Tom Brady has called time on his NFL career after 22 seasons, at the age of 44.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback officially announced his decision on Tuesday after days of speculation, with the news initially having been reported on Saturday.
It means Brady's final game in the sport was the dramatic Divisional Round loss to the Los Angeles Rams, in which he had led the Bucs in a remarkable late comeback.
That display, at the end of a season in which Brady led the league in passing yards (5,316) and touchdown passes (43), had elements of everything that made him the greatest of all time.
Brady's legacy has long been unmatched but will not now be added to, as he watches the 2022 season from his sofa.
There is little prospect of any other QB coming close in the near future, however, as Stats Perform examines the stunning numbers behind his record-breaking career.
THE BREES BATTLE
Brady's seven Super Bowls counted for more than any other statistic ever could, but there was still intrigue around his battle with Drew Brees for a number of all-time passing marks.
Brees was drafted by the San Diego Chargers the year after Brady was selected by the New England Patriots, forever pitting the pair against one another.
But the long-time New Orleans Saints QB did not quite have Brady's longevity, retiring a year earlier, and allowed the gap between the two men's achievements to widen in 2021.
Brady leads the NFL with 84,520 passing yards, ahead of the second-placed Brees and his 80,358.
In terms of touchdown passes, it is a similar story. Brady's 624 top the charts, with Brees his nearest challenger on 571.
Brees also ranks second for seasons with 20 touchdown passes (17) and team points per game among quarterbacks with at least 100 starts (27.4). Brady (19 and 28.3) is the main man in both categories.
WINS, WINS, WINS
There is an enduring debate over whether wins are a quarterback statistic, but one would have a hard time arguing otherwise in Brady's case. Even after benefiting from Bill Belichick's coaching for 20 years, the veteran headed to Tampa and won right away.
Brady finishes with 243 QB wins, meaning an incredible margin to second-placed pair Peyton Manning and Brett Favre on 186.
In fact, Brady has 69 wins in the month of December alone. In terms of a single month, Favre is next, with 52 wins also in December.
It should come as no surprise then that Brady has the best record among QBs with at least 100 starts, his .769 again comfortably ahead of the next-best performance, Roger Staubach's .746.
Of course, Brady has kept winning as each season has extended into the postseason.
He has 35 playoff wins, too many to compare to one rival QB alone. Among all NFL teams excluding Brady's Pats and Bucs, the Baltimore Ravens have won the most playoff games since 2000. They are on 16.
STILL GOING STRONG
Brady's 2021 performance made his decision to quit at this stage something of a shock. Even in his mid-40s, there have been no signs of slowing.
This was Brady's 19th different season with 3,000 passing yards – clear of Favre's 18 – and his fifth 4,000-yard season just since he turned 40.
Hall of Famers Troy Aikman, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, Joe Namath, Ken Stabler, Staubach and Steve Young combined for three seasons with 4,000 passing yards for their careers.
Real Sociedad 0-2 Real Madrid: Vinicius, Mbappe penalties close gap on Barca
Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe both scored penalties as Real Madrid saw off Real Sociedad 2-0 at the Reale Arena.
Carlo Ancelotti's side moved to within a point of LaLiga leaders Barcelona, who visit fifth-place Girona on Sunday.
Already without the likes of Jude Bellingham, David Alaba, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni, Madrid suffered another injury blow in the 24th minute when Brahim Diaz was forced off with a muscular issue.
After a goalless first half, the visitors broke through 13 minutes after the restart with Vinicius slotting home from 12 yards after Sergio Gomez handled Arda Guler's shot.
Vinicus was then felled for Madrid's second penalty, which was awarded following a VAR review, with Mbappe making no mistake in sealing all three points.
Data Debrief: Madrid extend unbeaten streak
Extending their unbeaten LaLiga streak to 37 matches, Madrid have now won four successive away league games against Basque opposition for the first time since a run of four such victories between 2011 and 2013.
By contrast, Sociedad have now suffered four straight home defeats in the Spanish top flight for the first time since 2007.
Bournemouth 0-1 Chelsea: Late Nkunku strike snatches victory for Blues
Christopher Nkunku proved Chelsea's hero as his late strike secured a narrow 1-0 win over Bournemouth in the Premier League.
The forward climbed off the bench to strike the winner five minutes from time at the Vitality Stadium, where Robert Sanchez kept out Evanilson's first-half penalty.
Bournemouth looked the more likely to take all three points in the contest, with Marcus Tavernier's long-range thunderbolt rattling the crossbar early on.
Sanchez then came to rescue on 38 minutes by denying Evanilson from 12 yards, albeit after he had conceded the spot-kick for a foul on the Brazilian.
The woodwork denied the Cherries again after the break, with Ryan Christie seeing his precise low effort hit the outside of Sanchez's right post.
However, it was Chelsea who snatched the points with five minutes remaining. Receiving the ball from Jadon Sancho, Nkunku cleverly skipped away from a couple of challenges before slotting past Mark Travers in the Bournemouth net.
Data Debrief: More happy travels for super sub Nkunku
Nkunku's piece of individual brilliance settled the contest. All four of his Premier League goals for Chelsea have come away from home as a substitute.
The Blues held out at the other end to claim their first away league clean sheet in 18 attempts, while winning four straight matches on the road for the first time since 2022.
Meanwhile, history was made at the Vitality Stadium with the referee showing a total of 14 yellow cards; the highest amount issued in a single Premier League game.
49ers place Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve
The San Francisco 49ers placed star running back Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve Saturday, ensuring that he will miss at least the next four games with calf and Achilles injuries.
The move is a shocking departure from the optimism of less than two weeks ago, when McCaffrey was a last-minute scratch for the 49ers’ season-opening win over the New York Jets.
McCaffrey missed the entire pre-season with what was reported as calf soreness. In the regular season, teams are required to submit official injury reports, and McCaffrey’s designation included Achilles tendonitis.
Last year’s rushing champion will miss a minimum of four more games, with the earliest possible return date coming on Oct. 10.
The 49ers face the Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals over their next four, but there is no guarantee that McCaffrey will return when first eligible.
San Francisco ruled McCaffrey out for Sunday’s game in Minnesota on Friday, with head coach Kyle Shanahan publicly acknowledging for the first time that the 2023 Offensive Player of the Year could end up on IR.
“Yesterday was his worst day,” Shanahan told reporters. “It's on and off, but with yesterday having the most pain. It's something we're going to be discussing together in the next 24 hours.”
The loss is a massive one for the reigning NFC champions, who went 12-5 in McCaffrey’s first full season with the team last year.
With Elijah Mitchell already placed on IR before the start of the season, the only trusted running back on San Francisco’s roster is Jordan Mason, who ran the ball 28 times for 147 yards and a touchdown.
McCaffrey’s extended absence could also result in Deebo Samuel getting more snaps at running back, a look that was more common before the 49ers traded for McCaffrey during the 2022 season.
This is McCaffrey’s first IR stint since joining the 49ers. The Stanford product played a combined 10 games in the 2020 and 2021 seasons due to ankle and hamstring injuries.
McCaffrey led the NFL with 2,023 yards from scrimmage last season and tied with Raheem Mostert for the league lead at 21 touchdowns.
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