FOXBORO, Mass. — Tom Brady finished Thursday night’s game without a passing touchdown, but he still managed to find the end zone — twice, in fact.
With the Patriots struggling this season to find an effective goal-line back, the 42-year-old quarterback took matters into his own hands on twice against the New York Giants, scoring touchdowns on two 1-yard QB sneaks in the New England Patriots’ 35-14 victory at Gillette Stadium.
On a night in which he passed Peyton Manning on the NFL’s all-time completions and passing yards lists, Brady also became the oldest NFL player to rush for multiple touchdowns in a single game, according to ESPN Stats and Info.
Wide receiver Julian Edelman paid tribute to Brady’s goal-line prowess when speaking with reporters after the game.
“He’s the best QB sneaker of all time,” Edelman said. “He’s the GOAT of QB sneaks.”
These were the 27th and 28th rushing touchdowns of Brady’s Patriots career, including playoffs. He’d run for multiple scores just twice previously: in 2007 against the Washington Redskins and in 2011 against the Miami Dolphins.
“We were low on some bodies and had some opportunity there, so I tried to just get it in,” said Brady, who threw an interception and lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown in an uneven performance.
Running back Rex Burkhead was inactive Thursday with a foot injury, and neither fullback Jakob Johnson (shoulder) nor tight end Matt LaCosse (knee) finished the game, hamstringing the Patriots’ power-running efforts.
New England’s final scoring drive ended with back-to-back sneaks: one from the 3 that gained 2 yards and one from the 1 that produced Brady’s second score.
