Tom Brady on Wednesday broke an NFL record previously held by his longtime rival, Peyton Manning.
Brady’s 447-yard, three-touchdown performance Sunday in the New England Patriots’ 36-20 win over the New Orleans Saints earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for a league-record 28th time, breaking a tie with Manning, who garnered that accolade 27 times.
The win over the Saints featured the most productive first quarter of Brady’s career, as all three of his touchdown passes came within the opening 15 minutes. The 40-year-old quarterback completed 30 of 39 passes overall, and his yardage total was the third-highest he’d ever posted in a single game.
It was a marked improvement from Brady’s performance in Week 1, when he completed just 44.4 percent of his passes and was held without a touchdown pass in a 42-27 home loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Brady earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors twice last season: after a Week 5 win over the Cleveland Browns (28 of 40, 406 yards, three touchdowns) and following a Week 11 victory over the San Francisco 49ers (24 of 40, 280 yards, four touchdowns). He also broke Manning’s NFL record for career wins last December.
Thumbnail photo via Chuck Cook/USA TODAY Sports Images
