A very bizarre thing happened Sunday involving Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady entered as the NFL MVP frontrunner in what seemed like a winnable game against the New Orleans Saints.
He headed home with a shutout loss that effectively opened up the MVP race yet again in 2021.
The Saints took home a 9-0 win in what was a rare shutout loss for Brady.
How rare was it?
The shutout snapped one of the longest such streaks in NFL history.
Tom Brady's streak of consecutive starts without being shut out ended at 255 games on Sunday, ending the second-longest such streak in NFL history.
The last time Brady was shut out in 2006, no currently active defensive player had yet entered the NFL. pic.twitter.com/sZMRCrI36U
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 20, 2021
Brady had not been shut out since 2006, snapping a streak of 255 consecutive starts at least scoring a few points.
Only Drew Brees was better, as he and Brady continue to sit atop so many all-time NFL leaderboards.
Owned By New Orleans
The Saints have figured out the formula to stopping Brady since he showed up in Tampa Bay.
They just beat him 9-0 after picking up a 36-27 win earlier this season on Halloween.
2020 saw New Orleans take home a 34-23 win in Week 1 and a 38-3 win in Week 9.
For some reason, they remain Brady’s boogeyman, which is an odd feel given Brady’s success against divisional opponents during his time with the New England Patriots.
But this is still Brady we are talking about and the fact it took him 15 years to have a shutout after his last is a great sign.
The best part of the stat, via the tweet from ESPN Stats & Info, is the fact no active NFL defender was in the league the last time Brady was held to zero points.
The last time Tom Brady was shutout before tonight?
2006 Week 14 vs. Nick Saban and the Miami Dolphins 🤯 pic.twitter.com/B12htkjCA8
— The Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) December 20, 2021
Nick Saban coaching the shutout is another fun tidbit of this rare NFL feat.
Brady’s Buccaneers seemed to be spiraling last year at 7-5, only to win out to win the Super Bowl.
So this shutout is not a cause for major concern.
Losing Chris Godwin for the year, however, is something to keep an eye on.
NEXT: 3 Reasons Tom Brady Is The Obvious NFL MVP
