One of the most highly-anticipated games of the 2021 NFL season is coming up on Sunday when Tom Brady returns to New England to take on the Patriots.
If Brady can beat his old team — in a game where Tampa Bay is favored by seven — the Buccaneers quarterback will join a very exclusive club: He’ll become just the fourth QB in NFL history to defeat all 32 teams.
The only quarterbacks who have pulled off the feat are Drew Brees, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning. It’s one of the most exclusive clubs that a quarterback can join and Brady could soon be getting his membership (Joe Montana and Fran Tarkenton are also kind of in the club. Even though they haven’t beaten 32 teams, they did get at least one win against all 28 teams that existed during their careers).
If Brady does end up beating the Patriots, it could be a while before we see another quarterback beat all 32 teams. Besides Brady, there are only two other active quarterbacks who have beaten 31 teams: Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger (Alex Smith has also beaten 31 teams, but he retired this year).
Out of Rodgers and Roethlisberger, the Packers quarterback definitely has the best chance of joining the exclusive club and it could happen as soon as 2022. The only team Rodgers hasn’t beaten yet is the Packers and if he wants to add them to his list, he would have to be traded to a team that Green Bay plays next year.
If Russell Wilson ever leaves Seattle, he could also join the list. The Seahawks quarterback has beaten 30 of the NFL’s 32 teams, but still needs to beat the Seahawks and Chargers. If Wilson sticks around in Seattle for another season, the Seahawks play the Chargers in 2022, so he could knock one team off the list. Joe Flacco is the only other active QB who has beaten 30 or more teams (Flacco needs to beat the Ravens and Seahawks to get to 32).
The crazy thing about Brady possibly beating all 32 teams is that there weren’t even 32 teams in the NFL when his career started. Back in 2000, the NFL only had 31 teams and that’s because the Texans didn’t play their first season until 2002. Of the 31 teams that Brady has beaten, his highest win total is against the Bills (32) while his lowest win total is against the Cardinals (one). He’s also 6-0 against the Cowboys, including the Buccaneers’ Week 1 win over Dallas.
Joining the exclusive list of quarterbacks to beat 32 teams isn’t the only major accomplishment Brady could pull off this weekend: Brady could also pass Drew Brees in the NFL record book for most all-time passing yards. Brady is currently just 68 yards behind Brees, which means there’s a good chance the 44-year-old is going to set the record some time in the first half (If you’re wondering how Drew Brees feels about losing his record, you can click here to find out).
Brady breaking the all-time passing record against the Patriots after spending the first 20 years of his career in New England would certainly go down as one of the greatest career twists in NFL history.
