The 2023 season was the New England Patriots' 54th season in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL), their 64th overall, their 22nd playing home games at

Gillette Stadium Gillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts, which is southwest of downtown Boston. It serves as the home stadium and administrative offices for both the New England Patriots of the National Foot ...

and their 24th and final under

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

Bill Belichick William Stephen Belichick (; born April 16, 1952) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Additionally, he exercises extensive authority over the Patri ...

. The Patriots started 1–5 for the first time since

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

. Following their Week 12 loss to the New York Giants, the Patriots secured their second consecutive losing season, failing to improve on their 8–9 record from the previous year. This was the first time the Patriots had back-to-back losing seasons since 1992–

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

. The Patriots missed the postseason for the second consecutive year (and third in four seasons) after the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Colts in Week 14. Following a Week 17 loss to the Buffalo Bills, the Patriots finished last in the AFC East for the first time since 2000. The 4-13 record marked Belichick's worst-ever season as an NFL head coach, and the Patriots' worst season since 1992. For the first season since 2009, safety

Devin McCourty Devin McCourty (born August 13, 1987) is an American football safety for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Rutgers and was selected by the Patriots in the first round of the 2010 NFL ...

was not on the roster, as he announced his retirement on March 10, 2023. Following the season, Belichick and the Patriots mutually agreed to part ways on January 11, 2024.

Roster changes

Free agency

Unrestricted

Restricted

Signings/waiver claims

Releases/waivers

Trades

* March 16 –

Tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...

Jonnu Smith Jonnu Andre Smith (born August 22, 1995) is an American football tight end for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at FIU and was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of th ...

was traded to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a

2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...

seventh-round selection (No. 245). * August 27 –

Running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

Pierre Strong Jr. was traded to the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...

in exchange for offensive tackle Tyrone Wheatley Jr. * August 27 – The Patriots traded a

2024 Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1928 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ***''Steamboat Willie'', Walt Disney's f ...

sixth-round selection to the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

in exchange for offensive tackle Vederian Lowe. * August 29 –

Kicker Kicker or The Kicker may refer to: Sports * Placekicker, a position in American and Canadian football * ''Kicker'' (sports magazine), in Germany * Kicker, the German colloquial term for an association football player * Kicker, the word used i ...

Nick Folk Nicholas Alexander Folk (born Niklaus Aleksandre Faulke, November 5, 1984) is an American football placekicker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arizona, where he received first-tea ...

was traded to the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...

in exchange for a

2025 Predicted and scheduled events *January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1929 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** The Federal Aviation Administration, ...

seventh-round selection. * October 5 – The Patriots traded a 2025 sixth-round selection to the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...

in exchange for

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

J. C. Jackson and a 2025 seventh-round selection.

Draft

Staff

Final roster

Preseason

Regular season

Schedule

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

In the Patriots season opener, they hosted the Eagles. On a day where the team honored longtime quarterback

Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with which ...

in their halftime ceremony, it was spoiled by an Eagles victory. The loss was the team's third consecutive season where they lost their season opener. The Patriots started off the season 0–1.

Week 2: vs. Miami Dolphins

For the first time since 2001, the Patriots lost their first two games.

Week 3: at New York Jets

The Patriots picked up their first win of the season, improving to 1–2. Additionally, this win marked the team's 15th straight victory over the Jets in their

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...

, dating back to 2016.

Week 4: at Dallas Cowboys

endured his worst loss ever as a head coach. The Patriots dropped to 1–3 after this game.

Week 5: vs. New Orleans Saints

For the second straight week, the Patriots failed to score a touchdown. This was the team's first shutout loss since

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

. They dropped to 1–4.

Week 6: at Las Vegas Raiders

The Patriots lost to the Raiders, and had their worst start in the Bill Belichick era. They dropped to 1–5 for the first time since

Week 7: vs. Buffalo Bills

This win, their first in three games, as well as their first against the Bills in two years, marks Bill Belichick's 300th in his head coaching career. This would end up being the Patriots' only win at home this season.

Week 8: at Miami Dolphins

For the second time in three years, the Patriots got swept by the Dolphins.

Week 9: vs. Washington Commanders

This was the Patriots' first loss to Washington since 2003, and their first home loss to them since 1996.

Week 10: vs. Indianapolis Colts

NFL Germany games This was the Patriots' first-ever regular season game in Germany and were the designated home team; this was their first "home" loss to the Colts since 2006.

Week 12: at New York Giants

This was the Patriots' first road loss to the Giants since 1987.

Week 13: vs. Los Angeles Chargers

The Patriots fell to 2–10, securing their first season with 10 or more losses since

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

, which was Belichick's first season coaching the team. This was the Patriots' first five-game losing streak since

. Plus, this was the first time in franchise history that the Patriots were shut out at home twice in a season. Also, the Patriots became the first team since the 1938 Cardinals to allow 10 or fewer points in three consecutive games and lose all of them.

Week 14: at Pittsburgh Steelers

This win snapped the Patriots' five-game losing streak. On top of that, the Patriots scored more points in this game than in their previous three games combined. However, the Patriots were eliminated from postseason contention when the Bengals defeated the Colts the following Sunday.

Week 15: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week 16: at Denver Broncos

Week 17: at Buffalo Bills

This was the second time in three seasons these teams split the series. With the loss, the Patriots fell to 4–12, setting a new record for most losses under Robert Kraft's ownership, and the most losses under

, and their most losses since 1992. Also, the loss meant that the Patriots would finish last in the AFC East for the first time since

Week 18: vs. New York Jets

This was the Patriots' first loss to the Jets since 2015, and their first home loss to them since the 2010 playoffs. This was also Bill Belichick’s final game with New England.Why is Bill Belichick leaving the Patriots? Career-worst season ends legendary 24-year run in New England
Sporting News, January 12, 2024

Standings

Division

Conference

Notes

References

External links

* {{2023 NFL season by team

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

New England Patriots seasons New England Patriots