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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
John Sigler

No team had a better point differential against Tom Brady than the Saints

It’s finally over. Tom Brady announced his retirement on Wednesday after spending decades on top of the NFL, but no team had more success against him than the New Orleans Saints. Brady posted the lowest point differential of his career against the Saints in getting outscored by 31 points.

For context, just three teams outscored Brady in his career — the Kansas City Chiefs were next-best (-20), followed by the San Francisco 49ers (-8), with Brady’s old New England Patriots team coming close to breaking even (2). Brady outscored every other team in the league by 7 or more points in his long run as a pro.

That’s impressive by New Orleans. But the Saints also created more negative plays by Brady than many other opponents. They sacked him 30 times in 11 games, the fourth-highest sacks total of all opposing defenses; his former AFC East rivals, who he played more often, took a lead there with 66 sacks in 36 games by the Miami Dolphins, 64 sacks in 36 games by the Buffalo Bills, and 56 sacks in 37 games by the New York Jets.

It extends to takeaways, too. The Saints defense intercepted Brady 12 times in 11 games; the Dolphins had 27 interceptions, the Bills had 25, and the Jets had 16, as did the Indianapolis Colts in 15 games. Brady fumbled 7 times in 11 games with the Saints and Chiefs. The Denver Broncos had 10 fumbles in 14 games. The Jets and Bills had 14 each, and the the Dolphins had 16.

Whew. The Saints got the better of him almost every time they shared the field. It’s a shame Brady didn’t come to the NFC South sooner. Here’s to a happy and fulfilling retirement for him.

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