TAMPA, Fla. - Tom Brady is not a fan of the New York Giants, and for good reason, considering what that franchise took from him twice on the biggest stage.
Make no mistake: The legendary quarterback - previously with the Patriots and now with the Buccaneers - certainly respects the history between the G.O.A.T. and Big Blue.
"The team I would love to beat the most is the Giants, there's no doubt about that," Brady said last month on his Sirius XM podcast with Jim Gray and Larry Fitzgerald. "I've always joked with Eli [Manning] but, yeah, and I think he likes that I bring it up all the time. So to bring it up again, I do not like losing to those guys. So when we beat them, I love that."
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The feeling has obviously been mutual, and heading into Monday night's ninth - and perhaps final - meeting that pits Brady against the Giants, that respect has only grown.
Just how deep does it go? Jason Garrett was a reserve quarterback for the Giants when they played Brady for the first time. Eighteen years later, Garrett will be on the opposite sideline inside Raymond James Stadium for "Monday Night Football" as the Giants' offensive coordinator with plenty of admiration for Brady earned through the years.
"They're going to make a Mount Rushmore of football players at some point, and the first face they chisel will be that guy's face," Garrett said of Brady. "He's the best that ever walked and he's a hell of a football player, and what he's done over the last 20 years has been remarkable."
Here's a look back at the history between Brady and the Giants: eight games, five decided in the closing seconds, including two Super Bowls:
October 12, 2003
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - This was Brady's first game against the Giants, and it was a triumph dominated by Richard Seymour and the defense. The Giants' offense led by Kerry Collins and Tiki Barber actually did the dominating in the first half, outgaining Brady and New England in yardage, 199-29.
But Seymour had two pass deflections that the Patriots turned into interceptions on a rainy and windy day, and Kevin Faulk's career-best performance of 87 rushing yards was clutch.
Brady's stat line: 8-of-21 passing, 112 yards, sacked twice
December 29, 2007
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The Giants clinched a playoff spot the previous week. The Patriots were pursuing perfection. That's when Tom Coughlin famously decided to play all his regulars despite Brady's playful pleas for him to sit Michael Strahan.
Eli Manning was outstanding and the Giants made the undefeated Patriots sweat this one out right until the very end. The back-and-forth set the stage for Super Bowl XLII.
Brady's stat line: 32-of-42 passing, 356 yards, 2 touchdowns, sacked once
February 3, 2008
GLENDALE, Ariz. - The game that defines the Brady vs. Giants rivalry.
During the walk-up to Super Bowl XLII, Brady wound up tweaking the Giants by laughing at Plaxico Burress' prediction that Big Blue would win 17-14. "We're only going to score 17 points?" Brady quipped, and the Giants heard him.
Still, Brady hit Randy Moss late in the fourth quarter to put New England on top.
Then Eli Manning and David Tyree happened, followed by Manning to Burress, and the Giants denied Brady and the Patriots' bid for 19-0.
Brady's stat line: 29-of-48 passing, 266 yards, 1 TD, sacked five times
November 6, 2011
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - In the first meeting since Super Bowl XLII, the Giants sent a message with a bit of foreshadowing of big things to come.
Eli Manning outdueled Brady again and capped a game-winning drive that brought back strong memories of the Super Bowl, even including a crazy catch down the middle of the field for Giants' No. 85 - this time Jake Ballard playing the David Tyree role.
Manning's 1-yard touchdown pass to Ballard with 15 seconds left gave the Giants the victory.
Brady's stat line: 28-of-49 passing, 342 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 2 sacks
February 5, 2012
INDIANAPOLIS - The Giants did it to Brady and the Patriots again.
From Justin Tuck's sack for a safety and Victor Cruz's touchdown early to Manning-to-Manningham and then Ahmad Bradshaw's reluctant touchdown late, the Giants were set up for their second Super Bowl victory at New England's expense in five years.
They still had to withstand a Brady Hail Mary that fell incomplete in the end zone, just out of the reach of a diving Rob Gronkowski.
Brady's stat line: 27-of-41, 276 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 2 sacks
November 15, 2015
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Landon Collins is likely still smarting over the interception of Brady that he dropped, ultimately allowing Brady and the Patriots to stay undefeated when Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 54-yard field goal with one second left.
The Giants jumped out early on Odell Beckham Jr.'s touchdown and he should have had a second, but officials overturned the catch on replay. Trumaine McBride intercepted Brady at the goal line and the Giants took the lead on Josh Brown's fourth field goal of the game, but the Patriots rallied for the win in what was Tom Coughlin's last season.
Brady's stat line: 26-of-42, 334 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 3 sacks
October 10, 2019
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - This one got ugly in the second half as the New England defense and special teams overwhelmed the Giants. Daniel Jones faced off with Brady, but the story of the game was how the Patriots dominated the second half in what turned out to be Pat Shurmur's final season as Giants head coach.
A post-game encounter on the field between Brady and Eli Manning was captured by cameras, and it was the last time they were on opposite sidelines.
Brady's stat line: 31-of-41, 334 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 3 sacks
November 2, 2020
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The Giants had Brady and the eventual Super Bowl champions on the ropes last season in a Monday night showdown at MetLife Stadium.
Brady rallied Tampa Bay from 11 points down with touchdown passes to Rob Gronkowski and Mike Evans. The Giants had a chance to tie the game and force overtime, but their two-point conversion fell incomplete. The play was disputed as there could have been pass interference called on the Buccaneers, but to no avail.
Brady's stat line: 28-of-40, 279 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 2 sacks
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Tom Brady vs. the Giants: A look at all of the QB's matchups against New York