Tom Brady Recalls Michael Jordan-esque ‘Flu Game’ During 2004 AFC Championship Game

The AFC 2004 Championship game is one of the most historic games in the NFL. It was a chilly night in Pittsburgh. The temperature was 11 degrees, yet everything was hot inside the Heinz Field. This game was special for one man in particular. The legendary quarterback, Tom Brady. Brady was reportedly playing with flu on that night. 

The grudge match

A little background on the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers 2004 AFC championship game. 2004 was a phenomenal year for the Patriots. They had a 21 game straight win streak; a new National Football League record. This streak lasted for over a year until the Patriots met the Steelers.

It was week 8 in 2004, the Halloween week. When the Patriots visited the Steelers, it was spooky. Brady was intercepted that night, which resulted in a touchdown. Pittsburgh played an amazing game and beat New England 20-34. 

Tom Brady had his own flu game

As faith would have it, the Patriots would have time to redeem themselves. The team that ended their win streak was now standing across the field, the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers were confident going into the game. They hoped to run it back to week 8 and take home the trophy. 

New England was focused, but their star quarterback had caught the flu. Because of the extreme weather, the Patriots had to travel on Friday right after they defeated the Indianapolis Colts. Most of the hotels did not have any vacancies, so the Patriots had to stay in a bad hotel. Everybody was sick in that hotel. Most of the guests and players were stuck in their rooms because of it. Brady also caught the flu on the night before the championship game and moved slowly.

Despite being sick, Brady played one of his most memorable games in history. Tom Terrific was literally terrific that night. “A very intimidating place to play, because not only do they have a great defense, it’s all 65-70,000 of the yellow towels screaming, yelling, not to mention, they were 16-1 at that point.” said Brady about playing at Pittsburgh. 

New England put the game in their bag in the first half. Brady made an amazing pass to Deion Branch, and it was a 60-yard touchdown. “It was one of the great throws I’ve ever made in those conditions because it was freezing out,” Brady said about his pass. 

In the end, the New England Patriots took the trophy home. They defeated the Steelers 41-27 and won the 2004 AFC championship. Till that moment, Tom Brady was 8-0 in the playoffs. It was Tom Brady’s version of the Michael Jordan flu game in Utah. It still holds the value of one of the greatest football matches. 

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