Tom Brady and the Perfect Game: 10 Best Performances of the 2010 NFL Season

The New England Patriots defeated the Detroit Lions, 45-24, in a Thanksgiving Day match-up thanks to the precision-guided leadership of quarterback Tom Brady.

Brady, who made the start despite injuries to both his foot and shoulder, was as close to perfect as a quarterback can get. He was 21 of 27 passing for 341 yards and four touchdowns, earning him a perfect QB rating of 158.3.

It was the best statistical performance by a quarterback this season, but where does it rank among all the incredible feats this season? Here are the top 10 performances so far in the 2010 NFL season.

10. Jay Cutler (277 Yards Passing, 3 TD's, 136.7 QB Rating)

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ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 19: Quarterback Jay Cutler #6 of the Chicago Bears at Cowboys Stadium on September 19, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Cutler began to justify the price the Chicago Bears paid for him with this Week 2 performance against the Dallas Cowboys. Coming off another game in which he had thrown for 372 yards, Cutler was on target once again.

He completed 21 of 29 passes, doing most of his damage on short passes. He also threw three touchdowns and, for a change, managed to not throw a single interception. It was one of the only mistake-free games Cutler has had in his career.

The Bears went on to win 27-20.

9. Philip Rivers (295 Yards Passing, 4 TD's, 137.2 QB Rating)

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HOUSTON - NOVEMBER 07: Quarterback Philip Rivers #17 of the San Diego Chargers throws downfield as linebacker Brian Cushing #56 of the Houston Texans applies pressure at Reliant Stadium on November 7, 2010 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Im

The NFL's leading passer entered this Week 9 game against Houston without his three favorite targets: Antonio Gates (injury), Malcolm Floyd (injury) and Vincent Jackson (suspension). But it didn't make any difference as Rivers picked apart the Texans defense like it was made of Swiss cheese.

He completed 17 of 23 passes for 295 yards, including two touchdowns to rookie Seyi Ajirotutu, in a game that the Chargers trailed most of the way. But a 28-yard strike to Ajirotutu late in the fourth quarter put San Diego ahead for good. They went on to win 29-23.

8. Kevin Kolb (326 Yards Passing, 3 TD's, 133.6 QB Rating)

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PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 17: Kevin Kolb #4 of the Philadelphia Eagles passes a touchdown to Jeremy Maclin #18 in the third quarteragainst the Atlanta Falcons during their game at Lincoln Financial Field on October 17, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (

In this Week 6 match-up between two of the NFC's best teams, it was Kevin Kolb who proved to be the deciding factor.

Kolb, filling in for an injured Vick, completed 23 of 29 passes for 326 yards. He also threw three touchdowns despite playing a part of the game without star wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who had to leave the game with a concussion.

It didn't matter for Kolb, who utilized other weapons in the Philadelphia offense to lead his team to a resounding 31-17 defeat of the Atlanta Falcons.

7. Matt Schaub (497 Yards Passing, 3 TD's)

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LANDOVER - SEPTEMBER 19: Matt Schaub #8 of the Houston Texans passes during the game against the Washington Redskins at FedExField on September 19, 2010 in Landover, Maryland. The Texans defeated the Redskins in overtime 30-27. (Photo by Larry French/Get

Coming off an electric performance by another Texans player on this list, Matt Schaub went ballistic in a Week 2 match-up against the Washington Redskins.

Schaub set a franchise record by completing 38 of 52 passes for 497 yards (114.0 QB rating). It was only the fourth time in NFL history that a quarterback completed at least 70 percent of his passes and threw for at least 475 yards. What Schaub did better than the other players on the list (Kurt Warner, Drew Brees, Elvis Grbac) is that he actually won the game.

Schaub rallied the Texans back from a 27-10 deficit to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. Houston went on to win in overtime 30-27.

Wide receivers Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter each had 10 receptions for over 100 yards and a touchdown. Jacoby Jones added the other touchdown as eight different receivers were targeted in an impressive display of last season's highest scoring offense.

6. Darren McFadden (165 Yards Rushing, 31 Yards Receiving, 4 Total TD's)

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OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 27: Darren McFadden #20 of the Oakland Raiders runs with the ball during their game against the Denver Broncos at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on September 27, 2009 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

The Oakland Raiders were on top by 38 points before the Denver Broncos even realized the game had started. Leading the way was Oakland running back, Darren McFadden.

In 16 carries he managed to amass 165 yards and three scores. He also caught up a couple of passes and added another touchdown. 

The Raiders went on to win 59-14 in this Week 7 laugher. It was the most points scored in franchise history.

5. Matt Forte (166 Yards Rushing, 22 Yards Receiving, 2 TD's)

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CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 10: Running back Matt Forte #22 of the Chicago Bears runs with the ball against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on October 10, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images)

With Cutler out, Matt Forte put the Bears on his back and ran past the Carolina Panthers during this Week 5 pounding.

He did most of his damage in the first quarter, rushing for over 100 yards and two scores (including a 68-yard dash). In 22 carries Forte averaged an impressive 7.5 yards per carry. He also added a couple of receptions for 22 yards, leading his team in both categories.

The Bears went on to win 23-6 over the hopeless Panthers.

4. Peyton Hillis (184 Yards Rushing, 36 Yards Receiving, 2 TD's)

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CLEVELAND - NOVEMBER 07: Running back Peyton Hillis #40 of the Cleveland Browns scores a touchdown in front of Jerod Mayo #51 of the New England Patriots at Cleveland Browns Stadium on November 7, 2010 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty I

The Cleveland Browns stud running back was a virtual unknown prior to this season, totaling less than 400 yards rushing in two seasons with the Denver Broncos. But after his Week 9 performance against the New England Patriots, nobody's going to ever forget him.

The Patriots waltzed into this game looking like the best team in the NFL after five straight wins and were expected to easily dispatch the 2-5 Browns and head coach Eric Mangini. But Hillis had other ides.

He ran all over the Patriots defense for a career-high 184 yards on 29 carries, including 60 yards on a fourth quarter drive that sealed the game for Cleveland, 34-14. It was the most yards the Patriots had given up to a running back since 2002 when Ricky Williams pounded them for 185 yards.

But Hillis' performance was even more impressive because of how he did it—pounding New England right up the middle for 21 of his carries. Even when the Patriots stacked the box, Hillis still ran free. Not bad for a third year running back.

3. Arian Foster (231 Yards Rushing, 3 TD's)

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HOUSTON - SEPTEMBER 12: Running back Arian Foster #23 of the Houston Texans avoids a tackle by defensive back Melivn Bullitt #33 of the Indianapolis Colts during the NFL season opener at Reliant Stadium on September 12, 2010 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by

What a way to start the season.

The undrafted running back ended the Houston Texans' streak of losing to their division rival and helped knock off the AFC Champion Indianapolis Colts, 34-24.

Foster ran for a team record 231 yards (former record: 158 yards by Domanick Davis in 2004) as his 33 carries paced the Texans offense and kept the Colts guessing. He scored all three of his touchdowns in the second half to put the game away.

The performance was made even more incredible by the fact that Foster wasn't even guaranteed to be the No. 1 back for Houston this season. He had to beat out teammate Steve Slaton after spending most of last season on the the Texans practice squad. No doubt about who the feature back in Houston is now.

2. Tom Brady (341 Yards Passing, 4 TD's, 158.3 QB Rating)

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DETROIT - NOVEMBER 25: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots gets a second quarter pass off in front of Kyle Vanden Bosch #93 of the Detroit Lions on November 25, 2010 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Brady's performance is made all the more impressive by the fact that he almost didn't even play because of injuries. Then to make matters worse, Brady took a couple of bone-crushing hits from Ndamukong Suh and the rest of the ferocious Detroit defensive line.

But none of it could rattle one of the most composed quarterbacks in the history of the NFL.

Brady led the Patriots back from a 17-10 halftime deficit and blew the Lions out 35-7 in the fourth quarter. Along the way he connected twice each with wide receivers Wes Welker and Deion Branch, including a 79-yard bomb to Branch midway through the third quarter to tie the game at 24. 

Lesson as always is to never bet against Brady.

1. Michael Vick (333 Yards Passing, 80 Yards Rushing, 6 Total TD's)

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LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 15: Michael Vick #7 of the Philadelphia Eagles makes a break past Brian Orakpo #98 of the Washington Redskins on November 15, 2010 at FedExField in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

It was the type of performance that scouts dreamed of when Vick was drafted first overall in 2001 out of Virginia Tech. He's had his up's and down's in nine NFL seasons, but with this game Vick vaulted himself into the company of elite NFL quarterbacks.

This game was over before halftime, as the Eagles scored 35 unanswered points against the hapless Washington Redskins and were on top 45-14 at the half.

Vick did most of his damage early, throwing for three touchdowns and running for another before the Redskins even put any points on the board. He finished 20 of 28 passing with a QB rating of 150.7 and six total touchdowns (four passing, two rushing). The Eagles won 59-28 in a laugher.

It was the most complete performance of Vick's career and cemented him as the unanimous NFL Comeback Player of the Year. If the 7-3 Eagles finish strong, he may even be the MVP.