Tom Brady First Start for the Patriots
Tom Brady made his first regular season start for the New England Patriots on September 23, 2001, replacing Drew Bledsoe in Week 2 against the New York Jets. The win launched a 21 game regular season starting streak to open his career with the franchise, a stretch that immediately signaled a shift in the Patriots offensive identity via Forbes.
That first start came after Bledsoe suffered a hit to the chest by Marty Reasoner on September 23, 2001, and Brady completed 18 of 29 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns in the 10 3 victory at Foxborough. The performance earned Brady the starting role for the remainder of the 2001 season, including the Super Bowl XXXVI run that ended with a 20 17 win over the St. Louis Rams on NFL.com.
Tom Brady Regular Season Starts and Playoff Appearances
From 2001 through 2019, Tom Brady started 266 regular season games for the Patriots, compiling a 219 47 record as the primary starter and leading the team to 17 AFC East division titles on Pro Football Reference.
In the postseason, Brady started 41 games for New England between 2001 and 2019, posting a 20 21 record in the regular playoffs and adding a 3 0 mark in Super Bowl appearances for the franchise. His 20 playoff wins with the Patriots remain the most by any quarterback in NFL history on NFL Records.
Tom Brady Legacy and Patriots Starting Records
Tom Brady holds the Patriots all time records for career passing yards, passing touchdowns, completions, and attempts, while also owning the franchise marks for consecutive starts at quarterback and playoff wins on Patriots.com.
After leaving New England in 2020, Brady continued to extend quarterback longevity benchmarks with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning Super Bowl LV in his first season and reinforcing the timeline that began with his first Patriots start in September 2001 on ESPN.