In the lead-up to the new season, the only thing we talked about with regard to Tom Brady was just how good he was going to play having been fueled by his "Deflategate" situation with the NFL and Roger Goodell. But, there had to be some doubt about whether the future Hall-of-Famer was going to come out and play like his usual self.

There couldn't possibly be concern about Brady's physical health because of how well he treats his body in the offseason. If anything, it was about shaking off the rust and being mentally ready for what turned out to be a 12-game regular season.

Some 17 weeks later, it's no wonder we threw doubts aside. Brady had a typical Brady year and the New England Patriots finished 14-2 with the top seed in the AFC playoffs.

That being said, how good was Brady's season? Does it even rank among the top five in his illustrious 17-year career?

With the assistance of passing Net Expected Points (NEP) -- our in-house metric which you can read more about in our glossary -- and even more specifically, NEP per drop back, we can decipher which of Brady's seasons have been purely the most efficient and fruitful. In short, a 5-yard pass completion on 3rd-and-7 shouldn't count the same as a five-yard completion on 3rd-and-2. One likely results in a punt while the other keeps a drive alive.

Check it out!