The Steelers and Patriots have had plenty of legendary battles over the years, with Pittsburgh being on the wrong side of the coin often the last two decades thanks to their Boogeyman… aka QB Tom Brady. Brady always seemed to have Pittsburgh’s number as the Steelers struggled to beat him when he was in the lineup for New England, winning 12-of-15 games played against him as a member of the New England Patriots.
According to Michael Hurley of CBS News, former Patriots and Buccaneers QB Tom Brady went on his Threads social media account Friday and asked his fans what their favorite touchdowns were from him in Foxborough from the last 20 years. Brady kicked off the conversation with his choice, choosing a touchdown pass back from New England’s lustrous 2007 regular season against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
For fans that remember the play, Brady initially threw a backward pass out to WR Randy Moss, who could bring in the catch on the short throw from Brady. Moss then threw the ball back to Brady across the field where Brady then located WR Jabar Gaffney, airing it out over the head of DB Anthony Smith who was trailing Gaffney from behind for the 56-yard score.
The Steelers ended up losing that game in Foxborough 34-13, dropping them to 9-4 on the season while the Patriots went to 13-0 on the year, finishing the regular season with a perfect 16-0 record. Brady finished the game completing 32-of-46 attempts for 399 yards and four TDs and zero INTs, tearing apart the Pittsburgh secondary.
Brady had a little extra motivation to have a big game against Pittsburgh that weekend as DB Anthony Smith publicly guaranteed a Pittsburgh Steelers victory on the road against the unbeaten Patriots prior to the game. Smith’s talk ended up backfiring as Brady approached him after the play to give him some words after exposing him in coverage on his touchdown pass.
“I don’t care to repeat what I said, especially if my mother reads it,” Brady said in his postgame press conference when asked about the exchange according to Hurley. “She wouldn’t be very happy.”
Needless to say, Brady had some profane words for Smith after making his guarantee before facing off back in 2007. Smith was targeted a lot that game, probably on purpose by Brady to pick on the safety for saying words that he could back up on the field. Brady has always been a competitor and is considered one of the best in all of sports, having played 23 seasons and won seven Super Bowls. It doesn’t take much to give him an edge he can work with on the football field, and when Smith comes out and personally guarantees an upset ahead a team striving for a perfect season, that’s all the motivation Brady needed to get going.
