List of New England Patriots seasons

Members of the Patriots organization pose with then-U.S. President George W. Bush following the Patriots' victory in Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005.

The New England Patriots are an American football team based in Foxborough, Massachusetts. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. Originally called the Boston Patriots, the team was founded as one of eight charter members of the American Football League (AFL) in 1960 under the ownership of Billy Sullivan.^[1] The team became part of the NFL when the two leagues merged in 1970. The following year they moved from Boston to nearby Foxborough, and changed their name to the New England Patriots.^[2]

The modern NFL championship game, the Super Bowl, was founded in the 1966 season; the first four were contested between the champions of the AFL and the NFL.^[3] After the merger, the Super Bowl became the united league’s championship. The Patriots made the 1963 AFL Championship Game, but struggled severely in the early years of the united league, not making the postseason until 1976. After a few good seasons including a Super Bowl appearance against a champion Bears outfit, the Patriots reached a nadir between 1989 and 1993 when they won only 19 of 80 games.

Since Bill Belichick was hired as the team’s head coach in 2000, the Patriots have finished first or second in the AFC East every year except Belichick’s first season, with both second-place finishes caused by tiebreakers. Over that time, they have won four Super Bowls, six AFC Championship Games, and thirteen AFC East titles, while amassing a regular season record of 175–65.^[4] The team's quarterback over that same period, Tom Brady, has been awarded the NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP)^[5][6] twice and the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player three times; he is one of only four men named Super Bowl MVP more than once.^[7]

The Patriots under Belichick have won four Super Bowl championships (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, and XLIX). They also played in and lost Super Bowls XX, XXXI, XLII, and Super Bowl XLVI. During the 2007 regular season, the Patriots became the only NFL team in history to win 16 games, and the first since the 1972 Miami Dolphins (in a 14-game season) to complete the regular campaign undefeated.^[8] Belichick’s Patriots are one of only two teams to win three Super Bowls in four years (the other being the Dallas Cowboys from 1993 to 1996).^[9]

Overall, the Patriots have made 22 playoff appearances, one of which was before the merger. Since the merger, they have played eleven AFC Championship Games, winning eight of them to advance to the Super Bowl.^[10] In the Patriots’ 54-year history, they have an overall regular season record of 450 wins, 377 losses, and 9 ties, plus an overall postseason record of 28 wins and 18 losses. The Patriots are tied for first on the list of Super Bowl appearances with the Cowboys, Denver Broncos, and Pittsburgh Steelers, who have each appeared eight times.^[11]

Seasons

For complete team history, see History of the New England Patriots.

Tom Brady has twice been named the NFL's Most Valuable Player, and three times a Super Bowl Most Valuable Player

Notes

• ^a The Season column links to an article about each season in the league (AFL for 1960–1969; NFL for 1970–present). The Team column links to an article about the Patriots' season that year. The Finish, Won, Lost, and Ties columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play. Regular season and postseason results are combined only at the bottom of the list. In the Finish column, a "T-" indicates a tie for that position.
• ^b Beginning in 1974, the NFL began playing a 15-minute sudden-death overtime period if a regular season game finished regulation tied. Since this change, ties have been rarer.^[31]
• ^c The Patriots and the Baltimore Colts finished tied. However, the Colts finished ahead of New England based on a better division record (7–1 to Patriots' 6–2).^[32]
• ^d The NFL expanded from a 14-game regular season schedule to 16 beginning in 1978.^[33]
• ^e The New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins finished the 1978 season with the same record. However, the Patriots were awarded the Division Championship based on a better division record (6–2 to the Dolphins' 5–3).^[32]
• ^f The 1982 NFL season was shortened from 16 regular seasons games to nine due to a players' strike. For playoff seedings, division standings were ignored and eight teams from each conference were seeded one through eight based on their regular season records.^[34]
• ^g The 1987 NFL season was shortened from 16 regular season games to 15 due to a players' strike.^[35]
• ^h The New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins finished the 1994 season tied. As the Dolphins had defeated the Patriots in both regular season meetings, the Dolphins were named Division Champions and the Patriots received a Wild Card berth in the playoffs.^[36]
• ⁱ The Patriots and the Miami Dolphins finished the 2001 season with the same record. However, the Patriots were named Division Champions based on a better division record (6–2 to the Dolphins' 5–3).^[37]
• ^j The Patriots, New York Jets, and Miami Dolphins finished the season with 9–7 records in 2002. For having the best record against common opponents, the Jets were awarded the Division Championship. Neither the Patriots nor the Dolphins qualified for the playoffs.^[38]
• ^k The Patriots, Dolphins, and Baltimore Ravens (AFC North) finished the 2008 season tied with identical 11–5 records. As the Dolphins and Ravens had 8–4 records within the AFC, and the Patriots a 7–5 AFC record, the Dolphins were awarded the AFC East title, and the Ravens were given a Wild Card berth in the playoffs. The Patriots did not qualify for the playoffs.^[39]
• ^l Years here refer to the year in which the season was played. Playoff games are commonly played in the January and February of the following year.

References

General

• "New England Patriots: History". CBS Sports. Retrieved February 23, 2011. 
• "New England Patriots Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 23, 2011. 

Bibliography

• 2000 National Football League Record & Fact Book. New York City: Workman Publishing Company. 2000. ISBN 978-0-7611-1982-1. 
• 2002 National Football League Record & Fact Book. New York City: Workman Publishing Company. 2002. ISBN 978-0-7611-2643-0. 

Specific