Tom Brady did not sound overly upset that his single-season touchdown record had been broken by Peyton Manning.
All the Patriots quarterback seemed to care about was that his team was one step closer to winning another Super Bowl. Brady set the record in 2007 with 50 touchdowns. Manning has 51 passing scores through 15 games after Sunday.
“I think the individual awards and accolades in team sports, to me, they just don’t weigh as much on my mind as doing what we’re ultimately trying to do, which is win it all,” Brady said on WEEI. “That’s always the most important thing for me in a team sport. It’s great to see guys have great years. There’s been a lot of players this year that have had phenomenal seasons. It’s really a credit to those players and what they bring to the team. Ultimately, I’m out there to try to win a championship. That’s why we work hard all season. That’s why we put ourselves in a position like we have at this point, to get a bye in the first round if we can win this week, which would be a great way for us to end the season. We’ve faced quite a bit of adversity. I really talked about our mental toughness after the game yesterday, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Brady had a lot of praise for what Manning has been able to accomplish this season. Brady knows how difficult it is to chuck 50 touchdowns, but the Patriots signal caller was sure to put a team spin on it when talking about his own record-setting season.
“It’s an incredible feat. To throw 50 like we did in 2007 was incredible,” Brady said. “Marino threw 48, Peyton threw 49 and I was lucky enough to be on a team to throw 50. And 51 is unbelievable through 15 games. They’ve been throwing the ball at an incredible rate and what they’ve done offensively, and certainly in the passing game, has been incredible. It’s really a credit to those guys and what they’ve been able to accomplish. There’s no doubt they have one of the best offenses in the history of the league. That’s not easy to do. They put themselves in a great position and I’m sure they wanna finish the season strong, also. It’s pretty cool that he’s able to do that.”
If both teams are able to win in Week 17, the Broncos will hold the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs and home-field advantage throughout. The Patriots would be stuck with the No. 2 seed. Earlier this season, New England was able to topple Denver in Gillette Stadium. If they play again this year, it will likely be in Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
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