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Patriots QB Tom Brady now qualifies for NFL’s passing statistics; leads league in almost every efficiency metric

New England’s quarterback is off to a pretty good start this season.

When the New England Patriots started their season 3-1 despite quarterback Tom Brady being forced to the first four games out, it gave supposed ammunition to those calling the future Hall of Famer nothing more than a "system quarterback" (of course disregarding the fact that Brady is the only steady piece of this ever-changing system).

However, when Brady returned, the Patriots’ aerial attack took a few steps forward and has since become its usual efficient self. The numbers speak for themselves – and thanks to Brady now having thrown enough passes to qualify for the NFL’s statistics, we can compare them to other players around the league.

First, let’s take a look at the 39-year old’s numbers through his first three games (via Pro Football Reference):

(c) pro-football-reference.com

As the number’s show, Brady has been phenomenal this season. Comparing him to his peers further cements this thought as the Patriots’ quarterback leads the league in the following categories:

Passer rating: 132.6 (next best: Matt Ryan, 113.6)

Completion percentage: 75.3 (Dak Prescott, 68.7)

Touchdown percentage: 7.9 (Ben Roethlisberger: 7.1)

Yards/attempt: 9.9 (Matt Ryan, 9.6)

Brady has been the best quarterback in the NFL over the last three weeks, leading the league in almost every efficiency metric. His others statistics – despite having played three or four fewer games – are not too shabby either. Brady is ranked as follows:

Touchdowns: 8 (tied 14th)

Interceptions: 0 (tied 1st)

Yards: 1,004 (30th)

Yards/game: 334.7 (3rd)

In short: Even at age 39 and coming off a four-game suspension, Brady shows no signs of slowing down. At this rate, he should strongly be in the MVP race despite missing a quarter of the season.