NFL playoffs: Brady and Rodgers' conference championship run halted
For the first time in over a decade, neither Tom Brady nor Aaron Rodgers will feature in the NFL's conference championship games.
One of the most significant runs in the history of the NFL came to an end in the divisional round of the 2021/22 playoffs this weekend.
The defeats suffered by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Green Bay Packers mean that this season’s conference championship games won’t feature either Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers - the first time this has happened since the 2009 campaign.
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Brady-Rodgers streak began with Packers' Super Bowl-winning 2010 season
The pair’s sequence of conference championship appearances began in the 2010 season, when the Packers defeated the Chicago Bears to reach the Super Bowl, before beating the Pittsburgh Steelers to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Between 2011 and 2018, Brady then piloted the New England Patriots to eight consecutive appearances in the AFC Championship Game, five of which led to a Super Bowl berth. In that period, the Packers made it to the NFC Championship Game twice, losing to the Seattle Seahawks and the Atlanta Falcons in 2014 and 2016, respectively.
In 2019, Brady’s Patriots were eliminated by the Tennessee Titans in the wild card round, but Rodgers kept the run going by guiding Green Bay to the NFC Championship Game against the San Franscisco 49ers. The Packers were beaten 37-20.
Brady eliminated Rodgers in 2020 NFC Championship Game
Ahead of the 2020 season, Brady left New England for Tampa Bay, but his excellence in the playoffs continued. In his first campaign at Raymond James Stadium, Brady and the Buccaneers overcame Rodgers’ Packers at Lambeau Field to reach Super Bowl LV, which yielded the seventh NFL championship ring of the 44-year-old’s career.
In that NFC Championship Game, Brady threw for three interceptions and three touchdowns, picking up 280 yards and completing 20 out of 36 passes. Rodgers also registered three touchdown passes, but only suffered one interception, having completed 33 out of 48 throws.