After Tom Brady called it quits (again) on Wednesday, the NFL world had plenty of reactions to his (second) retirement.
Some saw fit to map out Brady’s next career paths (like working more in Hollywood). Some recycled their celebrations of him from that first now infamous retirement. And some decided to leave sweet (if terse) notes about him finally walking away from pro football.
But what might have gotten lost in the shuffle is how the betting community once viewed the most accomplished quarterback of all time. Amidst Brady’s extended run of greatness — where he didn’t have a losing season until his last in 2022 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — he was usually given the edge by bettors.
In fact, during a 74-game regular-season stretch once (almost five years’ worth of games!), bettors favored Brady to win every single time — the longest streak of the Super Bowl era:
One more Tom Brady sports betting record that will never be broken:
He was favored in 74 straight regular-season games, the longest streak in the Super Bowl era
— Ben Fawkes (@BFawkes22) February 2, 2023
When this streak happened was challenging to nail down. After all, from 2010 to 2017, Brady’s New England Patriots won a minimum of 12 games every season while capturing three Super Bowls. I’d venture to guess it happened there in what is probably the most consistently excellent stretch of Brady’s career, but you never know.
From a modern context, the only other streak that might even be comparable to Brady’s is one from Patrick Mahomes. Before an early October 2022 home date against the Buffalo Bills, the Kansas City Chiefs’ superstar was favored in 41 consecutive home dates with opponents — the longest streak to start a career in the Super Bowl era:
For the first time in his career, Chiefs’ QB Patrick Mahomes is a home underdog. Mahomes had been favored in his first 41 home starts, including the playoffs, the longest streak to begin a career in the Super Bowl era.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 12, 2022
But that was home games for Mahomes, not every game, and he is still over 30 short of Brady. When you have such an air of brilliance, it’s hard not to see why bettors think you’ll win every time — home or away.
Once again, Brady has a mind-blowing achievement to add to his belt.
