Patrick Mahomes has been the star of the NFL for a good bit now, winning three Super Bowls in four appearances. In addition, he’s made the AFC Championship Game in every season he’s been a starter dating back to 2018.
Through six seasons, only two quarterbacks have captained a team that has stopped Mahomes from winning a Super Bowl, and the first is the guy Mahomes will spend his career chasing in terms of Super Bowl totals, Tom Brady. With that said, Mahomes still has a lot of work to do to catch Brady, who has won seven championships and played in 10 total Super Bowls during his NFL career.
Tom Brady’s 7 Super Bowl Victories
Over the course of his career, Brady won a total of seven Super Bowls. The first six came with the New England Patriots, including in his first season as a starter in 2001. Brady and the Patriots actually won the Super Bowl in three of his first four years as the starter, with back-to-back titles in 2003 and 2004.
Following his time with the Patriots, Brady went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he won his seventh Super Bowl in his first season with the team in 2020. Those seven Super Bowls are the record for the most wins by a single player in NFL history. The next closest is Hall of Fame defensive lineman Charles Haley, who won five rings with the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys.
That 2020 appearance in the Super Bowl marked Brady’s 10th time playing in the biggest game of them all, another NFL record. There is no one in NFL history who comes close to that number. His former teammate, kicker Stephen Gostkowski, played in six of those Super Bowls with Brady.
The only other player with six Super Bowl appearances is DT Mike Lodish, who represented both the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos. In terms of quarterbacks, John Elway is the next closest with five appearances.
Although several NFL players have represented two different teams in the Super Bowl, only four have done so as quarterbacks. Tom Brady became the fourth, joining Craig Morton (Cowboys and Broncos), Kurt Warner (St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals), and Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts and Broncos). With his 2020 victory, Brady became the only quarterback alongside Manning to win the Lombardi Trophy with two different teams.
Revisiting Tom Brady’s Super Bowl Appearances
Super Bowl 36 – New England Patriots 20, St. Louis Rams 17
Ironically, Brady’s first Super Bowl win came against another quarterback who led multiple franchises to the big game: Warner and the Rams, whose high-powered offense was known as the “Greatest Show on Turf.”
It wasn’t Brady’s best performance — he threw for just 145 yards and one touchdown. However, the Patriots’ defense managed to contain the Rams’ offense, and when it mattered most, Brady guided the Patriots into field goal range. Adam Vinatieri sealed the victory with a game-winning field goal, and Brady earned the Super Bowl MVP title, largely due to his clutch play in the game’s final moments.
Super Bowl 38 – New England Patriots 32, Carolina Panthers 29
After missing the playoffs in 2002, the Patriots returned with a vengeance the following season. In what is now regarded as one of the greatest Super Bowls ever, New England faced off against the Carolina Panthers. Once again, Vinatieri emerged as the Patriots’ hero, nailing the game-winning field goal with just four seconds remaining, securing a 32-29 victory.
Brady played a much bigger role in this Super Bowl than his first, throwing for 354 yards and three touchdowns, earning his second Super Bowl MVP award.
Super Bowl 39 – New England Patriots 24, Philadelphia Eagles 21
Brady returned to the Super Bowl the next season, facing the Philadelphia Eagles for the first time. The Patriots pulled ahead in the fourth quarter, and although the Eagles closed the gap to a one-score game, they couldn’t capitalize on their final possession to complete a comeback.
Brady passed for 236 yards and two touchdowns, but it was wide receiver Deion Branch, who set a Super Bowl record with 11 catches for 133 yards, taking home the Super Bowl MVP award.
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The Patriots became the first NFL team to win consecutive Super Bowls since the Broncos in the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons. Before New England accomplished this feat, only six teams had ever won back-to-back Lombardi Trophies. The Pittsburgh Steelers remain the only team in NFL history to have won consecutive titles more than once.
Despite all his success, Brady’s third Super Bowl victory would be his last for a while.
Super Bowl 42 – New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14
Brady’s success was interrupted by two Super Bowl losses. First came the 2007 season, when the Patriots bulldozed through the NFL on their way to Brady’s fourth Super Bowl appearance. The team set numerous offensive records and went undefeated in the regular season, with Brady, Randy Moss, and Wes Welker lighting up the league. New England seemed unstoppable.
That was until they faced the New York Giants.
The Patriots had already beaten the Giants earlier that season and entered the Super Bowl as overwhelming favorites. However, the game remained close throughout, with defenses dominating despite New England’s league-leading offense. Although the Patriots held an early lead in the second quarter, the momentum shifted back and forth in the fourth.
On New York’s final drive, David Tyree’s now-legendary “Helmet Catch” kept the Giants’ hopes alive. Two minutes later, Plaxico Burress caught the game-winning touchdown pass, stunningly ending the Patriots’ perfect season and their Super Bowl aspirations.
Super Bowl 46 – New York Giants 21, New England Patriots 17
Four years after their perfect season was spoiled, the Patriots again were thwarted by the Giants in the Super Bowl. A rare intentional grounding safety set the tone for a challenging day on offense. Despite this, the Patriots took control in the middle quarters and had a chance to seal the game.
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However, when Brady and Welker couldn’t connect on a crucial pass that would have all but secured a victory, the Giants seized the opportunity. Ahmad Bradshaw found the end zone late in the game, securing the Giants’ second Super Bowl title in five seasons.
Super Bowl 49 – New England Patriots 28, Seattle Seahawks 24
When Brady and the Patriots secured their third Super Bowl title in 2005, they likely never imagined claiming another would take a decade. Despite New England’s sustained dominance, the NFL’s parity structure makes maintaining dynasties like the Patriots‘ nearly impossible.
Super Bowl 49 delivered one of the most dramatic finishes in the game’s history. Undrafted rookie cornerback Malcolm Butler intercepted the Seattle Seahawks‘ Russell Wilson at the goal line, clinching Brady and the Patriots’ fourth Super Bowl victory.
Brady threw for 328 yards and four touchdowns — along with two interceptions — and earned his third Super Bowl MVP award. His two fourth-quarter touchdown passes to Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman ultimately guided the Patriots to victory, overcoming the earlier miscues.
Super Bowl 51 – New England Patriots 34, Atlanta Falcons 28 (OT)
After missing Super Bowl 50, Patriots fans were once again treated to a heart-pounding performance as Brady secured his fifth Super Bowl win. New England trailed the Atlanta Falcons 28-3 midway through the third quarter, and the game seemed all but over. Many Patriots fans had already left the stadium when Brady connected with James White for a five-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to 28-9.
What followed was arguably the most improbable comeback in sports history. Following another touchdown by White, Brady’s two-point conversion pass to Amendola sent the game into overtime. The Patriots received the ball first in OT, and White found the end zone again, giving New England its fifth Super Bowl title. In this record-setting game, Brady became the first quarterback in NFL history to win five Super Bowls.
Super Bowl 52 – Philadelphia Eagles 41, New England Patriots 33
In a rematch of Super Bowl 39, Brady and the Patriots faced the Eagles with hopes of winning back-to-back Super Bowls for the second time. At various points during the game, the Patriots were down by 10 and 12 points. The notable “Philly Special” touchdown gave the Eagles a lead at halftime.
Brady was far from finished. He threw touchdown passes to Chris Hogan and Rob Gronkowski, positioning the Patriots for another comeback. However, it was not to be. A touchdown by Zach Ertz allowed the Eagles to regain the lead, and Brandon Graham’s crucial strip sack of Brady thwarted the Patriots’ drive in the fourth quarter. Despite the loss, Brady set an NFL record with 505 passing yards in a Super Bowl.
Super Bowl 53 – New England Patriots 13, Los Angeles Rams 3
Brady’s final Super Bowl with New England mirrored his first one with striking symmetry. In contrast to the high-scoring affairs of his previous Super Bowls, Super Bowl 53 was a predominantly defensive battle.
The Patriots and Rams, shortly after a move back to Los Angeles, scored just six points through the first three quarters. Sony Michel’s rushing touchdown was the only one in the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in history.
In his last Super Bowl appearance with New England, Brady threw for 262 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception. Despite this, Brady and the Patriots secured their sixth Super Bowl title together.
Super Bowl 55 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31, Kansas City Chiefs 9
Brady’s final Super Bowl victory was his most decisive, at least in terms of the final score. In his first Super Bowl with a new team, Brady and the Buccaneers delivered a commanding performance to defeat the Chiefs. Unlike the nail-biting games of his previous nine Super Bowls, this one was different, with Tampa Bay comfortably ahead and cruising late into the second half.
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Brady completed the game with 201 passing yards and three touchdowns, boasting a 72.4% completion rate. While much of the praise went to the Buccaneers’ defense for limiting the Chiefs to just nine points, the Brady-led offense delivered precisely what was needed in their home stadium.
