodgers for the most in NFL history. He joins Peyton Manning as the only QBs to hold the single-season passing TD record for multiple franchises.
Brady and Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield are the only QBs with four passing TDs in a half this season. Mayfield accomplished the feat twice.
While a historic performance in a dominant win over Detroit is encouraging, Brady and the Bucs' real test will come during playoff time in January. They'll wrap up their 2020 regular season next Sunday versus the Atlanta Falcons.