Tom Brady most dominant player in AFC championship game history

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady signals to a teammate before a wild-card playoff against the Tennessee Titans on Jan. 4. The Titans won in what was possibly Brady's final game of his long career with the Patriots. / AP photo by Charles Krupa New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady signals to a teammate before a wild-card playoff against the Tennessee Titans on Jan. 4. The Titans won in what was possibly Brady's final game of his long career with the Patriots. / AP photo by Charles Krupa

By ARNIE STAPLETON / The Associated Press January 17, 2020 8 min read

Tom Brady has been synonymous with the AFC championship game for the past two decades.

Thirteen times the New England Patriots quarterback played for the Lamar Hunt Trophy and nine times he won it, beating Kansas City Chiefs counterpart Patrick Mahomes in overtime last season – when Mahomes was named MVP of the NFL – upending the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Blake Bortles in a classic comeback, denying Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts and Philip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers trips to the Super Bowl, foiling the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger twice and Kordell Stewart once and splitting two games with Joe Flacco of the Baltimore Ravens.

Peyton Manning he beat only once, losing three times to his old rival in the conference title game.

Sunday’s showdown between the throwback Tennessee Titans (11-7) and the top-seeded Chiefs (13-4) marks the first AFC title game since 2010 without Brady barking under center and Patriots coach Bill Belichick scowling on the sideline.

It’s also the first time since 2002 the AFC title game doesn’t include Brady, Manning or Roethlisberger.