Tom Brady, Drew Brees Set To Make Football History In Divisional Round Playoff Game
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- In a matchup that just feels right, Tom Brady and the Buccaneers will pay a visit to Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints next weekend in a divisional round playoff game.
The Sunday night matchup features two of the most prolific passers of all time -- and it may be the final time the two Hall of Famers share the same field. (NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said over the weekend that Brees may retire after the season. Brady, meanwhile, seems intent on playing forever.)
When the two teams do take the field, history will be made. It will be the first time "since at least 1950" that the top two all-time leaders in passing touchdowns will face each other in the playoffs, according to the NFL's research team.
It will be the second time since 1950 that the top two leaders in all-time passing yards square off in the postseason. The last time it took place involved Dan Marino and John Elway in 1998.
This particular matchup is unique because it features a 43-year-old Brady and Brees, who will turn 42 years old two days prior to kickoff. Unsurprisingly, the combined ages of Brady and Brees make for the largest such number in NFL playoff history. That's not particularly new, considering the two divisional foes already set that mark twice this year during their head-to-head matchups. But as far as playoff games go, the combined age of 85 for the starting quarterbacks isn't likely to be matched or surpassed for a long, long time.
Brees and the Saints won both games against Tampa this season, first winning 34-23 in Week 1 before blowing out the Bucs 38-3 on national TV in Week 9.
Brees completed 44 of his 62 passes (70.1 percent) for 382 yards with six touchdowns and zero interceptions, good for a 119.1 passer rating. On the other side, Brady had two of his worst games of the season vs. New Orleans, completing 45 of his 74 passes (60.8 percent) for 448 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions. His passer rating of 58.8 in the two losses to New Orleans stick out quite a bit in a season where Brady posted a 102.2 rating overall.
Brees currently stands as the all-time leader in regular-season passing yards, with 80,358. Brady is just behind him, with 79,204. If Brady plays in 2021 at age 44 -- and by all indications, that is his plan -- then he should be able to easily pass Brees early in the season.
Brady is the current all-time leader in regular-season passing touchdowns, with 581. Brees ranks second, with 571.
When postseason statistics are included, Brady is of course the all-time leader in both categories, owing to his 75 playoff touchdowns and 11,769 passing yards. (Brees has 36 playoff touchdowns and 5,232 playoff passing yards.)
The exact historical placement of each quarterback, though, will hardly matter come Sunday night. Brees, who entered the league in 2001, will likely play for the final time against Brady, the sixth-round draft pick way back in 2000. Just as we witnessed with all of the Tom Brady-Peyton Manning matchups in the 2010s, once these all-time showdowns are gone, they don't ever come back. And the fact that this one carries with it a trip to the NFC Championship Game just makes it all the more juicier for football fans to enjoy.
