Ranking Tom Brady’s 3 best runs now that he has 1,000 career rushing yards

It took him 19 seasons, but Tom Brady has hit the 1,000-yard rushing mark.

Forget the five Super Bowl championships on eight Super Bowl trips. Ignore the 13 Pro Bowl selections and three MVP awards. Tom Brady has finally accomplished something that tops everything else in his career.

Tom Brady officially passed 1,000 career rushing yards. With a 5-yard run in Week 13 against the Vikings, Brady is now the 98th quarterback in NFL history to reach 1,000 career rushing yards, behind the illustrious Matt Cassel.

Brady’s rushing yards don’t come in chunks — he’s averaging just 1.7 yards per carry for his career and has a career-long rush of 22 yards. But Brady has been looking forward to this moment, even joking that the reason he’s still playing is to get 1,000 career yards.

The accomplishment wasn’t lost on Brady. When it came time to take one final snap to kill the clock in a 24-10 victory over the Vikings, he made sure to take two steps forward before genuflecting, avoiding the -1 yard loss that typically comes with a kneel-out.

While his mom thinks he’s the fastest player in the NFL, even he would disagree with that. But at least he’s faster than he used to be.

Still, we should pay homage to the most impressive feat of Brady’s career. Let’s look at three of his best rushes.

3. Tom Brady darts through the Ravens defense for a touchdown

This sterling run was in the 2015 Divisional game between the Ravens and the Patriots. Brady scored this touchdown to get New England back into the game after they were down 14-0 — a game they wound up winning 35-31.

Sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands. Brady didn’t see anyone open against the Ravens, so he had run into the teeth of the Ravens defense for an important touchdown to get New England back in the game.

2. Tom Brady raced past a Bills defender for a touchdown

In a 52-28 win against the Buffalo Bills in 2012, Brady ran for a 4-yard touchdown.

Ignore the fact that Brady almost got hawked from behind by a defensive tackle as he was running into the end zone. The decision-making and burst he showed running into the end zone was impressive.

Brady could never be considered a real weapon with his legs, but for this brief moment against the Bills, he could claim as much:

1. Tom Brady leaves a defender in the dust versus the Broncos

This was in the 2014 AFC Championship game. Brady’s touchdown made the score 26-16 with 3 minutes left. That score ended up holding strong as the Broncos advanced to Super Bowl (which they ended up losing 43-8 at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks).

There’s one reason this is the best run of his career: Brady made a guy miss in the open field! Barry Sanders even has to give Brady props for this one. The elusiveness, power, and open field savvy is what’s made Brady such a star throughout his career.

Brady doesn’t use his legs often, but when he needs to he can be a smart runner with the football. 1,000 yards is a pretty cool achievement for a quarterback who’s been known as a pocket passer for his career.

Brady will never be the all-time quarterback rushing leader — Michael Vick holds that honor with 6,109 yards. But he does have a pretty extensive list of accomplishments. It’s a cool moment that Brady will undoubtedly cherish — he even joked about riding off into the sunset:

But don’t worry, Patriots fans. He’s not going anywhere.