Tom Brady on October 18th, 2009, was simply not human. He led the Patriots to a 59-0 romp against the Titans with a 5-touchdown quarter that lays claim as the best quarter in sports history, outside of perhaps Klay Thompson’s record-breaking 37-point quarter. The Patriots’ margin of victory that day stands as the joint highest in NFL history, as per OptaAnalyst, an indication of just how destructive the team was during that game, and just how lifeless the Titans were.

Advertisement

The Patriots started the game on the right foot, taking a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. However, nobody could have predicted what was about to happen. At the time, Brady was paired with Randy Moss who had just set the record for most receiving touchdowns in a single NFL season in 2007 at 23. The Brady-Moss duo was about to erupt in a fashion that nobody had ever seen before and still haven’t. Brady and the Pats wreaked havoc on Tennessee as they scored 35 points in the second quarter, with Brady throwing for all five touchdowns, an NFL record that’s still not beaten.

Tom Brady and His Five Touchdown Performance Compares To Klay Thompson’s 37-Point Quarter

When it comes to single-quarter feats, there’s not much that can top Brady’s second quarter against the Titans. The five touchdowns he threw in that quarter also included a stretch where he threw three touchdowns in just 3.5 minutes.

Advertisement

He first threw a 40-yard bomb to Randy Moss with 9:56 left in the quarter. He then found Moss again for a 28-yard score with 8:59 left. With 6:20 left, Kevin Faulk romped into the endzone on a 38-yard screen pass. Brady would then hit Wes Welker for two touchdowns in the last two minutes of the quarters. The highlights are here:

The snow fell hard that day, but the Titans fell harder. Of course, there is one other quarter in sports history that may stake a claim to Brady’s impressive feat. Of course, it’s Klay Thompson’s record-breaking 37-point quarter on Jan 23rd, 2015 against the Sacramento Kings.

So, whose quarter was better? It’s hard to say. Both players were essentially perfect in their respective quarters, and it took nothing short of sheer brilliance to make it possible.

Advertisement

Klay couldn’t miss from deep while Brady was dropping bombs on flea-flickers in New England snow. Pick your poison. The game situation wasn’t too different in either player’s quarters either.

Sure, the Pats had a 10-point lead while the Warriors were tied, but a 10-point lead isn’t much in the 2nd quarter. Maybe you can point to the fact that Thompson’s quarter came in the third and was more impressive, but also, consider that with 5 touchdowns in a quarter, Brady was only 2 away from tying the NFL record for the most touchdowns in a single game.

That last fact might put things in a better perspective, indicating how difficult throwing for five touchdowns is as opposed to 37 points. However, at the end of the day, both feats were ridiculous and will likely never be replicated. There’s a reason both quarters are records.

Brady Set to Embark on His $375 Million Fox Adventure While Klay Continues to Go For Titles

Since then, Brady and Klay have both come a long way, winning multiple titles each. Now, Brady is retired, and he’s looking to start the next chapter of his life. He signed a 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox to become their lead analyst, a job he begins next fall.

Meanwhile, Klay’s job isn’t finished. He still has plenty left in the tank as he showed this past season, even if he isn’t going off for 37-point quarters anymore. He knows the Warriors can win a championship with him, and he’ll be looking to do anything he can to help his team reach the promise land once again.

Advertisement