Tom Brady Looking To Improve To 8-0 Vs. Dallas Cowboys In Monday’s NFL Playoff Game

On Jan. 9, 2002, Tom Brady appeared in his first playoff game, helping the New England Patriots defeat the Oakland Raiders in snowy conditions in Foxboro, Mass. Since then, Brady has become arguably the best player in NFL history and inarguably the top quarterback in terms of postseason victories and numerous statistical categories.

On Monday night, Brady returns to the playoffs when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Dallas Cowboys in a Wild Card matchup.

Brady holds NFL postseason records for most games (47), victories (35), Super Bowl wins (7) and Super Bowl appearances (10).

He is also tops in the all-time playoffs lists with 13,049 passing yards (Peyton Manning is next with 7,339); 86 touchdown passes (Joe Montana and Aaron Rodgers are next with 45 apiece); 1,855 pass attempts (Manning is next with 1,027); 1,165 pass completions (Manning is next with 649); and 14 game-winning drives (John Elway is next with 6).

At 45, Brady is 11 years older than the next-youngest starting quarterback in the playoffs (Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings) and at least 18 years older than 10 of the remaining 12 quarterbacks expected to start in the playoffs this season.

Since turning 40, Brady has won 10 playoff games and two Super Bowls. Only four other quarterbacks in NFL history have won a playoff game past age 40: Drew Brees, Brett Favre, George Blanda and Vinny Testaverde with one apiece.

During his career, Brady has faced the Cowboys seven times, winning all of those games, But Monday is the first time Brady will play against Dallas in the playoffs.

The Cowboys (12-5) are 2.5-point favorites, according to multiple sportsbooks, even though they are playing on the road, lost to Tampa Bay (8-9) in September and have a long recent history of playoff disappointments.

In fact, since winning the Super Bowl for the third time in four seasons in January 1996, the Cowboys have won only four playoff games and never advanced to the NFC conference championship game.

Here is a look at the seven times Brady has played against the Cowboys

Nov. 16, 2003 – Patriots defeat the Cowboys 12-0 in New England

Brady wasn’t at his best, completing just 15 of 34 passes for 212 yards and no touchdowns. But his counterpart, Cowboys quarterback Quincy Carter, was even worse, throwing three interceptions. The Patriots scored on two field goals and a two-yard touchdown run

The matchup featured Patriots coach Bill Belichick against Cowboys coach Bill Parcells, who came out of retirement that season. Belichick once worked under Parcells as defensive coordinator with the New York Giants.

The Patriots ended up winning the Super Bowl that season, while the Cowboys lost to the Carolina Panthers in a wild card game.

Oct. 14, 2007 – Patriots defeat the Cowboys 48-27 in Dallas

Brady threw for 388 yards and a career-high five touchdown passes as the Patriots improved to 6-0. That season, Brady won his first NFL Most Valuable Player award, throwing for 4,806 yards and a league-record 50 touchdown passes and only eight interceptions.

New England ended the regular season with a perfect 16-0 record and won its first two playoff games before losing to the Giants in the Super Bowl. The Giants also knocked the Cowboys out of the playoffs that year in the wild card round.

Oct 16, 2011 – Patriots defeat the Cowboys 20-16 in New England

The Cowboys took a 16-13 lead in the fourth quarter on a 26-yard field goal. But with 22 seconds remaining, Brady completed a game-winning, 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Aaron Hernandez.

The Patriots entered the postseason as the No. 1 seed in the AFC and advanced to the Super Bowl, where they again lost to the Giants in an upset. The Cowboys, meanwhile, finished the season 8-8 and missed the playoffs in coach Jason Garrett’s first year.

Oct. 11, 2015 – Patriots defeat the Cowboys 30-6 in Dallas

This game was never in doubt as the Patriots dominated, thanks in large part to Brady, who threw for two touchdowns and ran for another. The Cowboys played without starting quarterback Tony Romo, who had a broken left collarbone.

The Patriots lost to the Denver Broncos, 20-18, in the AFC title game as cornerback Bradley Roby intercepted Brady’s pass on a two-point conversion attempt with 12 seconds remaining. The Cowboys, meanwhile, lost their final four games and finished 4-12 to miss the playoffs.

Nov. 24, 2019 – Patriots defeat the Cowboys 13-9 in New England

With 45 seconds remaining in the first quarter, Brady threw a 10-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 lead. But after that, neither team scored a touchdown, only five field goals.

Brady only completed 17 of his 37 pass attempts, while Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott went 19 of 33 and threw an interception. With 1:49 remaining, Prescott appeared to complete a 20-yard pass on 4th down and 11, but the call was overturned via replay, effectively ending the game.

The victory improved the Patriots’ record to 10-1, but they lost three of their final five regular season games. They then lost to the Tennessee Titans in a wild card game that ended up being Brady’s last game with the Patriots as he signed a contract with the Buccaneers in March 2020. The Cowboys, meanwhile, finished 8-8, missed the playoffs and fired Garrett after the season.

Sept. 9, 2021 – Buccaneers defeat the Cowboys 31-29 in Tampa

This Thursday night game was the NFL’s season opener and lived up to the pre-game hype.

The Buccaneers led, 28-19, on Brady’s touchdown pass midway through the third quarter. The Cowboys then narrowed their deficit to 28-26 on Prescott’s touchdown pass late in the third quarter and took a 29-28 lead with 1:24 remaining on Greg Zuerlein’s 48-yard field goal. But Tampa answered with an 11-play drive, culminating with Ryan Succop’s game-winning, 36-yard field goal with two seconds remaining.

The Buccaneers were the reigning Super Bowl champions and the NFC’s No. 2 seed, but they lost, 30-27, in the divisional round to the Los Angeles Rams, who ended up winning the Super Bowl. The Cowboys, meanwhile, lost to the San Francisco 49ers in a wild card game.

Sept. 11, 2022 – Buccaneers defeat the Cowboys 19-3 in Dallas

For the second consecutive season, Tampa and Dallas played each other in the season opener. But this time, the game was anything but a classic.

The Cowboys went ahead 3-0 with a field goal on the game’s first drive, but they never scored again. The Buccaneers scored on four field goals from Succop and a 5-yard touchdown pass from Brady, who finished 18 of 27 for 212 yards and an interception.