The Brady Curse?

On February 4, 2008,  the golden boy Tom Brady was on the verge of capturing perfection. A win over the New York Giants would give him a 19-0 record, his fourth Super Bowl title and possibly his third Super Bowl MVP, all in a season where he threw 50 touchdown passes to break Peyton Manning’s old mark of 49. Winning a fourth Super Bowl ring by the age of 30 didn’t just mean he was better than Manning, it meant he was the best ever. The man didn’t lose. That is until he did.

More and more, the Patriots stunning 17-14 loss to the Giants in  Super Bowl XLII seems destined to be remembered not as a blemish on Brady’s career, but the turning point in it.

In the Patriots 2008 season opener, Brady’s knee exploded on a hit by Bernard Pollard, ending both his season and his streak of 111 consecutive starts (4th all-time).

Then, in week 10 of this season, the Colts overcame a 17-point 4th quarter deficit to defeat the Patriots 35-34 in a game that will forever be remembered for Belichick’s failed gambit.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about Brady’s three interceptions  in Sunday’s 33-14 loss to Baltimore was that it didn’t come as much of a surprise. Maybe you thought New England would win, but as you watched them get destroyed by Ray Rice and the Ravens still formidable defence, I’m betting you couldn’t even muster a “Chad Ochocinco is doing what now?” level of shock. Tom Brady losing once seemed impossible, now it’s very much expected.

Meanwhile, the man he’ll forever be compared to, Peyton Manning, just won a record 4th NFL MVP (his second consecutive).  Manning enters the playoffs looking for his own piece of history, a second Super Bowl title. A feat his legacy desperately needs, especially after Indianapolis seemingly spit in the face of history by laying down in their final two games to finish 14-2. Manning and the Colts open up against Baltimore on Saturday. They ‘ll be favoured, but more importantly, they’ll be expected to win. And if they don’t, this time you’ll be surprised.