Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Tom Brady on the field before Super Bowl LIX between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs at Ceasars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
By Brendon Kleen on

During his NFL career, Tom Brady assembled a case as the greatest football player ever by meeting the moment when the weather turned cold.

The playoffs were Brady’s time. Across a 20-year career in New England and Tampa Bay, Brady was 35-13 all-time in the postseason and finished his career with seven Super Bowl rings.

So far in his tenure calling games for Fox Sports, the same has been true. Four playoff games in, Brady has repeatedly met the moment and brought his A-game for the biggest playoff moments.

That trend kept up Sunday in Philadelphia, where Brady called a tightly fought NFC clash between the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles. Just as he spread the ball under center as a quarterback, Brady was on top of everything from up in the booth: time, situation, playcalling, even the weather.

From the opening kick, Brady reminded viewers to watch whether the Eagles’ Week 18 layoff affected them early in the game, as well as how the wind changed both teams’ approaches schematically.

Brady later announced his presence by belting what is quickly becoming a signature “OOOOOHHHH!” as San Francisco’s Brock Purdy and DeMarcus Robinson connected for a massive gain on the first drive.

And another when the Eagles missed their first extra point.

Brady was nails when 49ers tight end George Kittle left the game with an apparent Achilles’ tear, emphasizing just how far down the depth chart the team would have to go with its numerous injuries.

One of Brady’s best moments of the season came when Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and star receiver A.J. Brown clashed along the sideline. Brady was ready in an instant, insisting that the two had a strong relationship and that the situation was merely an example of emotions flaring in the playoffs — contrary to what analyst Michael Strahan would say at halftime.

Reporter Erin Andrews would later support Brady’s take after collecting comments from Sirianni.

In the second half with the wind whipping across the field, Brady delivered a throwing lesson from the booth. Delivering detail quickly, Brady not only told the audience how quarterbacks try to throw balls in the wind, but showed them.

Brady was there with another “OOOHH!” during a fun 49ers trick play to start the fourth quarter. A big problem with Brady last season — one that he has publicly acknowledged — is that he tried to shove too much information into each broadcast. What stands out on plays like these is that Brady is comfortable merely leaning into the fun of a game.

And on the final scoring drives of the game, Brady was at his best: analyzing quarterbacks.

From the booth, the future Hall of Fame quarterback showed how Purdy’s lower-body strength allows him to navigate the pocket and evade sacks. Later, he pointed out that Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts was throwing the ball too quickly and not being patient enough.

When announcer Kevin Burkhardt referenced Brown’s slow game, Brady said the Eagles should move him to the slot. Almost on cue, they did exactly that. On the next play, Brown dropped a big third-down pass.

Brady’s performance was enough to get NFL fans online talking about how much he has improved in two years calling games.

Last year, arguably Brady’s best performance came during the NFC divisional round between Washington and Detroit. Same as Sunday, Brady was sharp covering both the teams’ performances and the big narratives facing those two woebegone franchises.

Nobody would call Brady perfect yet, nor the best in the booth. And besides, broadcasting is subjective. People have their favorites.

But whereas Brady began his broadcasting career sounding closer to a football genius robot narrating a game, he is starting to sound more like a true analyst and storyteller.

About Brendon Kleen

Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.

View all posts by Brendon Kleen