FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Not known for his scrambling ability, and often losing yards due to frequent game-ending kneel-downs, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady finally reached a milestone he has had joked about several times this season: 1,000 rushing yards.
Brady hit the mark with a 5-yard scramble in the first quarter of Sunday’s home game against the Minnesota Vikings.
The Patriots’ official Twitter account had some fun in noting Brady’s “milestone,” as Brady had needed 5 yards entering the game.
A 5-yard gain = 1,000 career rushing yards. #TB1K | #MINvsNE | #GoPats pic.twitter.com/1yfOgeOTpO
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 2, 2018
Brady’s run came on a third-and-3 play, and he slid at the end of it, before signaling first down from the ground.
According to ESPN Stats & Information research, the 41-year-old entered play Sunday having lost 160 rushing yards to kneel-downs since 2006, the year plays began being classified as “kneels.”
Brady has been close to hitting the 1,000-yard mark since the middle of the season, saying in early November, “I’ve kind of inched along there for a long time. It really hasn’t been a part of my game.”
When asked the running play he’s most proud of, he picked a 1-yard touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens in the 2011 AFC Championship Game.
“Ray Lewis put his helmet right in the middle of my back. That was probably the one I remember the most, because it probably hurt the most.”