Over the past two decades, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have transformed the New England Patriots into one of the most dominant dynasties in sports history. Love them or loathe them—as many outside New England do—the Patriots' achievements in the Belichick and Brady era transcend the NFL and even the American sporting landscape.
When they take on the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta on Sunday, the Patriots could set even more NFL records. Here are some that could be broken on Sunday:
4—This is the only record Brady will not want to claim. Losing to the Rams on Sunday would make him the only starting quarterback in history, along with Jim Kelly, to lose four Super Bowls. Kelly suffered heartbreak four seasons in a row with the Buffalo Bills between 1991 and 1994.
5—Should Brady be named Super Bowl MVP, he will become the first player to win the award five times. With four wins, the Patriots quarterback has already set an NFL record and is one ahead of Joe Montana.
6—If the Patriots beat the Rams, they will become the second franchise in history to win six Super Bowls, drawing level with the Pittsburgh Steelers. A win on Sunday would also see Bill Belichick match George Halas and Curly Lambeau as the only two coaches to ever win six NFL championships.
Brady will become the only player in NFL history to win six Super Bowls, surpassing Pro Football Hall of Famer Charles Haley's record of five and becoming more successful than any other NFL franchise, bar the Patriots and the Steelers.
17—The age gap between Brady and Rams' quarterback Jared Goff is the largest between opposing starting quarterbacks in Super Bowl history. There are exactly 17 years and 72 days between the two. Sunday will also be 17 years to the day since the two teams met in Super Bowl XXXVI, when the Patriots won its first Super Bowl by beating the Rams—then based in St. Louis—20-17 in New Orleans.
18—Brady leads the way in Super Bowl touchdown passes with 18, seven ahead of second-place Joe Montana. The Patriots great has the chance to extend his record. Brady is also looking to throw for 300 yards in his fourth consecutive Super Bowl appearance and to record two touchdown passes for the fifth time in the big game. With 73, Brady is also the all-time leader for touchdown passes in the postseason.
33—With a win on Sunday, Rams head coach Sean McVay would become the youngest man to coach a team to the Super Bowl. The Ohio native turned 33 last week and is 33 years and 283 days younger than Belichick, the largest age gap between opposing head coaches in a Super Bowl.
37—By beating the Rams on Sunday, the Patriots can set the record for the highest number of wins in postseason games. New England is currently tied with Pittsburgh at 36.
40—The New England quarterback will play the 40th postseason game of his career on Sunday, more than any other player in NFL history.
41—Brady can become the oldest starting quarterback to win the Super Bowl. Peyton Manning holds the record after guiding the Denver Broncos to victory in Super Bowl 50, but Brady will take the field on Sunday, at the age of 41 and five months.
235—No player has completed more passes than Brady in Super Bowl history. Peyton Manning, the second on the list, has completed only 103 passes.
2,576—Brady has the most passing yards in Super Bowl history, more than double that of second-place Kurt Warner, and will widen the gap even further on Sunday.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he was a news and business reporter at International Business Times UK. Dan has also written for The Guardian and The Observer.
Newsletter
