Tom Brady's 8 Previous AFC Championship Games
BOSTON (CBS) -- When Tom Brady takes his first snap against the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, the Patriots quarterback will make NFL history.
Sunday will be Brady's ninth Conference Championship game, which will set a new record for the most by any player. That's nine AFC Championship games in his 13 seasons as the New England starter (leaving out the 2008 season in which he took just 15 snaps).
Nine AFC Championship games in 13 seasons!
After that sets in, here is a look at Brady's eight previous AFC Championship tilts over the years:
1/27/2002: Patriots 24, Steelers 17 at Heinz Field
Brady led the Patriots to the AFC Championship against the Pittsburgh Steelers in his first season, and completed the amazing run with the franchise's first Super Bowl victory over the St. Louis Rams one week later. But he wasn't the one taking a knee at the end of the game for New England to secure that trip to New Orleans.
Brady suffered a sprained ankle in the second quarter of the game, and it was Drew Bledsoe who completed the victory in his first action since being knocked out by Mo Lewis in Week 2. On his first drive of the game, Bledsoe found David Patten for an 11-yard score to put New England up 14-3 at half.
The Pats took a 21-3 lead early in the third quarter when they returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown, and though the Steelers made a push late in the game, the Patriots defense picked off Kordell Stewart twice in the final three minutes to seal the victory.
Brady was back under center the next week, and the rest is history.
Brady's Stats: 12-for-18, 115 yards (Bledsoe: 10-for-21, 102 yards, touchdown)
1/18/2004: Patriots 24, Colts 14 at Gillette Stadium
Brady would have to wait two years before getting back to the AFC title game, but it was well worth the wait. He out-dueled Peyton Manning, who was picked off four times by the Patriots defense, at Gillette en route to a 24-14 victory. Brady and the Patriots claimed their second Super Bowl title a few weeks later with a win over the Carolina Panthers.
Brady's Stats: 22-for-37, 237 yards, touchdown, interception (Manning picked off four times)
1/23/05: Patriots 41, Steelers 27 at Heinz Field
Brady and the Patriots were back in frigid Pittsburgh once again in January 2005 to battle the Steelers, who went 15-1 in the regular season, for their second straight trip to the Super Bowl. And once again, Brady and his teammates delivered.
He hit Deion Branch for a 60-yard touchdown in first quarter to put New England on top 10-0, and they were up 24-3 at halftime thanks to an 87-yard pick-six by Rodney Harrison. The Steelers made a bit of a comeback in the second half, cutting it to 31-20 early in the fourth quarter, and Branch sealed it with 23-yard rushing touchdown on a reverse play to put the game out of reach for good.
It was Brady's eighth straight postseason win to start his career, and he'd notch his ninth straight two weeks later against the Philadelphia Eagles for New England's second straight Super Bowl title and third in four years.
Brady's Stats: 14-for-21, 201 yards, two touchdowns
1/21/2007: Colts 38, Patriots 34 at RCA Dome
After a gutsy 24-21 win in the Divisional Round in San Diego, the Patriots found themselves back in the AFC title game against Peyton Manning and the Colts -- this time in Indy.
New England took a 21-6 lead into the locker room at halftime, but the Colts came storming back in the second half. Two straight touchdown drives by Manning and the Colts had the game knotted up at 21-21 late in the third, and after the two teams traded touchdowns and field goals, it was 31-31 with just under six minutes to play.
Stephen Gotskowski put the Pats up 34-31 with a 43-yard field goal with 3:53 to go, but Manning put together a Brady-esque drive for the win. Indy moved the ball 70 yards in just 19 seconds, and a few plays later Joseph Addai found the end zone to give the Colts their first lead of the game.
Brady was picked off by Marlin Jackson with 17 seconds left, ending New England's season and giving the Colts the largest comeback in conference championship history.
Brady's Stats: 21-for-34, 232 yards, two touchdowns, interception
1/20/08: Patriots 21, Chargers 12 at Gillette Stadium
The AFC Championship -- the Patriots' 18th win of the 2007 season -- was a nail-biter against the San Diego Chargers at Gillette.
Brady threw three interceptions in the contest, but with the score 14-12 early in the fourth quarter, he hit Wes Welker for a six-yard touchdown to give New England some breathing room.
When the defense gave him the ball back after forcing a Chargers punt, Brady kept the ball out of San Diego's hands with a 9:13 drive to kill the clock and secure the win.
It wasn't pretty, but the Patriots got the job done. It's just a shame they couldn't do the same two weeks later in Glendale.
Brady's Stats: 22-for-33, 209 yards, two touchdowns, three interceptions
1/22/12: Patriots 23, Ravens 20 at Gillette Stadium
After going one-and-done in two straight postseasons, Brady and the Pats were back in the conference title game in 2011 against the Baltimore Ravens.
Brady didn't have a great game, throwing two interceptions, but with the Ravens up 20-16 early in the fourth quarter and the Pats with the ball on the one-yard line, he called his own number and flew (somewhat) gracefully over the Baltimore defensive line and into the end zone to give New England the lead.
He was on the sidelines for the most exciting plays at the end of the game, when Lee Evans dropped a go-ahead touchdown in the end zone and Billy Cundiff shanked a potential game-tying field goal, breathing a huge sigh of relief with everyone else.
The Patriots escaped with another AFC title, but like four years prior, fell to the New York Giants in the big game.
Brady's Stats: 22-for-36, 239 yards, two interceptions, rushing touchdown
1/20/13: Ravens 28, Patriots 13 at Gillette Stadium
Unlike the previous year's AFC Championship, there was no magic for Brady and the Patriots against the Ravens.
After heading into the locker room with a 13-7 lead, the Patriots were shut out in the second half by the Baltimore D. Brady was only sacked twice during the game but was under constant pressure, and was picked off on the last two drives as Baltimore avenged their loss from 2011.
Brady's Stats: 29-for-54, 320 yards, touchdown, two interceptions
1/19/14: Broncos 26, Patriots 16 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High
The Patriots pulled off a shocking comeback win against the Broncos earlier in the season at Gillette, but the AFC title game was held in Peyton's new home in Denver.
It was never really a game either, as the Patriots started with three straight punts and mustered just a field goal in the first half. Denver took a 20-3 lead midway through the third quarter on a Manning-to-Demaryius Thomas touchdown, and the Pats didn't find the end zone until early in the fourth quarter. By then it was too late, and for the second straight season the Patriots were one win short of going to the Super Bowl.
Brady Stat's: 24-for-38, 277 yards, touchdown, rushing touchdown
With two straight AFC Championship loses to his name at the moment, there is little doubt Brady will be fired up and ready to go for Sunday's game against the Colts.
Tune in to the Patriots-Colts AFC Championship game on WBZ-TV and 98.5 The Sports Hub -- the flagship stations of the New England Patriots. WBZ-TV kicks off coverage Friday night with a special edition of Patriots GameDay at 7pm, a LIVE edition of Patriots All Access Saturday night at 7pm, and a 90-minute Patriots GameDay on Sunday morning at 11:30am. After the game, switch over to myTV38 for Tom Brady and Bill Belichick's press conferences on Patriots 5th Quarter.
98.5 The Sports Hub begins their coverage Sunday afternoon at 3:30pm, with three full hours of postgame reaction and analysis following the game.
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