It’s the unspeakable. Every time we count Tom Brady out, the six-time Super Bowl champion makes us look bad.
The hot takes have existed ever since he took over for Drew Bledsoe as the Patriots’ starter eons ago. System quarterback. On the downswing. Father Time will catch up to him.
Are we finally at the point that these narratives actually hold some ground? We think so.
The big picture: Brady is no longer in the super-elite company. He’s a product of the game’s best defense, and nothing more than a game manager. This is not to discount what the 42-year old quarterback has done. Instead, it’s all about what we’ve seen this season.
Comparisons: When looking at Brady’s numbers compared to quarterbacks on other Super Bowl contenders this season, it’s not great.
| Player | Completion % | Yards | TD | INT | Rating |
| Kirk Cousins | 70.6 | 2,756 | 21 | 3 | 114.8 |
| Russell Wilson | 67.3 | 2,937 | 24 | 3 | 112.1 |
| Lamar Jackson | 66.9 | 2,427 | 24 | 5 | 111.4 |
| Patrick Mahomes | 65.6 | 2,808 | 19 | 2 | 110.0 |
| Saints quarterbacks | 72.1 | 3,025 | 20 | 6 | 103.2 |
| Jimmy Garoppolo | 68.8 | 2,731 | 20 | 10 | 100.6 |
| Aaron Rodgers | 64.5 | 2,802 | 19 | 2 | 100.4 |
| Tom Brady | 62.2 | 2,942 | 15 | 5 | 88.5 |
It sure the heck looks like we’re in the golden age of quarterback play. Just check out those numbers. They are absolutely insane. They also tell us a story of a quarterback in Brady who is lagging far behind other signal callers for top-end teams.
Recent struggles: Brady has not even been a top-20 statistical quarterback over the past half season. It’s really astonishing to see how he’s fallen off the map.
- Over the course of the past eight games, Brady is completing just north of 60% of his passes with eight touchdowns and five interceptions.
- Compare this to lesser quarterbacks, and there’s certainly something up with the future Hall of Famer.
- That same span has seen fellow AFC East quarterback Josh Allen tally 17 total touchdowns and five interceptions. Heck, wide-eyed Giants rookie Daniel Jones has 15 touchdowns and eight picks during that same eight-game stretch.
- New England has been able to mask Brady’s struggles by forcing a whopping 23 turnovers and dominating opposing offenses.
Level of competition: It’s not a surprise that’s Brady’s splits are much better against losing teams. However, the difference here is remarkable.
- Against teams that are currently over .500, Brady is averaging less than 240 passing yards with a 79.5 rating.
- In outings against losing teams, the future Hall of Famer is averaging 284 yards with a 93.6 rating.
- New England’s cupcake schedule is about to take a turn. Three of its next four games come against likely AFC Playoff teams in that of the Texans, Chiefs and Bills.
- Having posted seven touchdowns in six road dates this season, it would not be a good omen for the Pats’ postseason success should Baltimore overtake them for home-field advantage in the AFC Playoffs.
The bottom line: Tom Brady is very much like a cockroach during the end of days. Every time the four horsemen come calling, he responds accordingly.
- It would be dumb to bet against the six-time Super Bowl champion stepping up as the season progresses. Critics have been proven wrong at every turn.
- However, we have to base the Pats’ championship aspirations on the 2019 season alone. Brady and the team’s offense remains a weak link.
- Tight end Rob Gronkowski is not walking through that door. And a lack of weapons have impacted Brady big time.
- We’re no longer talking about a quarterback that can win at a record clip without talent surrounding him. That time surely has passed.
At the end of the day, it’s all about a couple basic questions.
- Do you see New England going into Baltimore and winning in January?
- Do you see Tom Brady and Co. defeating the 49ers, Seahawks, Packers, Vikings or Saints on a neutral field in Miami come February?
If the answers to these questions are a no, it’s easy to conclude that Brady could act as a detriment in the Pats’ hopes of repeating as champs.