Tom Brady
2009: Return from injury

In the 2009 season opener against the Bills, Brady's first game in more than a year, he threw for 378 yards and two touchdowns. In the final three minutes of the game, the Patriots were down 24–13 before Brady and tight end Benjamin Watson connected on two straight touchdowns to lead the Patriots to a 25–24 win. He won AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Bills.

On October 18, 2009, under blizzard conditions, Brady set an NFL record against the Titans for most touchdowns in a quarter, throwing five in the second quarter. Brady finished the game with six touchdowns, tying his career-high from the 2007 season, and 380 yards, completing 29-of-34 attempts, finishing with a nearly perfect passer rating of 152.8. The Patriots' 59–0 victory over the Titans tied the record for the largest margin of victory since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, and set a record for largest halftime lead in NFL history, which was 45–0. He won AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his game against the Titans. Brady was later named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for October. For Week 16, Brady won AFC Offensive Player of the Week for a four-touchdown game in a 35–7 win over the Jaguars.

Brady finished the 2009 regular season with 4,398 yards passing and 28 touchdowns for a 96.2 rating, despite a broken right ring finger and three fractured ribs, which were suffered over the course of the season. He was selected as a reserve to the 2010 Pro Bowl and named the 2009 NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

Brady ended the 2009 season throwing for 154 passing yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions in a 33–14 Wild Card Round loss to the Baltimore Ravens. This was his first career home playoff loss and the Patriots' first home playoff loss since 1978.
change_case:english_lowercase, oulipo:avoid_letter[t]