Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff Writer 6y

Tom Brady's GOAT status clear after a look at NFL playoff records

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quarterback Tom Brady leads the New England Patriots into Saturday’s AFC divisional-round playoff game against the Tennessee Titans, and receiver Danny Amendola wouldn’t want it any other way.

“He's the ultimate professional, and he gets his teammates better. He demands a lot. We all want to win for him, and we all want to play hard for him, and we love him as a teammate,” Amendola said. “It's great to be a part of playing for him."

As for what’s ahead, Brady explained how even though the Patriots have made a habit of advancing to this point, their urgency remains high.

“I don’t think you take it for granted. It’s hard to get to this point. You do all the meetings and walk-throughs, and March, April, May, June try to work out and be prepared for the season, and you get through it, and you make it through a whole season and have a chance to compete with everything at stake,” he said.

“It’s pretty cool for all of us. I’m sure everyone will be excited for Saturday night. It’s going to be a great experience. I know the fans will be into it. We'll be into it. Hopefully, we can go out and play well.”

Brady usually does.

Here are 12 postseason nuggets on No. 12:

1. His 63 touchdown passes in the postseason is easily an NFL best. Joe Montana (45), Brett Favre (44), Peyton Manning (40) and Aaron Rodgers (36) round out the top five.

2. He is the all-time leader in postseason passing yards (9,094), with Manning (7,339), Favre (5,855), Montana (5,772), John Elway (4,964) and Ben Roethlisberger (4,787) next in line.

3. His 34 playoff starts -- which is more than two full regular-season schedules -- are the most ever by a quarterback (or any player in NFL history). Manning (27), Favre (24), Montana (23) and Elway (21) round out the quarterback list, while Adam Vinatieri (30), Jerry Rice (29), D.D. Lewis (27) and Manning (27) fill out the top tier of the list including all players.

4. Brady’s 25 playoff wins are the most by a starting quarterback, with Montana (16) next.

5. His 831 postseason completions top Manning (649), Favre (481) and Montana (460).

6. Brady’s 12 postseason games with 300 yards passing are an all-time high, with Manning (nine) and Drew Brees (seven) second and third on that list.

7. His five Super Bowl championships are the most ever by a quarterback, followed by Terry Bradshaw (four) and Montana (four).

8. He is tied with Oakland’s Daryle Lamonica (Dec. 21, 1969) and San Francisco’s Steve Young (Jan. 29, 1995) as the NFL’s all-time leader for most postseason touchdown passes in one game, with six. Brady accomplished the feat Jan. 14, 2012, versus Denver.

9. His 26-of-28 passing performance in a Jan. 12, 2008, divisional-round win over the Jaguars ranks as the best-ever completion percentage (92.9) in a postseason game. Phil Simms (22-of-25, 88 percent, on Jan. 25, 1987) and Kurt Warner (29-of-33, 87.9 percent, on Jan. 10, 2010) are right behind him.

10. In divisional-round play, Brady has posted an 11-2 record, completing 316 of 509 pass attempts for 3,700 passing yards and 26 touchdowns.

11. Seven conference-championship victories are the most of any starting quarterback in the Super Bowl era (since 1966). He has appeared in 11 conference championship games overall, passing Gene Upshaw and George Blanda, both of whom had played in 10.

12. His seven Super Bowl appearances are the most ever by a player, passing defensive lineman Mike Lodish, who played in six between his time with the Bills (four) and Broncos (two).

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