This likely is Tom Brady’s final visit to Philadelphia to face the Eagles. It’s been a (mostly) one-sided rivalry.
A look at how the Eagles have fared against the all-time great quarterbacks, who they Eagles drafted in 2000 instead of Brady and how the Hall of Famer has fared against them.
Tom Brady, the most prolific sixth-round pick in sports history, will make what is likely his last visit to Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.
The NFL schedule model is set up so that the Eagles play the Patriots in the regular season every four years. Assuming the 2023 game is up in Foxborough, New England’s next visit would be in 2027 when Brady is 50 -- and Carson Wentz is 34.
Here are some stats, facts and other triviality about Brady and the Eagles.
Eagles vs. All-Time Greats
Brady against the Eagles
Brady is 3-1 in the regular season against the Birds, including 2-0 at the Linc. He’s also 1-1 in Super Bowls.
Sept. 14, 2003: Brady carved up an Eagles secondary that was missing injured cornerback Bobby Taylor and safety Brian Dawkins, a pair of Pro Bowlers. Brady had three touchdowns, 255 yards and completed 68 percent of his passes. “I haven’t seen us play like this in a long time,'' linebacker Ike Reese said. "Since my rookie year [1998] … That type of football hasn’t been played here in a while. "
Feb. 6, 2005: Brady’s poise won out over the Eagles’ late-game panic in Super Bowl 39 for New England’s third title in four years. At this point, the only quarterbacks to win more Super Bowls than Brady were Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw. "I don’t put myself on a pedestal with those guys,” he said. “I’ve [only] played four years. " He has since doubled his ring total to a record six.
Nov. 25, 2007: The Eagles ran out of steam in the second half as Brady engineered a 10-play drive in the fourth quarter for the 31-28 win. New England entered the game 10-0 and favored by 24.5 points as the Eagles were forced to use backup A.J. Feeley in place of injured quarterback Donovan McNabb.
Nov. 27, 2011: Brady threw three touchdowns and completed more than 70 percent of his passes in a 38-20 thumping that, by game’s end, had Eagles fans calling for Andy Reid to be fired.
Dec. 6, 2015: The 4-7 Eagles surprised the 10-1 Patriots with three defensive/special teams touchdowns and harassed Brady into two interceptions. It was their first win over Brady and maybe the best of the Chip Kelly era, who was fired three weeks later.
Feb. 4, 2018: Often lost in the Super Bowl heroics by Nick Foles, Brandon Graham, and Derek Barnett is Brady threw for 505 yards and three touchdowns. Brady, then 40, was asked if this was his final game. “I wouldn’t see why I wouldn’t be back,” he said. Brady returned for the 2018 season, won another Super Bowl and has the Patriots in position to make a run again this year.
Sacks appeal
Eagles defenders who’ve sacked Tom Brady:
Regular season: Connor Barwin 2, Brandon Graham 2, Chris Gocong 1, Paul Grasmanis 1, Darren Howard 1, Juqua Parker 1, Mike Patterson 1, Corey Simon 1.
Super Bowl 39: Derrick Burgess 1.
Super Bowl 52: Brandon Graham 1.
Eagles/2000 Draft
Tom Brady was taken with the 199th pick in the sixth round of the 2000 draft. Given that every team passed on him multiple times -- including New England, which picked six players before taking Brady -- it’d be unfair to criticize the Eagles for not selecting him. It is a little discouraging, however, that the Birds had THREE sixth-round picks in that draft. Sigh.