The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were the final team Tom Brady played for, but even in retirement, certain losses from his legendary career still haunt him.
The Buccaneers icon may have won seven Super Bowls, but he recently admitted that one particular defeat continues to give him nightmares.
Tampa Bay fans know Brady for his relentless pursuit of victory, but in a response to a post about a 2006 Indianapolis Colts reunion, he revealed just how painful that AFC Championship loss was.
“That group still gives me nightmares,” Brady said, according to CBS Sports’ Bryan DeArdo.
His Patriots led 21-3 before Peyton Manning orchestrated a stunning 38-34 comeback, denying Brady another Super Bowl appearance. The Colts went on to defeat the Bears in the Super Bowl, leaving Brady and the Patriots to wonder what could have been.
That loss sparked major changes in New England. As DeArdo noted, Bill Belichick aggressively reloaded the roster, acquiring Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Donte’ Stallworth. The result was a record-setting 2007 season in which Brady threw 50 touchdown passes and led the Patriots to an undefeated regular season—only to suffer another devastating loss in Super Bowl XLII to the Giants.
Tampa Bay fans saw Brady’s resilience firsthand. After falling to the Eagles in Super Bowl LII, he rebounded to win another title with New England before leaving for the Buccaneers. In his first season in Tampa Bay, he delivered a dominant Super Bowl LV victory, proving that even the most crushing losses couldn’t keep him down.
Brady’s career will always be defined by his historic success, but as he’s admitted, the toughest defeats never fully fade. Whether it was Manning’s Colts, the Giants, or the Eagles, those losses shaped the competitor who ultimately became the greatest quarterback of all time.
