Super Bowl XLVI – Tom Brady's Ego Will Not Let the New England Patriots Lose

Arguably the best quarterback of this generation goes into the stadium that his rival Peyton Manning made looking to stamp his claim as the best quarterback in NFL history. Tom Brady has essentially done it all in his career.

He holds the record for the most passing touchdowns in a season (50). He is a member of the 5,000-yard passing club. He has three Super Bowl rings. He is a two-time Super Bowl MVP. The accolades go on and on, but none of them are enough to comfort Brady’s ego.

A second Super Bowl loss to Eli Manning and the New York Giants is not something Brady’s ego can take, and is why Brady and the Patriots will beat the Giants in Super Bowl XLVII.           

Tom Brady enters his fifth Super Bowl, a total only John Elway has reached, and has his sights set on his fourth Super Bowl ring, a total only Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana have earned.

Brady has evolved from a quarterback who needed to rely on his physical defense and power rushing game in his first Super Bowl, to an absolute game-changing quarterback in this rematch against the Giants.

For most quarterbacks—for most humans—his career is complete. He has had a career most people would look back at with starry eyes knowing he is a first-ballot hall of famer. Not Tom Brady. Not if he losses to the Eli Manning again.

Brady is not your typical hall-of-fame quarterback. His ego is rivaled only by Michael Jordan. When Tom Brady entered the height of Tebow-mania, with the Broncos riding a six-game winning streak on the legs of Tim Tebow in Week 15, Brady decided to score one of his ten career rushing touchdowns.

Just to prove anything Tebow can do, he can do. Then again, when Tebow-mania resurfaced, Brady threw six touchdowns in a rout of the Broncos in the divisional round.

Brady did not just want to win those games—he wanted to re-announce his presence to America. He wanted to show the nation that he is the quarterback everyone should be talking about. He wanted to show he is the best quarterback in the league. Tebow-mania made Brady sick to the point where his ego needed him to not only win those games, but also dominate.

This is the same reason why Brady did not care when the Patriots traded away Randy Moss. His ego did not need Moss. Brady wanted to prove he could be a dominate passer without that elite deep threat.

It is the same reason the Patriots tried to blow out every team in 2007 after Spygate like the Florida Gators looking for style points. It is also the same reason Brady threw a deep pass into double coverage to Matthew Slater against the Ravens instead of trying to run the clock out.

Brady’s ego can get the best of him but there is no question that his ego drives him to greatness. The desire to win in Brady shows no remorse and does not stop until he has proven he is the best—which is why Brady’s ego cannot take another loss to his rival’s little brother.

This season, the Giants have already beat the Patriots. Both teams have evolved since then.

The Giants' pass rush has greatly improved to the point where it rivals their pass rush from 2007. The Patriots' offense has evolved as well, utilizing both tight ends to the maximum of their abilities.

This upcoming game will look nothing like the one played in November. One piece that has not changed; one piece that will only be greater because of the bigger stage is Brady’s ego.

Brady will meticulously study tape leading up to Super Bowl XLVI. He will find ways to pick apart the Giants' defense, even with the Giants pass rush breathing down his neck.

With Brady looking to stamp his name as the greatest quarterback of all time, the New England Patriots will capture their fourth Super Bowl victory. Even that, however, won’t satisfy Brady’s ego for much longer than that night.