Brady’s 98.4 Total QBR on Sunday – he was 23 of 35 for 304 yards, 4 touchdowns and no interceptions – is tied for his highest in a single game over the last five seasons and is the second-highest for any player in 2012, trailing only Alex Smith’s Week 5 performance that netted him a 99.2 Total QBR.
tom brady
That was when Brady started to show some of his old clutch spark. After taking over at his own 21, he completed four of five passes for 54 yards in the final 1:37 in hurry-up mode to put Stephen Gostkowski in position to kick the game-tying field goal as time expired. To open overtime, he led the Patriots on a 12-play 54 yard drive for what turned out to be the game-winning field goal.
It’s not like in the seventh week of the year you have all the answers. You never really have all the answers. There’s only one team that’s really happy at the end of the year, and I think it’s a building process and playing your best football at the most important times.
[Brady] established a blistering pace early in the game, leaving Denver’s defense looking for answers, while he simultaneously controlled the clock, ensuring the Patriots had the ball for more than 11 of the final 14 minutes of the first half. That kept the Broncos offense cold off the field, which partially accounted for Denver’s inability to heat up until late in the game. And when the Patriots needed the dagger, Brady teamed with Rob Ninkovich, who forced the McGahee fumble, to deliver it.
