This could change from here, for as long as Tom Brady chooses to keep playing, assuming those days are contained to playing for Tampa Bay. The Bucs and the Giants share a conference now, so the odds of them seeing each other are greater — either in the regular season or (dream the dream) the playoffs.
When Brady faced the Giants on Monday night, it was the resumption of quite a relationship. In his career, Brady has played in 283 games against teams who were not the Giants. He is 220-63 in those games. That is a winning percentage of .777.
In seven games against the Giants, he was 4-3.
That’s a winning percentage of .571.
That summarizes nicely what the first 19 years of Brady versus the Blue was. Two of those losses, of course, came in Super Bowls: in Phoenix following the 2007 season (in which the Patriots started 18-0) and in Indianapolis four years later. But Giants-Pats games always tended to be extra special even when the stakes weren’t so high.
Here’s a look at those games, in chronological order.
Oct. 12, 2003, Foxboro
Patrots 17, Giants 9
The Patriots were at the start of what would become a 15-game winning streak all the way through a Super Bowl win; the Giants were soon to tumble into the tank in Jim Fassel’s final year, on their way to 4-12. The game was played in a steady rainstorm that, a few hours later, would postpone Game 4 of the ALCS between the Yankees and Red Sox (the previous day’s game had featured the brawl climaxed by the Pedro Martinez-Don Zimmer confrontation).
It was a rock fight throughout. Brady completed just 9 of 21 passes for 112 yards. But Kerry Collins threw four interceptions and the Giants never led despite dominating yardage (382-220) and time of possession (35:13-24:47).
Dec. 29, 2007, East Rutherford
Patriots 38, Giants 35
A few weeks later everyone would recall this game as the moment when the Giants realized that the Patriots weren’t as bulletproof as their record. In the moment, the Pats basked in finishing off a 16-0 regular season and Brady was brilliant: 32-for-42, 356 yards, two touchdowns. The Giants led by as much as 28-16 late in the third behind a terrific game from Eli Manning (22-for-32, four TDs) but Brady’s 65-yard strike to Randy Moss early in the fourth gave New England the lead for good.
Feb. 3, 2008, Glendale, Ariz. (Super Bowl 42)
Giants 17, Patriots 14
The game that began a nice streak of the Giants residing inside Brady’s head. Brady actually played pretty well (29-for-48, a touchdown and no picks) but he was sacked five times and hurried many other times, and simply never got anywhere near the rhythm that had defined the regular season. And when it mattered most Eli was terrific, his two last-drive throws to David Tyree and Plaxico Burress permanent parts of the eternal Giants scrapbook.
Nov. 6, 2011, Foxboro
Giants 24, Patriots 20
The Giants never would have had a second crack at the Pats if they hadn’t won this extraordinary game, which came right before a four-game losing streak that nearly derailed the season. But in this one Manning (20-for-39, 250 yards, two TDs, one INT) outdid Brady (28-49, 342, two of each) and won the game with 15 seconds left in the game by tossing a TD to Jake Ballard.
Feb. 5, 2012, Indianapolis (Super Bowl 46)
Giants 21, Patriots 17
Make it three in a row for the good guys, two on the game’s grandest stage, this one highlighted by the forever Eli-to-Mario Manningham toss that set up the winning score. Brady was OK (27-41, 276, two TDs and a pick) but he also cost the Pats two early points by getting flagged for intentional grounding in the end zone.
Nov. 15, 2015, East Rutherford
Patriots 27, Giants 26
The wildest game of the series was also one of the most critical: the Giants were 5-4 coming in but this loss to the 9-0 Pats started a six-losses-in-seven-games tailspin that did in Tom Coughlin. In this game the Giants took a 26-24 lead with 1:47 left on a Josh Brown field goal but Brady promptly led an 11-play drive to set up Stephen Gostkowski’s 54-yard game-winner.
Oct. 10, 2019, Foxboro
Patriots 35, Giants 14
The Pats were 16 ½-point favorites but found themselves tied 14-14 late in the first half before scoring three unanswered touchdowns to win (and cover). Brady was terrific (31-41, 334, one pick) and outplayed Daniel Jones, who had a 64-yard TD to Golden Tate but also was intercepted four times.
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