At this point, it feels safe to assume Tom Brady never will experience a tougher loss than the one he was dealt in February of 2008.
Brady and the New England Patriots were on the verge of NFL history when they entered Super Bowl XLII with a flawless record to that point in the 2007 season. But in arguably the most stunning upset the league has ever seen, Brady and Co. fell to the New York Giants and saw their dreams of a perfect season squashed.
The NFL will have to wait until the 2021 season for the next chance of a team putting together a perfect campaign. The Pittsburgh Steelers were dealt their first loss of 2020 on Monday night when they were upset by the Washington Football Team. Shortly after Pittsburgh was bested by Washington, Brady looked back on the most memorable loss in the history of the Patriots franchise.
“You always think about the ones that got away,” Brady told Jim Gray on Westwood One, as transcribed by Boston.com. “That was the one that got away. Michael Strahan has become a good friend. Obviously Eli (Manning) I’ve known for a long time. A lot of players on that team, I’m still holding a little bit of a grudge over that one because that one would have been — immortal would be the word.
“We accomplished some amazing things that year. That 2007 team was incredible. We played so well for so long. I wish that team would have been remembered amongst the all-time greats. And unfortunately, when you don’t win the last game of the year, that’s the reality. No one really remembers who finishes second. We, unfortunately, finished second that year.”
Brady, of course, enjoyed plenty of success after the Giants shocked the Patriots on football’s biggest stage. New England put together another dynasty, winning three Super Bowls over the 2014 through 2019 seasons. But despite this wealth of achievements, “the one that got away” clearly always will stick with TB12.
