GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) – Tom Brady’s Hall of Fame career, 22 seasons long, only crossed paths with the Packers 7 times. Brady’s teams won 5 of those meetings, 3 with the Patriots and 2 with the Buccaneers. Here is a look back at those games.
OCTOBER 13, 2002: PACKERS 28 at PATRIOTS 10
The Packers defense, dealing with injuries in the secondary, stifled Brady and the Patriots in Foxboro. Brady completed just 24 of 44 passes, while tossing 3 interceptions. Recent addition Bryant Westbrook had one of those picks. Brett Favre threw 3 touchdowns for the Packers, who scored 28 unanswered points after the Patriots opened the scoring with a 2nd quarter field goal by Adam Vinatieri. Brady threw a touchdown in the 4th quarter to finish the scoring.
NOVEMBER 19, 2006: PATRIOTS 35 at PACKERS 0
Brady and the Patriots dominated the Packers at Lambeau Field. Brady tossed 4 touchdowns, or one fewer than the TOTAL amount of first downs the Packers offense mustered on the day, 5. “When you can count the number of first downs on one hand, it’s embarrassing,” center Scott Wells said after the game.
Brett Favre left the game with an elbow injury near the end of the first half and did not return. Then 2nd year QB Aaron Rodgers played the 2nd half, completing just 4 of 12 passes. He finished the game despite suffering a foot injury near the end of the 3rd quarter that was later diagnosed as a fracture, ending his season.
DECEMBER 19, 2010: PATRIOTS 31 vs. PACKERS 27
Brady throws for 2 touchdowns in Foxboro against a Packers team without Aaron Rodgers, who was out with a concussion. Matt Flynn nearly engineered the upset in Rodgers place, throwing 3 touchdowns. The Packers had a 17-7 lead before Patriots offensive lineman Dan Connolly returned a kickoff 71 yards, setting up a Brady TD pass with just over a minute left in the half.
Flynn drove the Packers to the Patriots’ 15-yard line, but was sacked and fumbled on the final play of the game. It would be the final loss of the season for the Packers, who won their next 6 games, culminating with a Super Bowl LIV victory.
NOVEMBER 30, 2014: PACKERS 26 vs. PATRIOTS 21
This was the first meeting between Brady and Rodgers, with both QBs tossing a pair of touchdowns at Lambeau Field. Rodgers won the yardage battle with Brady, 368-245; and neither tossed a pick. The Packers led start to finish, building a 13-0 lead and hanging on in the 4th quarter after Brady’s TD pass to Brandon LaFell cut the Packers lead to 23-21 with nearly 14 minutes remaining.
Mason Crosby’s field goal with 8:41 remaining provided the final margin. The Patriots missed a field goal on their ensuing drive, and the Packers ran out the final 2:40 of the game. The Packers collapse in the NFC Championship Game in Seattle kept their from being a rematch with Brady and the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX, which New England won.
NOVEMBER 4, 2018: PATRIOTS 31 vs. PACKERS 17
In Foxboro, Brady had the upper hand in his 2nd meeting against Rodgers, thanks in large part to former Wisconsin running back James White. White rushed for 2 scores, but also caught 6 passes for 72 yards. Brady finished the game 22-35 for 294 yards and a touchdown. Rodgers tossed 2 TDs for the Packers, both pulling the Packers into a tie, the last at 17-17. But the Patriots scored the final 14 points, dropping the Packers to 3-4-1 on the season. 1 win and 4 weeks later, the Packers would fire Head Coach Mike McCarthy. It was Brady’s last appearance as a Patriot against Green Bay.
OCTOBER 18, 2020: BUCCANEERS 38 vs. PACKERS 10
The 3rd meeting between Brady and Rodgers flipped dramatically in the 2nd quarter. The Packers held a 10-0 lead after one, and then were shut out the rest of the game. Rodgers had one of his worst days as a starter, finishing with a 35.4 rating, thanks to 4 sacks and 2 interceptions, one returned for a touchdown. Brady was an efficient 17-27 for 166 yards and 2 scores. The Bucs stifling defense held the Packers to 201 total yards. But there would be a rematch in the NFC Championship Game.
JANUARY 24, 2021: BUCCANEERS 31 vs. PACKERS 26 (NFC CHAMPIONSHIP)
The top seeded Packers lost at home with a Super Bowl berth on the line. Brady threw 3 touchdowns, but also 3 interceptions; yet the Packers could not capitalize. The Buccaneers built a 28-10 lead, continuing a troubling trend for the Packers – the 3rd straight championship game where they faced a large deficit. Aaron Rodgers threw for 346 yards on 48 attempts, tossing 3 touchdowns and 1 interception.
Brady and the Buccaneers became the first team to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium, and beat the Chiefs for Brady’s 7th, and final, Super Bowl victory.
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