5 times Tom Brady benefitted from controversial refereeing decisions

Tom Brady will go down as the greatest NFL player of all time when he finally decides to call it quits. That doesn't mean, however, that he hasn't had plenty of favorable decisions from referees during his storied career.

Brady might be the owner of seven Super Bowl rings, but some argue that his success has been massively aided by the officials. There are many examples of times when the referees have come to Brady's aid and helped him out when he was in a tough spot, and here are five of the most high profile.

#1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21-15 Atlanta Falcons (2022)

Atlanta Falcons v Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The most recent example of Brady benefitting from a questionable referee call came during the Buccaneers' matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.

Falcons defensive end Grady Jarrett sacked Brady on a third-down play, but the official Jerome Boger called it roughing the passer, much to the dismay of Atlanta. This gave Brady an automatic first down and allowed Tampa Bay to effectively run out the clock to win the game.

Afterward, Boger said to reporters: “What I had was a defender grabbed the quarterback while he was still in the pocket and unnecessarily throwing him to the ground. That is what I was making my decision based upon."

#2 Pittsburgh Steelers 24-27 New England Patriots (2017)

AFC Championship - Pittsburgh Steelers v New England Patriots

Another controversial decision that went Tom Brady's way came back in 2017 when he was still with the New England Patriots. The Pats faced off against the Steelers, who were vying for a playoff bye with New England. Ben Roethlisberger threw a go-ahead touchdown pass to tight end Jessie James with just 28 seconds remaining.

However, the officials decided that it wasn't a catch, as James lost control of the football after the play. This brought up similarities to Dez Bryant's 'catch' that wasn't a catch a few years earlier. Brady was the beneficiary as Roethisberger threw an interception two plays later to seal the game for New England.

#3. Super Bowl LI (Atlanta Falcons 29-34 New England Patriots)

Super Bowl LI - New England Patriots v Atlanta Falcons

During the most famous comeback of Tom Brady's career, there's an argument to be made that the referees helped him and the Patriots defeat the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.

In overtime, Brady threw a hopeful ball up to Martellus Bennett at the goalline, which fell incomplete. However, much to the Falcons' dismay, the officials called it pass interference, giving Brady a 1st-and-goal at the one-yard line.

They duly converted and won the Super Bowl, but there's an argument to be made that they couldn't have won the game without the intervention of the officials.

#4. Kansas City Chiefs 31-37 New England Patriots

AFC Championship - New England Patriots v Kansas City Chiefs

During the 2019 AFC Championship game, Brady got a very iffy call in his favor from the refs when Chris Jones was accused of roughing the passer on a crucial third-down.

In reality, Jones tapped Brady on the helmet, but this shocking call gave the Patriots an automatic first-down. The drive was kept alive, and New England got a touchdown out of it. They went on to win the game 37-31 to advance to the Super Bowl, which they also won.

#5. The Tuck Rule (Oakland Raiders 13-16 New England Patriots)

Tom Brady and the Tuck Rule

Easily the most famous refereeing decision to go in Tom Brady's favor was the 'Tuck Rule'. During a crucial AFC divisional matchup, Oakland Raiders defensive back Charles Woodson strip-sacked Brady and the Raiders recovered the football.

However, after reviewing the play, the officials decided Brady had attempted to 'tuck' the football into his body rather than throw it, which, according to NFL rules, made the play an incomplete pass.

The Raiders were left fuming as the fumble recovery would have put them in field goal range to clinch the playoff victory. However, Tom Brady subsequently led the Patriots into field goal range to win the game.