The New England Patriots are a professional
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
team based in the
Greater Boston
Greater Boston is the metropolitan region of New England encompassing the municipality of Boston (the capital of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England) and its surrounding areas. The region forms the northern a ...
area. They compete 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) as a member club of the league's
American Football Conference (AFC)
East
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...
division. The Patriots play 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 ...
in
Foxborough, Massachusetts, which is southwest of downtown
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
. The franchise is owned by
Robert Kraft
Robert Kenneth Kraft (born June 5, 1941) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment ...
, who purchased the team in 1994. As of 2022, the Patriots are the ninth
most valuable sports team in the world and have sold out every home game since 1994.
Founded in 1959 as the Boston Patriots, the team was a charter member of the
American Football League (AFL) before joining the NFL in 1970 through the
AFL–NFL merger
The AFL–NFL merger was the merger of the two major professional American football leagues in the United States at the time: the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL). It paved the way for the combined league, w ...
. The Patriots played their home games at various stadiums throughout Boston until the franchise
moved to Foxborough in 1971. As part of the move, the team changed its name to the New England Patriots. Home games were played at
Foxboro Stadium
Foxboro Stadium, originally Schaefer Stadium and later Sullivan Stadium, was an outdoor stadium in the New England region of the United States, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts. It opened in 1971 and served as the home of the New England ...
until 2002 when the stadium was demolished alongside the opening of Gillette Stadium. The team began utilizing Gillette Stadium for home games the same year.
The Patriots hold the records for most
Super Bowl wins (6, tied with the
Pittsburgh Steelers), appearances (11), and losses (5, tied with the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
). Generally unsuccessful prior to the 21st century, the franchise enjoyed a period of dominance under head coach
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 ...
and 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 ...
from 2001 to 2019.
The
Brady–Belichick era
The Tom Brady–Bill Belichick era, also known as the Brady–Belichick era, the New England Patriots dynasty, or the Patriots dynasty, was a sports dynasty of the New England Patriots in the National Football League (NFL) that lasted from the ...
, regarded as one of the greatest sports
dynasties
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A d ...
, would see the Patriots claim nearly every major
Super Bowl record.
Other NFL records held by the franchise include the most playoff wins (37), the most wins in a 10-year period (126 from 2003 to 2012), the longest
winning streak
A winning streak, also known as a win streak or hot streak, is an uninterrupted sequence of success in games or competitions, commonly measured by at least 4 wins that are uninterrupted by losses or ties/draws. Although sometimes claimed as a ...
of regular season and playoff games (21 from October 2003 to October 2004), the most consecutive winning seasons (19 from 2001 to 2019), the most consecutive conference championship appearances (8 from 2011 to 2018), the most consecutive division titles (11 from 2009 to 2019), the only undefeated 16-game regular season (2007), and the highest postseason winning percentage (.638).
Franchise history
Brief summary
![Billy Sullivan (American football) 1985](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Billy_Sullivan_%28American_football%29_1985.jpg)
On November 16, 1959,
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
business executive
Billy Sullivan was awarded the eighth and final franchise of the developing
American Football League (AFL). The following winter, locals were allowed to submit ideas for the Boston football team's official name. The most popular choice – and the one that Sullivan selected – was the "Boston Patriots", with "
Patriots" referring to the colonists of the
Thirteen Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies, also known as the Thirteen British Colonies, the Thirteen American Colonies, or later as the United Colonies, were a group of British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America. Founded in the 17th and 18th cent ...
who rebelled against
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
control during the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...
and in July 1776
declared the
United States of America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
an independent nation, which heavily involved the then-colony of Massachusetts. Immediately thereafter, artist Phil Bissell of ''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' developed the "
Pat Patriot" logo.
The Patriots never had a regular home stadium in the AFL.
Nickerson Field
Nickerson Field is an outdoor athletic stadium in the Northeastern United States, on the campus of Boston University (BU) in Boston, Massachusetts. The stadium is owned by BU, and is the home field for some Boston University Terriers athletics pr ...
,
Harvard Stadium
Harvard Stadium is a U-shaped college football stadium in the northeast United States, located in the Allston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The stadium is owned and operated by Harvard University and is home to the Harvard Crimson footb ...
,
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Bas ...
(shared with baseball's
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
), and
Boston College's
Alumni Stadium
Alumni Stadium is a football stadium located on the lower campus of Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, approximately west of downtown Boston. It is the home of the Boston College Eagles. Its present seating capacity is 44,500. Offic ...
all served as home fields during their time in the American Football League. The
1963 season saw the franchise's first playoff win over Buffalo to clinch the division. They subsequently lost the
AFL championship game
For its first nine seasons, 1960 through 1968, the American Football League determined its champion via a single playoff game between the winners of its two divisions (although ties in the standings in 1963 (Eastern) and 1968 (Western) necessitat ...
to the
San Diego Chargers 51–10. They did not appear again in an AFL or NFL
post-season game for another 13 years.
When the NFL and AFL
merged in 1970, the Patriots were placed in the
American Football Conference (AFC)
East
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...
division, where they still play today.
The following year, the Patriots moved to a
new stadium in
Foxborough, Massachusetts, which would serve as their home for the next 30 years. As a result of the move, they announced they would change their name from the Boston Patriots to the Bay State Patriots, after the state of
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
.
The name was rejected by the NFL and on March 22, 1971, the team officially announced they would change its geographic name to New England.
During the 1970s, the Patriots had some success under head coach
Chuck Fairbanks
Charles Leo Fairbanks (June 10, 1933 – April 2, 2013) was a football coach who was a head coach at the high school, college and professional levels. He served as the head coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1967 to 1972 and at the Universi ...
, earning a berth to the playoffs in 1976 – as a
wild card team – and in 1978 – as AFC East champions. They lost in the first round both times. Under his successor,
Ron Erhardt, the team finished one game out of the playoffs his first two years. The next coach,
Ron Meyer
Ronald Shaw Meyer (February 17, 1941 – December 5, 2017) was an American college and professional football coach. He is best known for having been the head coach of Southern Methodist University, the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts ...
, led the team to the playoffs in the strike-shortened 1982 season, and despite not having a losing record during his career, he was fired in 1984 due to poor relationships with players and management. Hall-of-Fame player
Raymond Berry
Raymond Emmett Berry Jr. (born February 27, 1933) is an American former professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a split end for the Baltimore Colts from 1955 to 1967, and after several assist ...
was hired as his replacement, and in
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
, he brought the team to its first AFC Championship and a berth in
Super Bowl XX, which they lost to the
Chicago Bears 46–10. Following their Super Bowl loss, they returned to the playoffs in 1986, but lost in the first round. Berry left the team following a disappointing 1989 season, and his replacement
Rod Rust only lasted one season, 1990, during which the Patriots went 1–15. During the late 1980s and early 1990s they changed ownership several times, being purchased from the Sullivan family first by
Victor Kiam
Victor Kermit Kiam II (December 7, 1926 – May 27, 2001) was an American entrepreneur and TV spokesman for Remington Products, and the owner of the New England Patriots football team from 1988–1991. He was well known for his turnaround of Rem ...
in 1988, who sold the team to
James Orthwein
James Busch Orthwein (March 13, 1924 – August 15, 2008) was an American heir and business executive. He also owned the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL) from 1992 to 1993. After unsuccessfully attempting to relocate th ...
in 1992. Though Orthwein's period as owner was short and controversial, he did oversee major changes to the team, first with the hiring of former
New York Giants coach
Bill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells (born August 22, 1941) is an American former football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons. He rose to prominence as the head coach of the New York Giants from 1983 ...
in 1993. Orthwein and his marketing team then defied Patriots fans' overwhelming preference and commissioned the NFL to develop a new visual identity and logo, and changed their primary colors from the traditional red, white and blue to blue and silver for the team uniforms. Orthwein intended to move the team to his native
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
(where it would have been renamed as the
St. Louis Stallions), but instead sold the team in 1994 for $175million to Boston paper magnate
Robert Kraft
Robert Kenneth Kraft (born June 5, 1941) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment ...
, who had bought the Patriots' then-home,
Foxboro Stadium
Foxboro Stadium, originally Schaefer Stadium and later Sullivan Stadium, was an outdoor stadium in the New England region of the United States, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts. It opened in 1971 and served as the home of the New England ...
, out of bankruptcy in 1988.
Continuing on as head coach under Kraft's ownership, Parcells would bring the Patriots to two playoff appearances, including
Super Bowl XXXI (following the
1996 season), which they lost to the
Green Bay Packers by a score of 35–21.
Pete Carroll
Peter Clay Carroll (born September 15, 1951) is an American football coach who is the head coach and executive vice president for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the head football coach at USC from ...
, Parcells's successor, would also take the team to the playoffs twice in 1997 and 1998 before being dismissed as head coach after the 1999 season.
![Tom Brady and Bill Belichick](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Tom_Brady_and_Bill_Belichick.jpg)
The Patriots hired head coach
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 ...
, who had served as defensive coordinator under Parcells including during Super Bowl XXXI, in 2000. Their new home field,
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 ...
, opened in
2002 to replace the aging Foxboro Stadium. Long–time starting
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
Drew Bledsoe
Drew McQueen Bledsoe (born February 14, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football at Washington State, whe ...
, who was the franchise's star throughout the 1990s, went down with a sheared blood vessel in his chest in a week two match–up in
2001 against the rival
New York Jets. Backup 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 ...
, drafted by the Patriots in sixth round of the
2000 NFL draft
The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15– 16, 2000, at the Thea ...
, became the starting quarterback. Brady's successful play led to Bledsoe never getting his job back as a starter, and would serve as the franchise's starting quarterback for the next 18 years. Under Belichick and Brady, the Patriots became one of the most consistently dominant teams in the NFL, with many describing the team as a "
dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...
". Within the first few seasons of the 21st century, the team won three Super Bowls in four seasons (
2001,
2003, and
2004), over the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arr ...
,
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
, and
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
, respectively. The Patriots finished the
2007 regular season with a perfect 16–0 record, becoming only the fourth team in league history to go undefeated in the regular season, and the only one since the league expanded its
regular season
In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of ...
schedule to 16 games. After advancing to
Super Bowl XLII, the team's fourth Super Bowl in seven years, the Patriots were upset by the
Giants
A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore.
Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to:
Mythology and religion
*Giants (Greek mythology)
*Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'gi ...
to end their bid for a 19–0 season. With the loss, the Patriots ended the year at 18–1, becoming only one of three teams to go 18–1 along with the
1984 San Francisco 49ers
The 1984 San Francisco 49ers season was their 39th season in the National Football League (NFL). The season was highlighted by their second Super Bowl victory. The franchise had their best season ever with a record of 15 wins and only 1 loss. Qu ...
and the
1985 Chicago Bears
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
. However, both the Bears and 49ers lost their only game during the regular season, and both would win their respective Super Bowl.
The Patriots returned to the Super Bowl
in 2011 but lost again to the
Giants
A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore.
Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to:
Mythology and religion
*Giants (Greek mythology)
*Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'gi ...
, 21–17. In 2014, the Patriots reached a record-tying eighth Super Bowl, where they defeated the defending champion
Seattle Seahawks by a score of 28–24 to win
Super Bowl XLIX
Super Bowl XLIX was an American football game played to determine the champions of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2014 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Conf ...
for their fourth title. After Seattle had driven the ball to New England's 1-yard line with under a minute to go, New England rookie cornerback
Malcolm Butler made a critical
interception
In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team ...
on Seattle's final offensive play that helped to seal the victory. New England became the first team to reach nine Super Bowls in the
2016–17 playoffs and faced the
Atlanta Falcons in
Super Bowl LI
Super Bowl LI was an American football game played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017, to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2016 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New ...
. Losing 28–3 midway through the third quarter, the Patriots scored 25 unanswered points to tie the game in the final seconds of regulation. In the first
overtime
Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways:
*by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...
in Super Bowl history, the Patriots won the coin toss and scored a touchdown to claim their fifth Super Bowl victory. The Patriots extended their record to ten Super Bowl appearances in the
2017–18 playoffs but lost to the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
in
Super Bowl LII
Super Bowl LII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2017 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles defeated the American Football Conferen ...
.
The Patriots returned to the championship game for a third consecutive season in
Super Bowl LIII, where they defeated the
Los Angeles Rams 13–3 to win their sixth Super Bowl, tying them with the
Pittsburgh Steelers for most
Super Bowl victories in NFL history.
Following a disappointing 2019 season, in which the team lost in the first round of the playoffs, and in which the long-time Brady–Belichick partnership was strained due to Brady wanting to have more input in organizational decisions, Brady left for free agency and was signed by the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...
. To replace him, the Patriots signed veteran quarterback
Cam Newton
Cameron Jerrell Newton (born May 11, 1989) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He has played for 11 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Super Cam", he is the NF ...
, but after an even more disappointing 2020 season, which saw the team miss the playoffs with their first losing record in two decades, the team drafted
Mac Jones
Michael McCorkle "Mac" Jones (born September 5, 1998) is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, where he set the NCAA season records for passer ...
in the first round of the
2021 NFL Draft
The 2021 NFL Draft was the 86th National Football League Draft, the annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2021 NFL season. The draft was held in Cleveland from April 29 to May 1, 202 ...
, and released Newton after naming Jones the starting quarterback just prior to the team's first game of the 2021 season. Jones led the team to their first playoff berth without Brady since 1998, but they would lose 47–17 to the division rival Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round.
Logos and uniforms
Logos
File:New England Patriots logo old.svg,
File:New England Patriots logo.svg,
![Pro Football Hall of Fame (27033840159)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Pro_Football_Hall_of_Fame_%2827033840159%29.jpg)
The Patriots original helmet logo was a simple
tricorne
The tricorne or tricorn is a style of hat that was popular during the 18th century, falling out of style by 1800, though actually not called a "tricorne" until the mid-19th century. During the 18th century, hats of this general style were refer ...
hat, used only for the 1960 season. From 1961 to 1992, the Patriots used a logo of a
Revolutionary War minuteman hiking a football. The Patriots
wordmark
__notoc__
A wordmark, word mark, or logotype, is usually a distinct text-only typographic treatment of the name of a company, institution, or product name used for purposes of identification and branding. Examples can be found in the graphic iden ...
logo during this time consisted of a western-style font. The minuteman logo became known as the "
Pat Patriot" logo, which later became the name of the team's mascot.
In 1979, the Patriots worked with
NFL Properties National Football League Properties, also known as NFL Properties (abbreviated NFLP), is the merchandising and licensing arm of the National Football League (NFL). The subsidiary of the league was founded in 1963 to maintain control of the brands of ...
to design a new, streamlined logo, to replace the complex Pat Patriot logo. The new logo featured the blue and white profile of a minuteman in a tricorne hat set against a flag showing three red stripes separated by two white stripes. Team owner Billy Sullivan decided to put the new logo up to a vote against Pat Patriot with the fans at the September 23 home game against the
San Diego Chargers, using a
sound level meter to judge the crowd's reaction. The new logo was decidedly rejected by the crowd in favor of Pat, and the concept was shelved.
In 1993, a new logo was unveiled involving the gray face of a minuteman wearing a red, white and royal blue hat that begins as a tricorne and transitions into a flowing banner-like design. It became popularly known as the "Flying Elvis" due to many observing its resemblance to the profile of a young
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
. A new script logo was introduced as well in tandem with the "Flying Elvis", utilizing a cursive font.
In 2000, the blue color used on the tricorne of the "Flying Elvis" as well as the outline of the cursive wordmark was switched from royal blue to nautical blue to concide with the uniform change in the new millennium.
On July 3, 2013, the Patriots unveiled a new wordmark to accompany the "Flying Elvis", which replaced the script of their previous cursive typeface with modernized block letters (colored in blue or white depending on the background), and modified the "Flying Elvis" to be underneath instead of flowing up-top. While appearing everywhere else, it was not applied on the uniforms until the
2015 season due to NFL uniform policies.
Uniforms
1960–1992
The Patriots' primary uniforms remained largely unchanged from the franchises' inaugural season until 1993. The Patriots originally wore red jerseys with white block numbering at home, and white jerseys with red block numbering on the road. Both uniforms used white pants and white helmets, first with the hat logo over the player's number, then with the "Pat Patriot" logo starting in 1961.
A blue stripe was added to the two red helmet stripes in 1964.
The numbers on both the home and away jerseys gained a blue outline in 1973.
In 1979, the Patriots began the first of many sporadic runs of wearing red pants with the white jerseys.
The red pants were dropped in 1981, but returned in 1984. After being dropped again in 1988, they were used again from 1990 to 1992.
1993–1999
The Patriots underwent a complete identity overhaul before the 1993 season, starting with the introduction of the aforementioned "Flying Elvis" logo. The new uniforms consisted of a royal blue home jersey and a white away jersey.
The helmet was silver with the Flying Elvis logo and no additional striping.
Both uniforms used silver pants, originally with stripes designed to look like those flowing from the Flying Elvis, but these were changed to simple red and blue stripes after one season. When they debuted, both the home and away jerseys used red block numbers with a blue and white outline, but after one season the home uniforms switched to the now-familiar white with a red outline.
In 1995, the Patriots switched the block numbers to a more modern rounded number font with a dropshadow.
The Patriots were one of the first adopters of custom numbers, a trend that would grow drastically over the next 20 years.
2000–2019
![Patriots 12uniforms](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Patriots_12uniforms.png)
In 2000, the Patriots then became one of the few teams at the time to drop the rounded numbers and switch back to block numbers. The shade of blue was switched for the first time in the franchises' history, from royal to nautical blue. The jerseys once again had the number on the shoulders while the logo moved back to the sleeves. "New Century" silver stripes were also added to the home jersey, with nautical blue stripes appearing on the away jersey. The Patriots, unsatisfied with the 1990s white-on-silver road look, also took the opportunity to introduce blue pants to be worn with the white jersey, offering a better contrast. To better match the blue pants, the number on the white jersey was switched from red to blue.
Though the Patriots had generally worn silver pants with the blue jerseys, and navy pants with the white jerseys, they did wear an all-blue set during the 2002 season. On two consecutive home games that season, the Patriots wore blue tops with their road blue pants and white socks; they lost both games (Week 6 vs. the Packers, and Week 8 vs. the Broncos). The team would not wear an all-blue set again until the introduction of the
Color Rush uniforms in 2016.
Throughout the
2011 season, the Patriots wore dark patches with white lettering on their uniforms with the initials 'MHK' in honor of
Myra Kraft
Myra Hiatt Kraft (''née'' Myra Nathalie Hiatt; December 27, 1942 – July 20, 2011) was an American philanthropist and the wife of New England Patriots and New England Revolution owner Robert Kraft.
Early life and education
Kraft was born in Wor ...
, the late long-time spouse of owner Robert Kraft.
2020–present
![2022Patriotsuniforms](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/2022Patriotsuniforms.png)
For the 2020 season, the Patriots made some changes to their uniform. The all-blue "Color Rush" design became the primary home uniform, complete with updated block letters and numbers, and blue/red/white socks. A corresponding white uniform was also unveiled, also paired with the blue pants. Both uniforms featured truncated shoulder striping as a nod to the "Pat Patriot" uniforms. Coincidentally, the arrival of new jerseys occurred with the departure of long-time 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 ...
, from the Patriots. Brady was in New England exactly between the last uniform change in 2000, and left before the 2020 uniform change in 2019.
The Patriots brought back the silver pants to pair with the current uniforms in a 2022 Week 7 home game on
Monday Night Football
''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, A ...
against the
Chicago Bears. Unlike the previous silver pants the team wore from 2000 to 2019, this design featured thicker red stripes, matching the same width as the middle blue stripe.
Alternate uniforms
In 1994, the Patriots wore the "Pat Patriot" helmets and plain white striped pants from two seasons prior as alternates as part of the NFL's 75th-anniversary celebration. In 2002, NFL teams were allowed to add a permanent third jersey to be worn in a maximum of two games. The Patriots reintroduced a red jersey as their alternate, complemented with the old-style "Pat Patriot" helmet.
In 2003, the Patriots changed their alternate to a silver jersey with blue pants. For this uniform, the "Flying Elvis" helmet was used.
The uniform was identical to the white jersey with any areas of white replaced by silver. These uniforms were dropped after 2007. No alternate uniform was used in 2008. In 2009, the red alternate was reintroduced, again accompanied by the "Pat Patriot" helmet. An alternate white road jersey was also worn with the older helmet for one game, using red numbers, in tribute to the 50th anniversary of the AFL. The red alternate gained a blue outline around the numbers in 2010 and this was worn through 2012. The Patriots temporarily retired their alternate red uniforms in 2013, thanks to a new NFL rule outlawing throwback alternate helmets, and restricting teams to one helmet shell only. However, after the NFL reinstated the use of alternate helmets in 2022, the Patriots brought back the throwback red uniforms.
In 2016, the Patriots took part in the NFL's Color Rush program, wearing monochrome navy uniforms on September 22 against the
Houston Texans.
The uniform tops were patterned after the 1980s Pat Patriot-era uniforms, while the pants featured thick white stripes with red accents. They have worn them a total of four times since 2016. In 2017, an all-white Color Rush uniform was introduced and used for the Patriots' Thursday night road game against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...
.
Facilities
Stadium and headquarters
Since 2002, the Patriots' home stadium has been
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 ...
, a $350million facility privately financed by
Robert Kraft
Robert Kenneth Kraft (born June 5, 1941) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment ...
, located in
Foxborough, Massachusetts. It houses the team's practice facilities, the team's administrative offices, as well as its owning entity's,
The Kraft Group, along with the Kraft-owned
Major League Soccer team, the
New England Revolution
The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compe ...
.
The field, which was originally natural grass, was replaced with a
FieldTurf surface during the 2006 season. Despite not being around for more than 20 years, Gillette Stadium is home to the second most postseason games ever,
Candlestick Park
Candlestick Park was an outdoor stadium on the West Coast of the United States, located in San Francisco's Bayview Heights area. The stadium was originally the home of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants, who played there from 1960 ...
being first with 27 total. The Patriots have a 20–4 playoff record in this stadium as of the conclusion of the
2019 NFL season
The 2019 NFL season was the 100th season of the National Football League (NFL) and the 54th of the Super Bowl era. The season began on September 5, 2019, with the NFL Kickoff Game, in which Green Bay defeated Chicago. The season concluded ...
, the AFC playoffs consistently had the Patriots playing from home in 2001–2019. The area around the stadium was developed, beginning in 2007, into a $375million "lifestyle and entertainment center" called
Patriot Place
Patriot Place is an open-air shopping center owned by The Kraft Group built around Gillette Stadium, the home of the New England Patriots and New England Revolution. It is located in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
The first phase opened in fall 2 ...
; among its largest structures is a multi-floor restaurant and bar called
CBS Scene.
Prior to 2002, the Patriots played in
Foxboro Stadium
Foxboro Stadium, originally Schaefer Stadium and later Sullivan Stadium, was an outdoor stadium in the New England region of the United States, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts. It opened in 1971 and served as the home of the New England ...
dating back to 1971, the team's second year in the NFL after the AFL–NFL merger, and this venue was also privately funded. The final game in this stadium was the
2001 AFC Divisional Playoff game which was a 16–13 overtime win over the visiting
Oakland Raiders, known for the raging snowstorm and the "tuck rule" call.
During the team's days in the
American Football League and its first year in the NFL, the Boston Patriots were hosted by a number of fields in or around
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
– they played at
Nickerson Field
Nickerson Field is an outdoor athletic stadium in the Northeastern United States, on the campus of Boston University (BU) in Boston, Massachusetts. The stadium is owned by BU, and is the home field for some Boston University Terriers athletics pr ...
(1960–62),
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Bas ...
(1963–68),
Alumni Stadium
Alumni Stadium is a football stadium located on the lower campus of Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, approximately west of downtown Boston. It is the home of the Boston College Eagles. Its present seating capacity is 44,500. Offic ...
(1969), and
Harvard Stadium
Harvard Stadium is a U-shaped college football stadium in the northeast United States, located in the Allston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The stadium is owned and operated by Harvard University and is home to the Harvard Crimson footb ...
(1970).
Training camp and practice
![New England Patriots defensive players at 2009 training camp](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/New_England_Patriots_defensive_players_at_2009_training_camp.jpg)
The Patriots hold
training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events, ...
and practices just outside of Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, with twin practice fields available for team use.
Prior to 2003, the Patriots held training camp and practice at numerous locations. From 1976 to 2002, the team held training camp at
Bryant College in
Smithfield, Rhode Island
Smithfield is a town that is located in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. It includes the historic villages of Esmond, Georgiaville, Mountaindale, Hanton City, Stillwater and Greenville. The population was 22,118 at the 2020 cens ...
. From 1960 to 1961, then from 1969 to 1975, the Patriots held training camp at
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, ...
. Between 1962 and 1968, the Patriots held training camp at
Phillips Academy in
Andover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 387. As of th ...
.
From 1971 until 2001, the Patriots would simply practice at Foxboro Stadium whenever the field was available, otherwise they would use the public football fields that were available in Foxborough.
Aircraft
![New England Patriots Boeing 763 arrives at Logan International Airport with medical supplies](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/New_England_Patriots_Boeing_763_arrives_at_Logan_International_Airport_with_medical_supplies.jpg)
In 2017, the Patriots purchased two
Boeing 767-300ERs for use as team planes, with one serving as the backup, which were ready in time for the
2017 NFL season
The 2017 NFL season was the 98th season in the history of the National Football League (NFL) and the 52nd of the Super Bowl era. The season began on September 7, 2017, with Kansas City defeating defending Super Bowl LI champion New England i ...
. This made them the first team in league history to own their own planes. At the time it was getting more difficult for professional sports teams to book private charter flights, with eight teams being dropped that season, as major commercial airlines were instead focusing on more profitable scheduled flights. The two jet airliners, N366AA and N39367, were previously operated by
American Airlines
American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...
from 1991 to 2016. The planes are known affectionately as "AirKrafts" after team owner
Robert Kraft
Robert Kenneth Kraft (born June 5, 1941) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment ...
. Kraft has lent one of the planes to transport students to the
March for Our Lives
March for Our Lives (MFOL) was a student-led demonstration in support of gun control legislation. It took place in Washington, D.C., on March 24, 2018, with over 880 sibling events throughout the United States and around the world, and wa ...
demonstration in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
Both planes are currently operating for the American airline,
Eastern Airlines, LLC.
Rivalries
In terms of number of games played, the Patriots have competed most against other teams in the
AFC East division: the
Buffalo Bills,
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...
, and
New York Jets, who were all a part of the AFC East division since the AFL-NFL Merger, as well as the former AFL Eastern division. The Patriots also share rivalries with several teams outside of their division, including the
Indianapolis Colts, who were members of the AFC East from 1970 to 2001, the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
, the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
, the
Pittsburgh Steelers and the
Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West div ...
. Outside of the AFC, the Patriots also had a memorable rivalry with the
New York Giants.
Divisional rivals
New York Jets
![Bill Belichick 2019 (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Bill_Belichick_2019_%28cropped%29.jpg)
The closest rivalry geographically has been that with the
New York Jets. The Patriots and Jets have been in the same division (what is now the AFC East) since both teams' foundings in 1960, and have played each other at least twice a year since then.
The rivalry between the Jets and Patriots has escalated since 1996, when Patriots head coach
Bill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells (born August 22, 1941) is an American former football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons. He rose to prominence as the head coach of the New York Giants from 1983 ...
left the Patriots under controversy to become the head coach of the Jets; he was replaced by former Jets coach
Pete Carroll
Peter Clay Carroll (born September 15, 1951) is an American football coach who is the head coach and executive vice president for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the head football coach at USC from ...
.
Four years later, Carroll was fired, and Parcells's assistant,
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 ...
, resigned the day he was named the Jets' head coach to become the head coach of the Patriots. Six years after that,
Eric Mangini, an assistant under Belichick, became the head coach of the Jets.
Bill Belichick achieved his 200th career head coaching win (regular season and playoffs) on November 22, 2012, defeating the Jets
49–19; it was his 163rd such win as Patriots coach. Belichick also passed
George Halas for second most career head coaching wins (regular season and playoffs) with his 325th win on October 30, 2022, in a 22–17 victory over the Jets.
Buffalo Bills
![J](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/J.P._Losman_tackled_in_the_end_zone_by_Ty_Warren_2006-09-10.jpg)
The Patriots and the
Bills were both charter members of the AFL, and even competed with each other in an AFL playoff game. They have remained divisional rivals since the NFL-AFL merger. Prior to the rise of Tom Brady, the two teams shared a mellow, yet occasionally competitive rivalry, featuring highlights from players such as
O. J. Simpson,
Steve Grogan
Steven James Grogan (born July 24, 1953) is a former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for sixteen seasons with the New England Patriots. He played college football at Kansas State University and was sel ...
,
Joe Ferguson
Joseph Carlton Ferguson Jr. (born April 23, 1950) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Arkansas.
Early year ...
,
Jim Kelly
James Edward Kelly (born February 14, 1960) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He also spent two seasons with the Houston Gamblers of the United Stat ...
, and
Drew Bledsoe
Drew McQueen Bledsoe (born February 14, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football at Washington State, whe ...
. However, Brady dominated the Bills during his tenure as the Patriots' franchise quarterback, holding a 32–3 regular-season record over them. Though Patriots fans usually felt apathetic towards the Bills during the Brady era, Bills fans came to despise the Patriots more than any other rival.
With the departure of
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 ...
after the 2019 season, the Bills swept the Pats in 2020, including a 38–9 ''
Monday Night Football
''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, A ...
'' win that stands as the worst home loss of the Belichick era. It was their first time doing so since 1999, Belichick's first year as head coach and the year before Brady was drafted.
In the
2021–22 NFL playoffs, the Bills defeated the Patriots 47–17 in the rivalry's first playoff matchup in nearly 60 years, with the Bills scoring seven consecutive touchdowns and never punting or attempting a field goal against the Pats defense,
[Khari Thompson.]
Josh Allen, Bills demolish Patriots in stunning 47–17 blowout
. Boston.com
''Boston.com'' is a regional website that offers news and information about the Boston, Massachusetts, region. It is owned and operated by Boston Globe Media Partners, the publisher of ''The Boston Globe''.
History
''Boston.com'' was one of t ...
, January 15, 2022. Accessed January 16, 2022. making for the NFL's first "perfect offensive game" in history and the worst playoff loss of Belichick's career.
Miami Dolphins
![1986 Jeno's Pizza - 35 - Craig James](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/1986_Jeno%27s_Pizza_-_35_-_Craig_James.jpg)
The Patriots first played the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...
in 1966 in the AFL, when Miami was one of two expansion teams to debut that year in that league. The Dolphins dominated the Patriots in the 1970s and 1990s, but the two teams remained competitive with each other for years before the rise of Tom Brady. Brady, however, struggled occasionally against the Dolphins in the 2000s before reasserting dominance in the 2010s. The Patriots and Dolphins are the only two teams in the Super Bowl era to post undefeated regular season records, with Miami
going 14–0 in 1972 and the Patriots
going 16–0 in 2007. Notable moments between the clubs include the
Snowplow Game, three playoff matchups, the Dolphins revealing their
Wildcat offense
Wildcat formation describes a formation for the offense in football in which the ball is snapped not to the quarterback but directly to a player of another position lined up at the quarterback position. (In most systems, this is a running back, but ...
against the Patriots, and the
Miracle in Miami.
Conference rivals
Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts
The Patriots rivalry with the
Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts ran through the two clubs' tenure together in the
AFC East (1970–2001). The two clubs clashed in several close games, such as on December 19, 1971, as a late Patriots touchdown decided a 21–17 New England win; on September 18, 1978, the Colts rallied to defeat the Patriots 34–27 on ''
Monday Night Football
''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, A ...
'' on a virtual one-man scoring rampage by running back
Joe Washington; on September 4, 1983, the Colts defeated the Patriots in overtime 29–23 in their final season in Baltimore.
The Patriots defeated the Colts in back-to-back overtime games, 23–17 on December 8, 1991, and 37–34 on November 15, 1992.
![Colts vs Patriots 2011 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Colts_vs_Patriots_2011_01.jpg)
Even though the two clubs were placed in separate divisions in the NFL's 2002 divisional realignment, their rivalry did not diminish. At that time, both teams were among the best in the AFC, and both were led by likely Hall of Fame quarterbacks,
Peyton Manning (for the Colts) and
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 ...
(for the Patriots). The teams met three times in four years (2003, 2004, 2006) in the playoffs, with the winner going on to win that season's
Super Bowl each time. The Manning portion of the rivalry began in Manning's rookie season, 1998; in
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
Manning suffered a bitter 31–28 loss in September as the Patriots behind
Drew Bledsoe
Drew McQueen Bledsoe (born February 14, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football at Washington State, whe ...
erased a 28–7 Colts lead, then defeated the Patriots 20–15 in Indianapolis on December 12. The Brady–Manning portion of the rivalry began on September 30, 2001, as Brady made his first NFL start in a 44–13 Patriots win at Foxboro; on October 21 the Patriots defeated the Colts at the
RCA Dome 38–17.
After the Colts left the AFC East in 2002, they first met on November 30, 2003, in a 38–34 Patriots win decided on a last-second goal line stand by the Patriots.
The Colts broke a six-game Patriot winning streak in the rivalry in November 2005,
then won twice in 2006;
in the
AFC Championship Game the Colts erased a 21–6 halftime lead; the game lead tied or changed seven times in the second half before a late touchdown led to a 38–34 Colts win. The November 4, 2007, meeting involved both teams being unbeaten to that point; the 8–0 Patriots and the 7–0 Colts. The Patriots rallied to win 24–20. The Colts won again in 2008 and then erased a large Patriots lead in 2009's
4th and 2 game. Manning's final meeting with the Patriots as a Colt came in November 2010; a late interception sealed a 31–28 Patriots win.
In 2012, the Patriots faced the Colts, quarterbacked now by
Andrew Luck
Andrew Austen Luck (born September 12, 1989) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. One of the most highly touted amateur prospects during hi ...
, on November 18; the Patriots defeated the Colts 59–24. The Patriots also beat the Colts on January 12, 2014, 43–22. The Patriots played the Colts in the playoffs again on January 18, 2015, in the AFC title game, winning 45–7.
Baltimore Ravens
The
Ravens
Ravens may refer to:
* Raven, a species of the genus ''Corvus''
Sports
* Anderson Ravens, the intercollegiate athletic program of Anderson University in Indiana
* Baltimore Ravens, a professional American football franchise
* Benedictine Ravens, ...
first met the New England Patriots in 1996, but the rivalry truly started in 2007 when the Ravens suffered a bitter 27–24 loss in the Patriots'
quest for perfection. The rivalry began to escalate in 2009 when the Ravens lost to the Patriots 27–21 in a game that involved a confrontation between Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Ravens linebacker
Terrell Suggs
Terrell Raymonn Suggs (born October 11, 1982), nicknamed "T-Sizzle", is an American former professional outside linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arizona State, and was recognized as a unanimous A ...
. Both players would go on to take verbal shots at each other through the media after the game. The Ravens defeated the Patriots in the 2009 AFC Wild Card playoff game, 33–14.
This was the first time the Ravens had ever defeated the Patriots.
The Ravens faced the Patriots in week six of the 2010 season. The Patriots ended up winning 23–20 in overtime; the game caused controversy from a hit to the helmet of tight end
Todd Heap
Todd Benjamin Heap (born March 16, 1980) is a former American football tight end who played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL).
After playing college football for Arizona State University, he was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in ...
by Patriots safety
Brandon Meriweather
Brandon Meriweather (born January 14, 1984) is a former American football free safety. He played college football at the University of Miami, and was drafted by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. Meriweather has ...
.
![Tom Brady in October 2013](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Tom_Brady_in_October_2013.jpg)
The Ravens played the Patriots for the third consecutive season in the 2011 AFC Championship Game, which the Ravens lost 23–20.
The rivalry reached a new level of friction with this, the second career playoff game between the two clubs. The Ravens clawed to a 20–16 lead in the fourth quarter, but Patriots quarterback Tom Brady dove into the end zone to make the score 23–20 with around 11 minutes remaining; this proved to be the winning touchdown.
On the Ravens' last possession of the game, quarterback
Joe Flacco threw a pass to wide receiver Lee Evans in the corner of the end zone which looked to be the game-winning touchdown, before a last-second strip by Sterling Moore forced the ball from the hands of Evans, forcing the game to be decided on a last-minute field goal by Ravens placekicker Billy Cundiff.
With 11 seconds remaining on the clock, the kicker missed the 32-yard field goal attempt, allowing the Patriots to kill the clock on their way to
Super Bowl XLVI for a rematch with the
New York Giants.
The Ravens' first regular-season win over the Patriots came on September 23, 2012. The game was emotional as receiver
Torrey Smith
Torrey may refer to:
* Torrey (name), including a list of people with the name
* Torrey, Utah
* Torrey, New York
See also
* , a supertanker wrecked off Cornwall in 1967
* Torrey pine
* Torrey Pines High School
* Torrey Pines Golf Course
* Torre ...
was competing following the death of his brother in a motorcycle accident just the night before. Smith caught two touchdowns in a back and forth game; the Ravens erased a 13–0 lead in the first half and led 14–13, but the Patriots scored at the end of the second quarter for a 20–14 lead. The lead changed twice in the third quarter and the Patriots led 30–21 in the fourth, but the Ravens scored on Smith's second touchdown catch. The Ravens were stopped on fourth down but the Patriots had to punt; in the final two minutes a pass interference penalty on Devin McCourty put the ball at the Patriots 7-yard line; new Ravens kicker
Justin Tucker
Justin Paul Tucker (born November 21, 1989) is an American football placekicker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas and was signed by the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2012 ...
booted a 27-yard field goal on the final play; the ball sailed directly over the upright and was ruled good; the quality of officiating by replacement referees caused controversy as
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 ...
angrily reached for one of the referees as they were leaving the field, leading to a $50,000 fine later that week.
The two teams met again on January 20, 2013, in the AFC Championship, where the Ravens won 28–13.
The Patriots led at halftime, 13–7, but the Ravens defense gave up no points in the 2nd half.
It was the first time ever that Tom Brady lost a game at home after leading at halftime, and the first time a road team beat the Patriots in the AFC Championship.
The two teams met once again at Gillette Stadium in the playoffs on January 10, 2015. The Patriots trailed by as much as 14 twice, before beating the Ravens 35–31 to advance to the AFC Championship.
The two teams met with
Lamar Jackson as the Ravens quarterback for the first time on
Sunday Night Football on November 3, 2019. The 8–0 Patriots were favored over the 5–2 Ravens before the game, but the Ravens won in a blowout, 37–20.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos and Patriots met twice annually during the
American Football League (AFL) years from 1960 to 1969, and played in the first-ever AFL game on September 9, 1960. Since , the two teams have met frequently during the regular season, including nine consecutive seasons from 1995 to 2003. As of the end of the season, the two teams have met in the playoffs five times, with the Broncos owning a 4–1 record. The teams' first playoff match on January 4, 1987 was
John Elway's first career playoff win, while the teams' second playoff match on January 14, 2006 game was the Broncos' first playoff win since Elway's retirement after the
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
season. The game was also notable for
Champ Bailey
Roland "Champ" Bailey Jr. (born June 22, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, where he earned consensus All-Am ...
's 100-yard interception that resulted in a touchdown-saving tackle by
Benjamin Watson
Benjamin Seth Watson (born December 18, 1980) is a former American football tight end. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 32nd overall in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft and won Super Bowl XXXIX with the Patriots over the Philadel ...
at the 1-yard line. On October 11, 2009, the two teams met with former Patriots' offensive coordinator,
Josh McDaniels
Joshua Thomas McDaniels (born April 22, 1976) is an American football
head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He began his NFL career in 2001 with the New England Patriots, where he served as the offensive coo ...
as the Broncos'
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 ...
. Both teams wore their
AFL 50th anniversary jerseys. The game featured a 98-yard drive in the fourth quarter, with a game-tying touchdown pass from
Kyle Orton to
Brandon Marshall
Brandon Tyrone Marshall (born March 23, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCF Knights, and was drafted by ...
, followed by an overtime drive led by Orton that resulted in a 41-yard game-winning field goal by
Matt Prater
Matthew Phillip Prater (born August 10, 1984) is an American football placekicker for
the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). Regarded as one of the best long distance kickers in NFL history, he held the NFL record for lon ...
. The two teams met in the Divisional round of the
2011 playoffs, with the Patriots blowing out
Tim Tebow and the Broncos by a score of 45–10.
The Broncos' rivalry with the Patriots later intensified when longtime
Indianapolis Colts' quarterback
Peyton Manning became the Broncos' starting
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
from 2012 to 2015. Manning and Patriots' 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 ...
maintained a legendary
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 ...
from until Manning's retirement after the season. Though Brady dominated Manning in regular season play, winning nine of twelve meetings, Manning won three of five playoff meetings, including the Broncos' 26–16 win in the 2013 AFC Championship and the Broncos' 20–18 win in the
2015 AFC Championship.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The
Pittsburgh Steelers emerged as a prominent rival in league circles when the Patriots upset the Steelers in the 2001
AFC Championship Game at
Heinz Field
Acrisure Stadium is a football stadium located in the North Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It primarily serves as the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) and the Pittsburgh Panth ...
, though the two teams had met in the postseason twice before; the Patriots defeated the Steelers in 1996 28–3 while the Steelers won 7–6 in
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
; both times, the Patriots fielded players with Pittsburgh-area roots in
Ty Law and
Curtis Martin
Curtis James Martin Jr. (born May 1, 1973) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the New York Jets. He spent his first three seasons with the New England Patrio ...
. Martin's final game with the Patriots was in the 1997 playoffs before he departed to the rival
New York Jets. Following the 2001 AFC title upset, the Patriots defeated the Steelers 30–14 at the start of the 2002 season. Pittsburgh did not exact revenge for the two losses until ending the Patriots' record-setting 21-game winning streak in week 6 of the
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.
With New England as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005. Hurricanes forced the rescheduling o ...
. Later that season, the Steelers lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Patriots in the AFC Championship game after a 15–1 regular season.
The Patriots won six of seven meetings over a ten-year period (–) before the Steelers broke through with a 33–10 victory at
Foxborough in , after
Matt Cassel
Matthew Brennan Cassel (born May 17, 1982) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. A member of seven NFL teams, Cassel's most notable stints were with the New England Patriots ...
turned the ball over five times. The Patriots in
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
then made history by becoming the first opponent to score 55 points on the Steelers, winning 55–31. The Patriots won again in 2015 (28–21) and 2016's regular season (27–16), and then won 36–17 in the 2016
AFC Championship Game. They also won in 2017 when a go-ahead touchdown reception by Steelers' tight end
Jesse James was controversially called back. Though they ultimately missed the playoffs, the Steelers defeated the Patriots by a score of 17–10 on December 16, 2018, in Pittsburgh.
In the postseason, the Patriots have outscored the Steelers 135–75, with the Patriots maintaining a 4–1 record. The only other franchises with winning AFC playoff records against Steelers include 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 ...
(2–1), the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...
(2–0), and the Broncos (5–3). The Steelers have an all-time regular-season record of 15–13 against the Patriots. In the
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 ...
era, the main period of the rivalry, the Patriots have a 12–4 record against the Steelers. In their last matchup, the Patriots beat the Steelers 33–3 on
Sunday Night Football.
Oakland/Los Angeles/Las Vegas Raiders
The rivalry between the Patriots and the
Oakland/Los Angeles/Las Vegas Raiders dates to their time in the AFL, but was intensified during a 1978 preseason game, when Patriots wide receiver
Darryl Stingley
Darryl Floyd Stingley (September 18, 1951April 5, 2007) was an American professional football player, a wide receiver whose career was ended at age 26 by an on-field spinal cord injury. He played his entire five-year career with the New England ...
was permanently paralyzed after a vicious hit delivered by Raiders free safety
Jack Tatum
John David Tatum (November 18, 1948 – July 27, 2010) was an American football safety. He played 10 seasons, from 1971 through 1980, with the Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers in the National Football League (NFL). He was popularly known as " ...
. Before that, the Patriots also lost a playoff game in 1976 to the Raiders; the game is unofficially known as "The
Ben Dreith
Ben Dreith (February 1, 1925April 25, 2021) was an American professional football on-field official who worked from 1960 to 1969 in the American Football League (AFL) and from 1970 to 1990 in the NFL. Prior to his teaching and officiating career, ...
Game" due to a controversial penalty by head referee Dreith. While based in Los Angeles, the Raiders hosted the Patriots in the divisional round of the playoffs in 1986. The game was won by the Patriots and marred by a chaotic rumble between the teams in the end zone as players were leaving the field after the game. The brawl was especially notable for Raiders linebacker
Matt Millen
Matthew George Millen (born March 12, 1958) is a former American football linebacker and executive. Millen played 12 years in the National Football League for the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, and Washington Redskins, ...
attacking GM
Patrick Sullivan, son of owner Billy Sullivan, with his helmet. The two teams met in a
divisional-round playoff game in 2002, which became known as the "
Tuck Rule Game
The 2001 AFC Divisional Playoff game between the New England Patriots and the Oakland Raiders, also known as the Tuck Rule Game or the Snow Bowl, or sometimes referred to as Snow Bowl 2, took place on January 19, 2002, at Foxboro Stadium in Fox ...
". Late in the game, an incomplete pass, ruled a fumble, by quarterback Tom Brady was overturned, and the Patriots went on to win in overtime and eventually won the Super Bowl against the heavily favored
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arr ...
.
Since that game, the Patriots have won five of the last six regular-season contests between the two teams. The first contest being the following year during the 2002 season in Oakland, with the Raiders winning 27–20; they met in the 2005 season opener in New England with the Patriots ruining
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss (born February 13, 1977) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Tennessee ...
' debut as a Raider 30–20; the Patriots defeated the Raiders 49–26 in December 2008 in
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 ...
's 100th regular-season win as Patriots coach; a Patriots 31–19 win during the
2011 season; a scrappy 16–9 Patriots win in the third week of the
2014 season, and the Patriots' 33–8 win in Mexico City in
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...
.
Inter-conference rivals
New York Giants
![TomBrady](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/TomBrady.jpg)
The two teams rarely played each other given they were on opposite conferences, but the rivalry gained notoriety in the late 2000s thanks to some close contests and memorable moments between Tom Brady and
Eli Manning. In the 2007 season, the
Patriots defeated the Giants 38–35 to clinch a perfect 16–0 regular season, but could not finish a perfect 19–0 season in
Super Bowl XLII following a 17–14 defeat. That game featured the now-iconic
Helmet Catch from
David Tyree. The Giants also defeated the Patriots in
Super Bowl XLVI, a 21–17 victory.
Strategy and influence
Under head coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots have employed specific on-field and off-field strategies. On the field, the Patriots have typically used an "
Erhardt Erhardt is a surname, and may refer to:
* Anke Ehrhardt, researcher on gender, sexual development and HIV
*Bruna Erhardt (born 1988), Brazilian fashion model
*Carl Erhardt (1897–1988), English Olympic ice hockey player
*Christopher Erhardt (born ...
–
Perkins" offense and a "
Fairbanks–
Bullough"
3–4 defense
In American football, the 3–4 defense is a common defensive alignment consisting of three down linemen and four linebackers. It is a called a "base defense" because it is the default defensive alignment used on "base downs" (1st and 2nd downs ...
, referred to commonly as a two-gap 3–4 defensive system. Under Erhardt's, Perkin's and Bullough's stints as coordinators and head coaches across the league after developing the scheme in collaboration with head coach Chuck Fairbanks, the systems developed in New England in the 1970s would begin to see historic use. Influence spread, especially under their coaching tree in
Bill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells (born August 22, 1941) is an American former football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons. He rose to prominence as the head coach of the New York Giants from 1983 ...
' schemes as head coach of the
New York Giants in the mid-to-late 1980s, after serving as a linebacker coach for the Patriots in 1980. Parcells would come back to New England as head coach in 1993 and re-install the system used in the 1970s and 1980s, re-uniting with Ray Perkins as WR coach. Parcells own coaching tree would use the scheme created in New England as well, especially Belichick, once he was named as head coach after years of being an assistant to Parcells with the New York Giants, the Patriots, and the
New York Jets.
Since 2000, the philosophy in making personnel decisions and in game planning has focused on the "team" concept, stressing preparation, strong work ethic, versatility, and lack of individual ego. This approach, which has led to six Super Bowl victories under Belichick, has been analyzed in media such as the 2004 book ''
Patriot Reign'', as well as the 2021 documentary miniseries
Man in the Arena.
The New England Patriots are noted for the following characteristics under coach Belichick's tenure, dubbed as the "Patriot Way":
* Their self-critical, perfectionist, and militaristic approach
* Their emphasis on team, equality among players and lack of individual ego
* Their strong work ethic, intelligence and high level of focus and preparation for each individual game
* Their versatile players, able to
play multiple positions
* Their multiple schemes intended to take advantage of their opponent's weaknesses
Championships
File:Super Bowl XXXVI Ring - NFL Draft Experience 2021.jpg,
File:Super Bowl XXXVIII Ring - NFL Draft Experience 2021.jpg,
File:Super Bowl XXXIX Ring - NFL Draft Experience 2021.jpg,
File:Super Bowl XLIX Ring - NFL Draft Experience 2021.jpg,
File:Super Bowl LI Ring - NFL Draft Experience 2021.jpg,
File:Super Bowl LIII Ring - NFL Draft Experience 2021.jpg,
Super Bowl championships
The Patriots have won six
Super Bowls
The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...
, the
league championship of the
NFL. The franchise is tied for the most all-time with the
Pittsburgh Steelers. The team repeated as champions between the
2003 and
2004 NFL seasons, the last club to do so among the seven franchises who have accomplished it (
Green Bay Packers,
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...
, Pittsburgh Steelers (twice),
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
,
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
, and the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
). Between
2001 and
2004, the Patriots became the second team in NFL history (after the Dallas Cowboys) to win three Super Bowls in four years (2001,
2003, 2004), and are also the last franchise to have achieved it.
AFC championships
The New England Patriots have won eleven
AFC Championships, the record for the most conference championships all-time in the NFL.
Division championships
The New England Patriots have won 22 Division Championships, which is second place for the most all-time behind the
Pittsburgh Steelers and
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
, who are tied in first with 24. One of these divisional titles was won in the
AFL in the
AFL East (1963), the rest were won in the
AFC East of the
NFL.
Statistics, records, and awards
Season-by-season results
This is a partial list of the Patriots' last five completed seasons. For the full season-by-season franchise results, see
List of New England Patriots seasons.
''Note: The Finish, Wins, Losses, and Ties columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play.''
Record vs. opponents
, -
,
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...
, , 8 , , 1 , , 0 , , , , W 50–10 , , January 2, 2022 , ,
Foxborough, Massachusetts , , 4–1 postseason
, -
,
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
, , 9 , , 2 , , 0 , , , , W 9–0 , , November 15, 2020 , , Foxborough, Massachusetts , , 2–2 postseason
, -
,
Chicago Bears , , 10 , , 3 , , 0 , , , , W 38–31 , , October 21, 2018 , ,
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, , 0–1 postseason
, -
,
Houston Texans , , 9 , , 3 , , 0 , , , , W 34–7 , , October 10, 2021 , ,
Houston, Texas , , 2–0 postseason
, -
,
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...
, , 7 , , 3 , , 0 , , , , L 19–17 , , October 3, 2021 , , Foxborough, Massachusetts , ,
, -
,
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 ...
, , 9 , , 4 , , 0 , , , , W 24–10 , , December 2, 2018 , , Foxborough, Massachusetts , ,
, -
,
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
, , 10 , , 5 , , 0 , , , , L 28–13 , , September 26, 2021 , , Foxborough, Massachusetts , ,
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,
Cincinnati Bengals , , 17 , , 9 , , 0 , , , , W 31–28 , , December 15, 2019 , , Foxborough, Massachusetts , ,
, -
,
New York Giants , , 7 , , 4 , , 0 , , , , W 35–14 , , October 10, 2019 , , Foxborough, Massachusetts , , 0–2 postseason
, -
,
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...
/
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 ...
, , 24 , , 14 , , 2 , , , , W 27–24 , , October 31, 2021 , ,
Inglewood, California , , 3–1 postseason
, -
,
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
/
Indianapolis Colts , , 48 , , 29 , , 0 , , , , L 27–17 , , December 18, 2021, ,
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...
, , 4–1 postseason
, -
,
Buffalo Bills , , 76 , , 46 , , 1 , , , , L 33–21 , , December 26, 2021 , , Foxborough, Massachusetts , , 1–1 postseason
, -
,
Atlanta Falcons , , 9 , , 6 , , 0 , , , , W 25–0 , , November 18, 2021 , ,
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...
, , 1–0 postseason
, -
,
Houston Oilers
The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 a ...
/
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 ...
, , 24 , , 16 , , 1 , , , , W 36–13 , , November 28, 2021 , , Foxborough, Massachusetts , , 2–2 postseason
, -
,
Detroit Lions , , 7 , , 5 , , 0 , , , , L 26–10 , , September 23, 2018 , ,
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
, ,
, -
,
New York Jets , , 69 , , 53 , , 1 , , , , W 24–34 , , October 24, 2021 , , Foxborough, Massachusetts , , 2–1 postseason
, -
,
Oakland /
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
/
Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West div ...
, , 18 , , 14 , , 1 , , , , W 36–20 , , September 27, 2020 , , Foxborough, Massachusetts , , 2–1 postseason
, -
,
Green Bay Packers , , 6, , 5 , , 0 , , , , W 31–17 , , November 4, 2018 , , Foxborough, Massachusetts , , 0–1 postseason
, -
,
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
/
Los Angeles Rams , , 7 , , 6 , , 0 , , , , L 24–3 , , December 10, 2020 , , Inglewood, California , , 2–0 postseason
, -
,
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
/
Phoenix / Arizona Cardinals , , 8 , , 7 , , 0 , , , , W 20–17 , , November 29, 2020 , , Foxborough, Massachusetts , ,
, -
,
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 ...
, , 13 , , 12 , , 0 , , , , W 45–7 , , November 14, 2021 , , Foxborough, Massachusetts , , 0–1 postseason
, -
,
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...
, , 52 , , 58 , , 0 , , , , L 33–24 , , January 9, 2022 , ,
Miami Gardens, Florida
Miami Gardens is a city in north-central Miami-Dade County, Florida. It is located north of Downtown Miami with city boundaries that stretch from I-95 and Northeast 2nd Avenue to its east to Northwest 47th and Northwest 57th Avenues to its w ...
, , 2–1 postseason
, -
,
Pittsburgh Steelers , , 13 , , 15 , , 0 , , , , W 33–3 , , September 8, 2019 , , Foxborough, Massachusetts , , 4–1 postseason
, -
,
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
, , 6 , , 7 , , 0 , , , , W 17–10 , , November 17, 2019 , ,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, , 1–1 postseason
, -
,
Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...
, , 5 , , 6 , , 0 , , , , W 33–7 , , October 6, 2019 , ,
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, ,
, -
,
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
, , 22 , , 27 , , 0 , , , , L 18–12 , , October 18, 2020 , ,
Denver, Colorado
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, , 1–4 postseason
, -
,
Seattle Seahawks , , 8 , , 10 , , 0 , , , , L 35–30 , , September 20, 2020 , ,
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...
, , 1–0 postseason
, -
,
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
, , 3 , , 4 , , 0 , , , , W 24–6 , , November 7, 2021 , ,
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
, , 1–0 postseason
, -
,
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
, , 6 , , 8 , , 0 , , , , L 35–29 , , October 17, 2021 , , Foxborough, Massachusetts , ,
, -
,
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The ...
, , 14 , , 20 , , 3 , , , , L 26–10 , , October 5, 2020 , ,
Kansas City, Missouri , , 2–0 postseason
, -
,
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
, , 5 , , 9 , , 0 , , , , L 33–6 , , October 25, 2020 , , Foxborough, Massachusetts , ,
, -
! Total !! 529 !! 411 !! 9 !! !! colspan="4",
, -
! Total including playoffs !! 566 !! 433 !! 9 !! !! colspan="4",
Playoff record
All-time leaders
Statistics
Career leaders
*Games played: 285
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 ...
(2000–2019)
*Passing yards: 74,571
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 ...
(2000–2019) (NFL-record for most passing yards with a single team)
*Pass completions: 6,377
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 ...
(2000–2019) (NFL-record for most pass completions with a single team)
*Passing touchdowns: 541
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 ...
(2000–2019) (NFL-record for most passing touchdowns with a single team)
*Rushing yards: 5,453
Sam Cunningham
Samuel Lewis Cunningham Jr (August 15, 1950 – September 7, 2021), nicknamed "Bam", was an American football fullback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons with the New England Patriots. He played college football at ...
(1973–1982)
*Rushing touchdowns: 45
Jim Nance
James Solomon "Big Jim" Nance (December 30, 1942 – June 17, 1992) was an American professional football player who was a fullback with the Boston Patriots during their days in the American Football League (AFL). He was inducted into the ...
(1965–1971)
*Receptions: 672
Wes Welker
Wesley Carter Welker (born May 1, 1981) is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is the wide receivers coach for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the San ...
(2007–2012)
*Receiving yards: 10,352
Stanley Morgan (1977–1989)
*Receiving touchdowns: 79
Rob Gronkowski
Robert James Gronkowski (born May 14, 1989) is an American former football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. Nicknamed "Gronk", Gronkowski played nine seasons for the New England Patriots, then played h ...
(2010–2018)
*All-purpose yards: 12,340
Kevin Faulk
Kevin () is the anglicized form of the Irish masculine given name (; mga, Caoimhghín ; sga, Cóemgein ; Latinized as ). It is composed of "dear; noble"; Old Irish and ("birth"; Old Irish ).
The variant '' Kevan'' is anglicized from , a ...
(1999–2011)
*Points scored: 1,775
Stephen Gostkowski
Stephen Carroll Gostkowski ( ; born January 28, 1984) is an American football former placekicker who played for 15 years in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the New England Patriots.
He was selected in the fourth round of th ...
(2006–2019)
*Field goals made: 374
Stephen Gostkowski
Stephen Carroll Gostkowski ( ; born January 28, 1984) is an American football former placekicker who played for 15 years in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the New England Patriots.
He was selected in the fourth round of th ...
(2006–2018)
*Total punt yardage: 19,922
Rich Camarillo (1981–1987)
*Punting average (min. 250 punts): 45.3
Ryan Allen (2013–2018)
*Kickoff return yards: 4,098
Kevin Faulk
Kevin () is the anglicized form of the Irish masculine given name (; mga, Caoimhghín ; sga, Cóemgein ; Latinized as ). It is composed of "dear; noble"; Old Irish and ("birth"; Old Irish ).
The variant '' Kevan'' is anglicized from , a ...
(1999–2011)
*Punt Return yards: 2,625
Troy Brown
Troy Fitzgerald Brown (born July 2, 1971) is an American football coach and former player who is the wide receivers and kick returners coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played as a wide receiver and k ...
(1993–2007)
*Pass interceptions: 36
Raymond Clayborn (1977–1989)/
Ty Law (1995–2004)
*Sacks: 100.0
Andre Tippett
Andre Bernard Tippett Sr. (born December 27, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was an outside linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the New England Patriots. He played college football ...
(1982–1993)
*Forced fumbles: 17
Tedy Bruschi
Tedy Lacap Bruschi (; born June 9, 1973) is a former professional American football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, who currently serves as the senior advisor to the head coach at University o ...
(1996–2008)
Single-season leaders
*Passing yards: 5,235
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 ...
(2011)
*Passing touchdowns: 50
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 ...
(2007)
*Rushing yards: 1,635
Corey Dillon
Corey James Dillon (born October 24, 1974) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots. Dillon played college football at Washing ...
(2004)
*Rushing touchdowns: 18
LeGarrette Blount
LeGarrette Montez Blount (; born December 5, 1986) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football at Oregon after transferring from East Mississippi Commun ...
(2016)
*Receptions: 123
Wes Welker
Wesley Carter Welker (born May 1, 1981) is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is the wide receivers coach for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the San ...
(2009)
*Receiving yards: 1,569
Wes Welker
Wesley Carter Welker (born May 1, 1981) is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is the wide receivers coach for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the San ...
(2011)
*Receiving touchdowns: 23
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss (born February 13, 1977) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Tennessee ...
(2007) (NFL-record for most receiving touchdowns in a single-season)
*Points: 158
Stephen Gostkowski
Stephen Carroll Gostkowski ( ; born January 28, 1984) is an American football former placekicker who played for 15 years in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the New England Patriots.
He was selected in the fourth round of th ...
(2013)
*Field goals made: 38
Stephen Gostkowski
Stephen Carroll Gostkowski ( ; born January 28, 1984) is an American football former placekicker who played for 15 years in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the New England Patriots.
He was selected in the fourth round of th ...
(2013)
*Total punt yardage: 4,227
Shawn McCarthy
Shawn Michael McCarthy (born February 22, 1968) is a former American football punter in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the 12th round of the 1990 NFL Draft and later played for the New England Patriots. M ...
(1992)
*Punting average: 48.7
Jake Bailey (2020)
*Kickoff return yards: 1,281
Ellis Hobbs
Ellis Hue Hobbs III (born May 16, 1983) is a former American football cornerback who played for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Iowa State. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third ...
(2008)
*Punt return yards: 608
Mike Haynes (1976)
*Pass interceptions: 11
Ron Hall (1964)
*Sacks: 18.5
Andre Tippett
Andre Bernard Tippett Sr. (born December 27, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was an outside linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the New England Patriots. He played college football ...
(1984)
Individual awards
![Tom Brady with Vince Lombardi trophy](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Tom_Brady_with_Vince_Lombardi_trophy.jpg)
These awards are specifically from the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
, except for two cases: The
NFL in the case of the
Super Bowl MVP and the
Pro Football Writers of America
The Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA), sometimes known as Pro Football Writers Association, is an organization that purports to be " heofficial voice of pro football writers, promoting and fighting for access to NFL personnel to best serve ...
in the case of the Executive of the Year award. Seasons in which the
AFL counterparts of the awards were won (1960–1969) are labeled.
Bold indicates those elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Players of note
Current roster
Pro Football Hall of Famers
The
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...
has inducted 6 players who made their primary contribution to professional football while with the Patriots. The Patriots' total number of Pro Football Hall of Famers is 11, 9 players and 2 coaches.
Notes:
* Hall of Famers who made the major part of their primary contribution for the Patriots are listed in bold.
* Hall of Famers who spent only a minor portion of their career with the Patriots are listed in normal font.
*
Raymond Berry
Raymond Emmett Berry Jr. (born February 27, 1933) is an American former professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a split end for the Baltimore Colts from 1955 to 1967, and after several assist ...
was inducted for his tenure as a player (outside of New England), not as a head coach.
Retired numbers
The Patriots have officially retired seven uniform numbers. The organization has not retired any numbers since 2000, likely to keep a healthy amount of numbers available to the up-to 90-man pre-season roster. Half of these players played for the original
AFL-era Boston Patriots.
Bruce Armstrong
Bruce Charles Armstrong (born September 7, 1965) is an American former football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) from 1987 to 2000, playing all 14 seasons with the New England Patriots. He was draf ...
(1987–2000) is by far the most recent player to have their jersey retired. Five of the seven numbers were retired prior to
Robert Kraft
Robert Kenneth Kraft (born June 5, 1941) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment ...
's current tenure as owner since 1994. As of 2020, number
12 has been kept out of circulation, otherwise the Patriots have currently abstained from reducing any other number un-officially regardless of stature.
*12
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 ...
Patriots Hall of Fame
The
Patriots Hall of Fame features 28 former players and three contributors as a part of the franchise's own hall of fame, founded to independently honor significant members of the organization within the club's history. It was established in 1991, with
John Hannah being the inaugural member.
The physical Patriots Hall of Fame building opened in 2008 outside of the stadium at
Patriot Place
Patriot Place is an open-air shopping center owned by The Kraft Group built around Gillette Stadium, the home of the New England Patriots and New England Revolution. It is located in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
The first phase opened in fall 2 ...
, presented by
Raytheon Technologies
Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It is one of the largest aerospace and defense manufacturers in the world by revenue and market capitaliza ...
. It has featured numerous renovations and additions since, and it is updated yearly. It is described as a modern, interactive "museum".
A committee of media and staff selected 11 players for enshrinement between 1991 and 2001, before a six-year span of no selections. In 2007, in advance of the grand opening of the physical Patriots Hall of Fame in 2008, the club introduced a new nomination committee to select three candidates, with the winner of an internet fan vote being enshrined in the hall of fame. In order to be eligible, players and coaches must be retired for at least four years. Beginning in 2011, and meeting every five years, a senior selection committee has the option of voting a player who has been retired for at least 25 seasons into the hall of fame.
Starting in 2009, contributors have been allowed to be periodically voted into the Patriots Hall of Fame. Former team founder and owner
Billy Sullivan was posthumously inducted by owner
Robert Kraft
Robert Kenneth Kraft (born June 5, 1941) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment ...
in March 2009, before the Patriots' 50th season, as the first contributor inducted.
NFL All-Decade and Anniversary team selections
The following Patriots were named to the
AFL All-Time Team (1960–1969), as well any
NFL All-Decade Team after the
AFL–NFL merger
The AFL–NFL merger was the merger of the two major professional American football leagues in the United States at the time: the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL). It paved the way for the combined league, w ...
in 1970 (and
NFL 75th and
100th Anniversary All-Time Teams, selected in 1994 and 2019, respectively). Only those who spent time with New England during the respective decades are listed for All-Decade team selections.
Bold indicates those elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Patriots All-Decade teams
Starting in 2010, every ten years the Patriots Hall of Fame committee will release an all-decade team to celebrate the greatest members of the team at every position during each respective decade. The committee has retroactively released all-decade teams for every decade prior to the 2000s.
1960s (AFL)
In November 1971, fans voted on a 10-year Patriots anniversary team, which coincided with the team's 10 years in the then-defunct American Football League:
Additional selections for returner, special teamer, and coach were added in 2009:
Bold indicates those elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
1970s
In March 2009, as part of the Patriots' 50th anniversary, a group of local media and other team figures selected all-decade teams for the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s:
Bold indicates those elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
1980s
In March 2009, as part of the Patriots' 50th anniversary, a group of local media and other team figures selected all-decade teams for the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s:
Bold indicates those elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
1990s
In March 2009, as part of the Patriots' 50th anniversary, a group of local media and other team figures selected all-decade teams for the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s:
Bold indicates those elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
2000s
On March 16, 2010, the Patriots Hall of Fame selection committee selected an all-decade team for the 2000s:
Bold indicates those elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
2010s
On April 29, 2020, the Patriots Hall of Fame selection committee selected an all-decade team for the 2010s:
Patriots Anniversary teams
Periodically, the Patriots Hall of Fame committee will release an anniversary team to celebrate the greatest members of the team at every position up to the year of publication.
35th Anniversary team (1994)
In 1994, a group of local media selected a 35th anniversary team:
Bold indicates those elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
50th Anniversary team (2009)
In 2009, the Patriots Hall of Fame selection committee selected a 50th anniversary team:
Bold indicates those elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
All-Dynasty team (2001–2019)
On October 22, 2020, the Patriots Hall of Fame selection committee selected an "All-Dynasty Team" to celebrate the greatest members of the team at every position during the
Patriots dynasty from 2001–2019:
Bold indicates those elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Pro Bowl selections
The following Patriots players have been named to the
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
(or the
AFL All-Star game prior to 1970):
Two Patriots has been named Pro Bowl MVP,
Vito "Babe" Parilli in 1966 (AFL), and
Ty Law as co-MVP in
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
.
In addition to the players, three Patriots coaches have participated in the Pro Bowl as conference coaches.
Mike Holovak
Michael Joseph Holovak (September 19, 1919 – January 27, 2008) was an American football player, coach, and executive. He played college football at Boston College, where he was an All-American at fullback in 1942.
Holovak was the fifth ov ...
in 1963 and 1966 (AFL),
Chuck Fairbanks
Charles Leo Fairbanks (June 10, 1933 – April 2, 2013) was a football coach who was a head coach at the high school, college and professional levels. He served as the head coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1967 to 1972 and at the Universi ...
in
1978, and
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 ...
in
2006 and
2010.
![Matthew Slater 2019](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Matthew_Slater_2019.jpg)
*QB
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 ...
(14),
Drew Bledsoe
Drew McQueen Bledsoe (born February 14, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football at Washington State, whe ...
,
Vito "Babe" Parilli (3) (AFL),
Mac Jones
Michael McCorkle "Mac" Jones (born September 5, 1998) is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, where he set the NCAA season records for passer ...
,
Mike Taliaferro
Myron Eugene Taliaferro (pronounced "tollifur", born July 26, 1941) is a former collegiate and professional American football quarterback. He is best known for leading third-ranked Illinois to a 1964 Rose Bowl victory over Washington by the sc ...
*FB
Larry Garron (4) (AFL),
Jim Nance
James Solomon "Big Jim" Nance (December 30, 1942 – June 17, 1992) was an American professional football player who was a fullback with the Boston Patriots during their days in the American Football League (AFL). He was inducted into the ...
(2) (AFL),
Sam Cunningham
Samuel Lewis Cunningham Jr (August 15, 1950 – September 7, 2021), nicknamed "Bam", was an American football fullback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons with the New England Patriots. He played college football at ...
,
James Develin
*HB
Curtis Martin
Curtis James Martin Jr. (born May 1, 1973) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the New York Jets. He spent his first three seasons with the New England Patrio ...
(2),
Tony Collins,
Corey Dillon
Corey James Dillon (born October 24, 1974) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots. Dillon played college football at Washing ...
,
John Stephens,
Craig James,
Carl Garrett (AFL)
*LT
Bruce Armstrong
Bruce Charles Armstrong (born September 7, 1965) is an American former football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) from 1987 to 2000, playing all 14 seasons with the New England Patriots. He was draf ...
(6),
Matt Light
Matthew Charles Light (born June 23, 1978) is a former American football offensive tackle who spent his entire 11-year career playing for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Purdue ...
,
Brian Holloway (3),
Leon Gray
Leon Gray (November 15, 1951 – November 11, 2001) was an American football offensive tackle in the National Football League for the New England Patriots, Houston Oilers, and the New Orleans Saints. Gray played college football at Jackson Sta ...
(2),
Don Oakes (AFL)
*LG
John Hannah (9),
Logan Mankins (6),
Charley Long (2) (AFL),
Charley Leo (AFL)
*C
Jon Morris
Jon Morris (born April 5, 1942) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive lineman for fifteen seasons in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played for the Boston/New Eng ...
(7) (AFL),
Damien Woody,
Dan Koppen
Daniel Koppen (born September 12, 1979) is a former American football center who played for ten years in the National Football League with the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos.
Prior to entering the NFL in 2003, he played college footba ...
*RG
Billy Neighbors (AFL),
Len St. Jean (AFL),
Brian Waters
Brian Demond Waters (born February 18, 1977) is a former American football offensive guard, guard. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 1999 out of the University of North Texas. He played most of his career for the K ...
*RT
Tom Neville (AFL),
Dick Klein (AFL)
*TE
Rob Gronkowski
Robert James Gronkowski (born May 14, 1989) is an American former football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. Nicknamed "Gronk", Gronkowski played nine seasons for the New England Patriots, then played h ...
,
Ben Coates (5),
Russ Francis
Russell Ross Francis (born April 3, 1953) is a former American football player who was a tight end for thirteen seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers.
Francis finished his ...
(3),
Marv Cook (2)
*WR
Wes Welker
Wesley Carter Welker (born May 1, 1981) is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is the wide receivers coach for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the San ...
,
Gino Cappelletti (5) (AFL),
Stanley Morgan (4),
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss (born February 13, 1977) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Tennessee ...
,
Troy Brown
Troy Fitzgerald Brown (born July 2, 1971) is an American football coach and former player who is the wide receivers and kick returners coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played as a wide receiver and k ...
,
Terry Glenn
Terry Tyree Glenn (July 23, 1974 – November 20, 2017) was an American football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, and Dallas Cowboys. He was drafted by t ...
,
Irving Fryar
Irving Dale Fryar, Sr. (born September 28, 1962) is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for seventeen seasons. Fryar played college football for the Universit ...
,
Ron Sellers (AFL),
Jim Colclough (AFL)
*DE
Richard Seymour
Richard Vershaun Seymour (born October 6, 1979) is an American professional poker player and former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) . He played college football for the Georgia ...
(5),
Bob Dee (4) (AFL),
Larry Eisenhauer (4) (AFL),
Julius Adams,
Andre Carter
Rubin Andre Carter (born May 12, 1979) is an American football coach recently for Louisiana State University and former player in the National Football League (NFL). A defensive end, he played college football for the University of California ...
,
Chandler Jones
*DT
Houston Antwine
Houston J. Antwine (April 11, 1939 – December 26, 2011) was an American professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the S ...
(6) (AFL),
Vince Wilfork
Vincent Lamar Wilfork (born November 4, 1981) is a former American football nose tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the University of Mi ...
(5),
Jim Lee Hunt (4) (AFL)
*LB
Andre Tippett
Andre Bernard Tippett Sr. (born December 27, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was an outside linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the New England Patriots. He played college football ...
,
Nick Buoniconti (5) (AFL),
Tom Addison (4) (AFL),
Steve Nelson (3),
Johnny Rembert
Johnny Lee Rembert (born January 19, 1961) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for 10 seasons with the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Clemson Tig ...
,
Willie McGinest
William Lee McGinest Jr. (born December 11, 1971) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football at USC and was select ...
,
Jerod Mayo
Jerod Mayo Sr. (born February 23, 1986) is an American football coach and former linebacker who is the inside linebackers coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Mayo played college football for the Universit ...
,
Dont'a Hightower
Qualin Dont'a Hightower (born March 12, 1990) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Alabama, receiving consensus All-American honors and winning two BCS National Championships. Hightower was sel ...
,
Matthew Judon (2),
Chris Slade
Chris Slade (born Christopher Slade Rees; 30 October 1946) is a Welsh musician, best known for playing for the Australian rock band AC/DC. He drummed for the band from 1989 to 1994, performing on their 1990 album '' The Razors Edge'' along wit ...
,
Tedy Bruschi
Tedy Lacap Bruschi (; born June 9, 1973) is a former professional American football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, who currently serves as the senior advisor to the head coach at University o ...
,
Mike Vrabel
Michael George Vrabel (; born August 14, 1975) is an American football coach and former linebacker who is the head coach of the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State, where he earned con ...
,
Jamie Collins
*CB
Mike Haynes (6),
Ty Law (4),
Stephon Gilmore (3),
Dick Felt (AFL),
Chuck Shonta (AFL),
Leroy Mitchell
Leroy Mitchell (born September 22, 1944) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Texas Southern University. In 1967, he joined the History of the New England Patriots, Boston Patriots of the American Football Lea ...
(AFL),
Asante Samuel,
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 ...
,
Aqib Talib
Aqib Talib (born February 13, 1986) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at the University of Kansas, where he received consensus All-American honors, and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first ro ...
,
Darrelle Revis
Darrelle Shavar Revis (born July 14, 1985) is an American former football cornerback who played in National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the New York Jets. He played college football at Pittsburgh and was selected in th ...
,
Malcolm Butler,
J.C. Jackson
*SS
Lawyer Milloy
Lawyer Marzell Milloy (born November 14, 1973) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for fifteen seasons. He played college football for the Washington Huskies, and earned Al ...
(4),
Fred Bruney
Frederick Karl Bruney (December 30, 1931 – January 22, 2016) was an American college and professional American football defensive back.
College career
Bruney played halfback on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball for the Ohio S ...
(2) (AFL),
Ron Hall (AFL),
*FS
Brandon Meriweather
Brandon Meriweather (born January 14, 1984) is a former American football free safety. He played college football at the University of Miami, and was drafted by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. Meriweather has ...
(2),
Don Webb (AFL),
Fred Marion,
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 ...
*PK
Stephen Gostkowski
Stephen Carroll Gostkowski ( ; born January 28, 1984) is an American football former placekicker who played for 15 years in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the New England Patriots.
He was selected in the fourth round of th ...
(4),
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri (born December 28, 1972) is an American former football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 24 seasons with the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. Considered one of the greatest ...
(2), John Smith (placekicker), John Smith, Tony Franklin (kicker), Tony Franklin
*P
Rich Camarillo,
Jake Bailey
*ST Matthew Slater (10),
Raymond Clayborn (3), Larry Izzo (2), Mosi Tatupu, Dave Meggett
First-team All-Pro selections
The following Patriots players have been named Associated Press, AP First-team All-Pro (or American Football League All-League Team, All-AFL prior to 1970):
![Stephon Gilmore 2019](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Stephon_Gilmore_2019.jpg)
*QB
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 ...
(3),
Vito "Babe" Parilli (AFL)
*FB
Jim Nance
James Solomon "Big Jim" Nance (December 30, 1942 – June 17, 1992) was an American professional football player who was a fullback with the Boston Patriots during their days in the American Football League (AFL). He was inducted into the ...
(AFL) (2)
*LT
Leon Gray
Leon Gray (November 15, 1951 – November 11, 2001) was an American football offensive tackle in the National Football League for the New England Patriots, Houston Oilers, and the New Orleans Saints. Gray played college football at Jackson Sta ...
(3),
Matt Light
Matthew Charles Light (born June 23, 1978) is a former American football offensive tackle who spent his entire 11-year career playing for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Purdue ...
*LG
John Hannah (7),
Logan Mankins
*C
Jon Morris
Jon Morris (born April 5, 1942) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive lineman for fifteen seasons in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played for the Boston/New Eng ...
(AFL)
*RG
Billy Neighbors (AFL)
*TE
Rob Gronkowski
Robert James Gronkowski (born May 14, 1989) is an American former football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. Nicknamed "Gronk", Gronkowski played nine seasons for the New England Patriots, then played h ...
(4),
Ben Coates (2),
Marv Cook, Jim Whalen (AFL)
*WR
Wes Welker
Wesley Carter Welker (born May 1, 1981) is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is the wide receivers coach for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the San ...
(2),
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss (born February 13, 1977) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Tennessee ...
*DE
Richard Seymour
Richard Vershaun Seymour (born October 6, 1979) is an American professional poker player and former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) . He played college football for the Georgia ...
,
Larry Eisenhauer (AFL) (3)
*DT
Houston Antwine
Houston J. Antwine (April 11, 1939 – December 26, 2011) was an American professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the S ...
(AFL),
Vince Wilfork
Vincent Lamar Wilfork (born November 4, 1981) is a former American football nose tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the University of Mi ...
*LB
Nick Buoniconti (4) (AFL),
Andre Tippett
Andre Bernard Tippett Sr. (born December 27, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was an outside linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the New England Patriots. He played college football ...
(2),
Tom Addison (AFL),
Mike Vrabel
Michael George Vrabel (; born August 14, 1975) is an American football coach and former linebacker who is the head coach of the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State, where he earned con ...
,
Jerod Mayo
Jerod Mayo Sr. (born February 23, 1986) is an American football coach and former linebacker who is the inside linebackers coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Mayo played college football for the Universit ...
*CB
Ty Law,
Stephon Gilmore (2),
Asante Samuel,
Darrelle Revis
Darrelle Shavar Revis (born July 14, 1985) is an American former football cornerback who played in National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the New York Jets. He played college football at Pittsburgh and was selected in th ...
*SS
Ron Hall (AFL),
Lawyer Milloy
Lawyer Marzell Milloy (born November 14, 1973) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for fifteen seasons. He played college football for the Washington Huskies, and earned Al ...
, Rodney Harrison
*PK
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri (born December 28, 1972) is an American former football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 24 seasons with the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. Considered one of the greatest ...
,
Stephen Gostkowski
Stephen Carroll Gostkowski ( ; born January 28, 1984) is an American football former placekicker who played for 15 years in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the New England Patriots.
He was selected in the fourth round of th ...
(2)
*P
Jake Bailey
*ST Matthew Slater (2), Gunner Olszewski
All-time first-round draft picks
Administration and personnel
Ownership
The Patriots have had four owners since becoming a franchise, the first being Massachusetts native
Billy Sullivan from 1959 to 1988. During Sullivan's List of New England Patriots seasons, 28 seasons of owning the club, the Patriots tallied 14 winning records, made six playoff appearances, played in the 1963 AFL Championship Game and represented the AFC in
Super Bowl XX. However, he was also notoriously cheap, and would cause friction with some his high-profile players who were seeking to be respected and paid what they were worth, causing some like future Pro Football Hall of Famer
Mike Haynes to seek an owner who was team first.
[Billy Sullivan, 86, Founder Of Football Patriots, Dies](_blank)
New York Times. Accessed 20 October 2007.
Following his bankruptcy, Sullivan sold the team to Remington (personal care brand), Remington Products owner
Victor Kiam
Victor Kermit Kiam II (December 7, 1926 – May 27, 2001) was an American entrepreneur and TV spokesman for Remington Products, and the owner of the New England Patriots football team from 1988–1991. He was well known for his turnaround of Rem ...
in 1988.
[Billy Sullivan, 86 [sic], Founder Of Football Patriots, Dies](_blank)
''The New York Times''. Accessed October 20, 2007. The sale did not include
Foxboro Stadium
Foxboro Stadium, originally Schaefer Stadium and later Sullivan Stadium, was an outdoor stadium in the New England region of the United States, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts. It opened in 1971 and served as the home of the New England ...
, which Sullivan lost in a bankruptcy sale to paper magnate
Robert Kraft
Robert Kenneth Kraft (born June 5, 1941) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment ...
, and Kiam lost money on the deal. In 1990, Lisa Olson, a ''Boston Herald'' reporter, sued Kiam and the Patriots when Zeke Mowatt allegedly exposed himself and made lewd comments to her in the team change room. The incident stirred debate over female reporters in the locker room. Kiam became the center of the controversy when he came to the defense of the players' actions.
In his later career, Kiam's business interests moved on from the Patriots, so he sold them in 1992 to
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
businessman
James Orthwein
James Busch Orthwein (March 13, 1924 – August 15, 2008) was an American heir and business executive. He also owned the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL) from 1992 to 1993. After unsuccessfully attempting to relocate th ...
. During his ownership, Orthwein hired
Bill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells (born August 22, 1941) is an American former football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons. He rose to prominence as the head coach of the New York Giants from 1983 ...
as head coach and oversaw the drafting of first-overall draft pick quarterback
Drew Bledsoe
Drew McQueen Bledsoe (born February 14, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football at Washington State, whe ...
, who helped to return the moribund franchise to respectability. He planned to relocate the Patriots franchise to St. Louis, renaming the team the
St. Louis Stallions. However, those plans were derailed when Boston paper magnate
Robert Kraft
Robert Kenneth Kraft (born June 5, 1941) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment ...
, owner of
Foxboro Stadium
Foxboro Stadium, originally Schaefer Stadium and later Sullivan Stadium, was an outdoor stadium in the New England region of the United States, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts. It opened in 1971 and served as the home of the New England ...
, refused to accept a buyout of the lease. Kraft used his ownership of the stadium to stage a hostile takeover, offering to pay $175 million for the Patriots franchise knowing that Orthwein no longer wanted the team if he could not move it to St. Louis. Although future Los Angeles Rams, St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke offered to buy the team for $200 million and move it to St. Louis, Orthwein would have been saddled with all moving expenses. He also would have been responsible for any legal expenses as well, and Kraft had already made it clear that he would go to court to enforce the lease. With no other choice, Orthwein accepted Kraft's bid on January 21, 1994.
Kraft had been a life-long fan (he was a season ticket holder since 1971) before he purchased the team and intended to support them much more than all of the previous owners did, making multiple moves that have turned New England into an admirable franchise since. The Patriots under Kraft have been the NFL's most successful franchise since 1994. Since then, the Patriots have appeared in ten Super Bowls, have won six, and had numerous league records established by the franchise.
Head Coaches
![Bill Belichick 8-28-09 Patriots-vs-Redskins](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Bill_Belichick_8-28-09_Patriots-vs-Redskins.jpg)
The Patriots have had 14 head coaches throughout their history as a franchise.
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 ...
has the longest tenure as head coach (23 seasons) with the Patriots, and has been coach since 2000 New England Patriots season, 2000. He has been widely considered one of the greatest coaches of all time, and was named a member of the National Football League 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, NFL 100th All-Time Anniversary Team, due to his countless accomplishments with the Patriots. He has specifically led the Patriots to 17
AFC East division titles, 13 appearances in the
AFC Championship Game, and nine Super Bowl appearances, with a record six wins.
Belichick is the NFL's longest-tenured active head coach, as well as the first all-time in List of National Football League head coaches by playoff record, playoff coaching wins with 31 and third in List of National Football League head coaches with 50 wins, regular season coaching wins in the NFL with 290. He is one of only three head coaches who have won six NFL titles. He was named the Associated Press, AP National Football League Coach of the Year Award, NFL Coach of the Year for the
2003, 2007 NFL season, 2007, and 2010 NFL season, 2010 seasons. Belichick has led the team for more regular season games (336), post-season games (41) and more complete seasons (22) than any other head coach. His 254 wins with the Patriots are far and away the most in franchise history, more than three times those of runner-up
Mike Holovak
Michael Joseph Holovak (September 19, 1919 – January 27, 2008) was an American football player, coach, and executive. He played college football at Boston College, where he was an All-American at fullback in 1942.
Holovak was the fifth ov ...
.
Belichick was acquired in a "trade" with the rival
New York Jets. Belichick did not want to be under
Bill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells (born August 22, 1941) is an American former football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons. He rose to prominence as the head coach of the New York Giants from 1983 ...
' authority there in 2000, with uncertainty of his role once their owner, Leon Hess, died. The initial promise was that Belichick would've been granted extreme authority over all of the Jets executive decisions, but when Hess passed away Parcells overruled the stipulation with loopholes, so he would remain in control as GM, leading to Belichick's infamous resignation in 2000. Parcells, a two winning Super Bowl champion coach with the
New York Giants (also was an assistant with the Patriots in the early 1980s), had joined New England's staff for the 1993 season to help resurrect the franchise from its dark early 1990s days but had conflicted interests with owner Robert Kraft. In his last year with the Patriots in 1996, Parcells brought in his assistant head coach from his Giants days, Belichick, after being dismissed from coaching five seasons with 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 ...
. Here, Kraft would plant the seeds of a bond between he and Belichick, as Belichick would often mediate issues between Kraft and Parcells. Although Belichick left in 1997 to once again be Parcells assistant in their Jets regime, cold feet about his long-term role there brought him back after negotiating with Kraft, even though he was still under contract with the Jets. The Patriots had technically "tampered" in communicating with Belichick. For compensation, the Patriots gave the Jets their first round pick in the
2000 NFL draft
The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15– 16, 2000, at the Thea ...
, where even without their first round pick, the Patriots would coincidentally draft
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 the sixth round, widely regarded as the greatest quarterback of all time and the NFL's greatest draft steal.
While Belichick led the team to nine of their eleven
Super Bowl appearances, winning six of them, before him the Patriots saw some championship game appearances. Holovak,
Raymond Berry
Raymond Emmett Berry Jr. (born February 27, 1933) is an American former professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a split end for the Baltimore Colts from 1955 to 1967, and after several assist ...
and Parcells all led the Patriots to league championship games, with only one coach failing to reach the Super Bowl. Five Patriots head coaches, Holovak,
Chuck Fairbanks
Charles Leo Fairbanks (June 10, 1933 – April 2, 2013) was a football coach who was a head coach at the high school, college and professional levels. He served as the head coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1967 to 1972 and at the Universi ...
, Berry, Parcells, and Belichick, have been named National Football League Coach of the Year Award, coach of the year by at least one major news organization. The first head coach in franchise history was Lou Saban, who coached them to a 7–12–0 record in the 1960 Boston Patriots season, 1960/1961 season. Additionally, Raymond Berry is a member (as a player) of the
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...
, having been inducted in 1973, eleven years before he became the Patriots' head coach.
*Interim head coaches
Offensive coordinator history
Source:
Defensive coordinator history
Source:
Culture
Cheerleaders
The Patriots' professional cheerleading squad is the New England Patriots Cheerleaders which represents the team in the National Football League Cheerleading, NFL. Notable alumni of the cheerleading squad include wrestler Carmella (wrestler), Carmella and model Camille Kostek. Long-time cheerleading director Tracy Sormanti, who was the cheer director since 1994 and had been involved with the organization since 1983, passed away after a three-year battle with multiple myeloma in 2020. She was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2021 as a contributor.
Mascots
The Patriots' official mascot since 1995 has been
Pat Patriot, a American Revolution, revolutionary minuteman wearing a Patriots home jersey based off the original logo of the same name.
The Patriots also employ a corps known as the End Zone Militia, a group of American Revolutionary War reenactors founded in 1996 by Geoff Campbell, a reenactor for the 26th Continental Regiment, 9th Massachusetts Regiment (26th Continental Regiment). Consisting of about 30 men and women, they dress 20 for each home game and split themselves into two groups of 10 lining the back of either end zone. When the Patriots score – whether it be a touchdown, field goal (football), field goal, Extra point, point-after-touchdown or Safety (gridiron football score), safety – the militia behind the opposite end zone fire a volley of Blank (cartridge), blanks from flintlock, flintlock muskets. Per an interview with the WROR-FM#Loren and Wally, ''Loren & Wally Show'' on WROR 105.7 FM in and around the time of
Super Bowl XLIX
Super Bowl XLIX was an American football game played to determine the champions of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2014 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Conf ...
, said shots use double the load of black powder than a regular historical reenactor does, specifically 200 grains, in order to be heard throughout the stadium. ESPN writer Josh Pahigian named this one of the top ten celebrations in the league in 2007.
Entrance theme
Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" has become an unofficial theme song and entrance anthem for the Patriots at their home games and Super Bowls, starting when they hosted the NFL Kickoff 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 ...
on September 8, 2005.
Radio and television
![New England Patriots radio affiliates](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/New_England_Patriots_radio_affiliates.png)
The Patriots' flagship radio station is WBZ-FM (98.5 FM, otherwise known as "The Sports Hub"),
owned by Beasley Broadcast Group.
The larger radio network is called the New England Patriots Radio Network, whose 37 affiliate stations span seven states.
Gil Santos and
Gino Cappelletti were the longtime announcing team until their retirement following the conclusion of the 2012 NFL season. Santos was replaced by Bob Socci.
Former Patriots QB Scott Zolak joined the radio team in the 2011 season as a sideline analyst, and in 2013, he replaced Cappelletti as color commentator.
Any preseason games not on national television are shown on CBS's Owned-and-operated television stations in the United States, O&O WBZ-TV, who also airs the bulk of Patriots regular-season games by virtue of CBS having the rights to most AFC games; CBS also has a presence at the nearby
Patriot Place
Patriot Place is an open-air shopping center owned by The Kraft Group built around Gillette Stadium, the home of the New England Patriots and New England Revolution. It is located in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
The first phase opened in fall 2 ...
with the "CBS Scene" bar and restaurant. During the regular season whenever the Patriots host an NFC team, the games are aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox affiliate WFXT-TV, and ''NBC Sunday Night Football'' games are carried by Boston NBC station WBTS-CD.
Preseason games were broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC affiliate WCVB-TV from 1995 until the change to WBZ in 2009 (WCVB continues to simulcast ESPN's ''
Monday Night Football
''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, A ...
'' games featuring the Patriots).
Don Criqui was play-by-play announcer for the 1995–2012 seasons, with Randy Cross as a color commentator and Mike Lynch as a sideline reporter.
Lynch was replaced by WBZ reporter Steve Burton (sports journalist), Steve Burton in 2009.
Controversies
Snowplow Game
During a December 12, 1982 home game against the Miami Dolphins under icy conditions, the game remained scoreless until the fourth quarter when Patriots head coach
Ron Meyer
Ronald Shaw Meyer (February 17, 1941 – December 5, 2017) was an American college and professional football coach. He is best known for having been the head coach of Southern Methodist University, the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts ...
motioned to snowplow operator Mark Henderson to specifically clear a spot on the field for New England kicker John Smith (placekicker), John Smith so he could kick what proved to be the game-winning 33-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 3–0 win. At the time, an emergency ground rule was put into play where the officials could call time-out and allow the ground crew to use a snowplow to clear the yard markers, but not plow often enough to keep the field clear. Dolphins head coach Don Shula, believing it to be against the league rules, pointed out that the league's unfair act clause allowed the league to overturn it, and met with NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle several days later to formally protest the game result. Although Rozelle agreed with Shula that the use of the plow gave the Patriots an unfair advantage, he said that he had never reversed the result of a game and was not going to start doing so for any reason, including cheating. Henderson, a convict on work release, jokingly remarked, "What are they gonna do, throw me in jail?"
The following year, the NFL banned the use of snowplows on the field during a game. The Patriots has commemorated the game with an exhibit at the Hall at Patriot Place within Gillette Stadium, where the plow itself hangs from the ceiling.
Spygate
During the 2007 NFL season, 2007 season, the New England Patriots were disciplined by the league for videotaping
New York Jets' defensive coaches' signals from an unauthorized location during a September 9, 2007 game. Videotaping opposing coaches is not illegal in the NFL ''de jure'', but there are designated areas allowed by the league to do such taping. After an investigation, the NFL fined Patriots head coach
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 ...
$500,000 for his role in the incident, fined the Patriots $250,000, and docked the team their original first-round selection in the 2008 NFL Draft, which would have been the 31st pick of the draft.
Deflategate
During the 2014–15 NFL playoffs#AFC: New England Patriots 45, Indianapolis Colts 7, 2015 AFC Championship Game against the
Indianapolis Colts, allegations arose that the Patriots were using under-inflated footballs. It was even suggested that the Patriots' staff themselves deliberately deflated the footballs to give their team an unfair advantage during the playoffs. A lengthy investigation and heated debate commenced shortly afterwards, with a full report being published in May 2015.
The Wells Report found that balls provided by the Patriots, who were the home team, indeed had less pressure on average than the balls provided by the Colts. Also notable was the findings of some suggestions of communication between
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 ...
and two Patriots locker room attendants, indicating Brady was likely "generally aware" of the situation and that the Patriots staff intentionally deflated the footballs.
A later study by the American Enterprise Institute called the evidence and methodology of the Wells report "deeply flawed" and "unreliable".
In the aftermath of the incident, the NFL suspended Brady without pay for the first four games of the 2015 NFL season, 2015 season, fined the Patriots $1million, and forced them to forfeit their 2016 first round draft pick and 2017 fourth round draft pick. Brady appealed his suspension, which was eventually vacated by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, only for the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to reinstate it a year later for the 2016 NFL season.
Brady eventually agreed to serve the suspension in 2016, but led the Patriots to win
Super Bowl LI
Super Bowl LI was an American football game played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017, to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2016 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New ...
in spite of it.
See also
* Forbes list of the most valuable sports teams
* List of Super Bowl records
* List of National Football League records (team)
* Active NFL playoff appearance streaks
* Sports in Massachusetts
* Sports in Boston
Notes and references
Explanatory notes
Citations
Further reading
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
Official Patriots Hall of Fame websiteNew England Patriotsat 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 ...
official website
"New England Patriots collected news and commentary"''The New York Times''
{{Authority control
New England Patriots,
Boston Patriots,
1950s in Boston
1959 establishments in Massachusetts
American Football League teams
American football teams established in 1959
American football teams in Boston
National Football League teams
Sports in Foxborough, Massachusetts