Tom Brady reveals the one NFL player he hated playing against

Tom Brady has been in the NFL for more than two decades after being selected by the New England Patriots with the 199th pick in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league for nearly two generations of players during a career that has been unmatched by any other player ever.

Brady's longevity means he's faced off against thousands of different players on opposing teams during his career. Being a quarterback means one of his most direct defensive matchups is against the secondary of the opposing team, including cornerbacks and safeties in pass coverage.

While he has faced off against many great defensive backs, there is one he claims was his most difficult challenge.

When Tom Brady recently participated in The Match during the 2022 NFL offseason, one of the questions he was asked was concerning which defensive back he hated playing against the most during his career. Brady responded with Ed Reed, a legendary safety for the Baltimore Ravens who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his elite playmaking abilities.

Ed Reed was one of the best players in the NFL on his way to the Hall of Fame, earning a Defensive Player of the Year award and eight All-Pro selections while helping the Ravens win a Super Bowl ring. He is one of the best players that Brady has ever lined up against, but looking at their head-to-head history gives a better perspective on Brady's answer.

Did Ed Reed get the better of Tom Brady when they faced off in the NFL?

Baltimore Ravens defensive back Ed Reed

While Tom Brady was the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots and Ed Reed was still playing for the Baltimore Ravens, the two legends faced off against each other seven times. Four of those meetings occurred during the regular season, with the two sides splitting the series with two wins each. Reed recorded one interception during those four games.

Reed and Brady faced off an additional three times during playoff games in their careers. Reed and the Ravens came out ahead 2-1 in the three-game series, one of the rare postseason scenarios where Brady has a losing record. Ed Reed recorded a crucial interception off Tom Brady during a game in the 2010 NFL Playoffs in a Ravens victory over the Patriots.