No team has ever gone undefeated over a full NFL season, but Tom Brady and the New England Patriots went extremely close after beating the formerly known San Diego Chargers during the 2007 season.
The Patriots face the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday in a repeat of the 2007 AFC Championship, which New England won to advance to Super Bowl XLII with a perfect 16-0 record. There, Brady and the Patriots met the New York Giants, but were denied the first-ever undefeated season in NFL history.
Eli Manning and the Giants stopped perhaps the greatest team in NFL history, beating the Patriots 17-14 after wide receiver Plaxico Burress scored the decisive touchdown with 35 seconds remaining. Patriots receiver Randy Moss had handed New England the lead with just 2:42 left on the clock, but Giants quarterback Eli Manning led a stunning final drive.
Brady may be the most successful quarterback in NFL history, winning six Super Bowl championships with the Patriots before adding a seventh with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, Manning appeared to be his kryptonite, with both of his Super Bowl rings being won when facing Brady.
Manning beat Brady and the Patriots when they met in Super Bowl XLII and XLVI, with both games being won by a single possession. Brady may have seven Super Bowl rings, but to this day he still thinks about those losses against the Giants.
“I’m not over any of the Super Bowl losses,” Brady said on the ‘Let’s Go!’ podcast. “I am still mad. 16 years later, in ’07. I’m still mad, the 2011 Super Bowl, I’m still mad we lost to the (Philadelphia) Eagles. But no, you can’t change the outcome and you gotta live with it.
“Part of being on the great stage is you have a great opportunity to win a ring. The opposite side of that coin is the most difficult loss of your career. Sometimes you’ve gotta risk a lot, which is a tough loss that you’re gonna have to live with, in order to gain something that only one team can achieve.”
Since then, Brady and Manning have publicly joked about their battles and continue to share a friendly rivalry. For Brady, the losses hurt, but they inspired him to win more championships. “The only thing I would say from that is that every loss I was a part of motivated me to try harder and do better,” Brady added.
“And it gave me the perspective that when we did win again, as I did after a 10-year absence of not winning, I appreciated that win more than any other win in my career.” The Patriots haven’t won a Super Bowl since Brady left the organization following the 2019 season, and have fallen from grace.
The Patriots are 3-12 this season and fourth in the NFC East, although they are in the running for a top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Chargers are 9-6, and a win on Saturday would secure a playoff berth.
