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Patriots: 3 best games from Tom Brady’s first season under center

By Jerry Trotta

Quarterback Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots drops back to pass during Super Bowl XXXVI against the St. Louis Rams on February 3, 2002 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jon Soohoo/Getty Images)
Quarterback Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots drops back to pass during Super Bowl XXXVI against the St. Louis Rams on February 3, 2002 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jon Soohoo/Getty Images) /
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Here are Tom Brady’s best games from his first season as the Patriots starting quarterback.

If any Patriots fans want to drive themselves up a wall, just try to compile a list of the best games of Tom Brady’s illustrious career with the franchise. For a player who’s won a whopping six Super Bowl titles (and been to three others), appeared in 285 games, and made the playoffs in every season as New England’s starting quarterback save for his sophomore campaign and the 2008-season-that-shall-not-be-named, that literally seems like an impossible task.

There are so many potential options that we have a migraine just thinking about narrowing down his 10 best performances with the Patriots.

As it turns out, we have just the list that will help us avoid that predicament. With Brady preparing for his first season in Tampa Bay, with whom he signed a two-year, $50 million contract this offseason, it only seems fair that we dive into his best games in his first year (2001) as the Pats starting gunslinger.

That season, the Patriots finished first in the AFC East with an 11-5 record and topped it off with a win over the then-St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. In 15 games (14 starts), Brady completed 63.% of his passes for 2,843 yards and 18 touchdowns compared to 12 interceptions.

Patriots
Patriots QB Tom Brady (Photo credit should read JOHN MOTTERN/AFP via Getty Images) /

3. Week 4 vs San Diego

We simply had to include the game in which many fans believe Brady arrived on the NFL scene. In the first three games of the 2001 season, the former sixth-round pick really struggled to move the ball, completing less than 44% of his passes for a total of 300 yards and zero (!) touchdowns.

However, Week 4 was an entirely different story, as Brady rallied the Patriots to a 29-26 overtime win over the then-San Diego Chargers. While the Chargers defense was nothing to write home about that year, it says a lot that Brady was able to overcome his early struggles.

The 14-time Pro Bowler erupted in this one, going 33-of-54 for 364 yards and two touchdowns, marching the team down the field to set up Adam Vinatieri’s game-winning 44-yard field goal. Little did the rest of the NFL know that this was just the start of a 20-year run of Brady dominating opposing defenses.

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