Tom Brady becomes first 40-year-old QB to throw 40 touchdown passes in one season

Six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady continues to reign as one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history at 43 years of age. On Sunday, the Bucs star became the first QB in the league’s history to reach the 40 pass touchdown mark in a season for a player above 40. Brady threw four touchdowns for the Bucs in their 44-27 victory over the Atlanta Falcons to take his total to 40 passing touchdowns for the regular season.

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Tom Brady NFL stats: Bucs star sets new QB record vs Atlanta Falcons

While the New England Patriots finished their season with an empty 28-14 win over the New York Jets in Week 17, Tom Brady was getting prepped for a playoff run in his first season with the Bucs. It was also Brady's 299th career start, surpassing Brett Favre for the most by a quarterback in NFL history. Brady also holds the record for most wins as a starting quarterback with 229.

The Bucs defeated the Atlanta Falcons 44-27 on Sunday to secure the No. 5 seed, having previously confirmed their berth in the NFL playoffs for the first time in 13 years.

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Tom Brady touchdowns: Veteran QB's new milestone

The main man behind the Bucs' victory was none other than Tom Brady. The veteran QB threw four touchdowns in the game to take his tally to 40 passing touchdowns for the season. He finished the 2020 season by completing 65.7% of his passes for 4,633 yards with 40 touchdowns to 12 interceptions and a passer rating of 102.2. 

The 40 touchdown passes were Brady's most since 2007 (50 TDs), and the 4,633 passing yards were the most Brady had in a season since 2015 (4,770 yards). Brady's 4,633 passing yards and 40 touchdowns are also the most for a player aged 40 or older. Brady joined the iconic Peyton Manning as the only two players in NFL history to throw 40 TD passes in a season for two different franchises.

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Brady is also atop the NFL career leaderboard in passing touchdowns (581), having overtaken New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees in October 2020. The two active quarterbacks have traded the position for the all-time mark before. 

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Image Credits - Buccaneers Instagram