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New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has just set the record for touchdown passes in the Super Bowl with 12. That's 12 over the course of all of his Super Bowl appearances, breaking the record of 11 previously held by San Francisco 49ers great Joe Montana.
Brady trailed Montana by two touchdowns coming into Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks, but with three on the day, he now owns the record. The first was an 11-yard touchdown to wide receiver Brandon LaFell at the start of the second quarter. The one that tied Montana's record was a 22-yard touchdown to tight end Rob Gronkowski.
The one that set the record came in the fourth quarter, when Brady hit Danny Amendola on a 4-yard touchdown pass. The touchdown put the Patriots within three points of the Seahawks, but time is running out. Brady also threw a pair of interceptions in this game — something Montana never did in the Super Bowl.
Brady threw one touchdown against the St. Louis Rams in 2011, three in 2003 against the Carolina Panthers, two in 2004 against the Philadelphia Eagles, one in 2007 against the New York Giants and two in 2011 against the Giants. Montana threw his 11 in the four Super Bowl appearances he had (all wins).
There's been plenty of Montana vs. Brady talk over the past two weeks. Montana and Terry Bradshaw are both quarterbacks who have won four Super Bowls, while Brady came into this game with three. Montana has widely been recognized as the best quarterback ever, but many are looking to this game to strengthen Brady's potential claim to that consensus title.
This wasn't the only record Brady set on Sunday. It's not a huge one, but Brady's 20 first-half completions were the most ever in Super Bowl history, according to ESPN.