The New England Patriots gridiron football franchise is based in Foxborough, Massachussetts in the Greater Boston area. The American Football team competes in the AFC East division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The team was founded as the Boston Patriots in 1959 as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL). The franchise was among the contingent of teams that joined the NFL after the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.
Throughout their time in Boston, they moved through a number of different stadiums until they moved their franchise over to the Foxborough Stadium in 1971. As a part of this relocation, they changed their name to the New England Patriots, which appeals to the entire region and not just Boston. This was their home ground up until 2002 when the stadium was knocked down and Gillette Stadium opened. That same year they moved their home game base to the Gillette Stadium, which is located in Foxborough, Massachusetts – 22 miles southwest of downtown Boston.
All About the New England Patriots
In all of the entire NFL history, it is the New England Patriots that holds the record for the most Super Bowl wins (with a total of six, tied alongside the Pittsburgh Steelers). They have appeared in the Super Bowl 11 times – and lost five times (tied with the Denver Broncos).
However, the team wasn’t particularly successful before the turn of the 21st century. Its dominant period came between 2001 and 2019 underneath Head Coach Bill Belichick and Quarterback Tom Brady – known as the Brady-Belichick era. This is regarded by many as one of sports greatest dynasties – as it would see the New England Patriots beat nearly every main Super Bowl record.
The team also holds a number of other NFL records – including the most wins in one ten-year period – with 126 wins between 2003 and 2012. They also had the most playoff wins with 37 and they hold the longest winning streak of both regular season and playoff games – with 21 wins between October 2003 to October 2004. The Patriots have the most consecutive winning seasons – with 19 in a row between 2001 and 2018 (inclusive). They have the only 16-game undefeated regular season, a record they achieved in 2007. Their all-time record is 537-420-9.
The New England Patriots Player Personnel
- Owner: Robert Kraft
- President: Jonathan Kraft
- Head coach: Bill Belichick
- General manager: Bill Belichick
One darker part of the Patriots history is the ‘deflategate’. This occurred during the 2015 AFC Championship Game when they played the Indianapolis Colts. There were allegations that the Patriots were using under-inflated balls. Some even suggested that the Patriots staff deliberately deflated the balls in order to give the team an unfair advantage during the playoff matchup.
There was quite a long investigation as well as a heated debate soon afterwards and the resulting report, which came to be known The Wells Report, was submitted in May 2015. It concluded that the balls that were supplied by the Patriots did have less pressure than the footballs supplied by the Colts. There were also suggestions that Tom Brady had communications with two Patriots locker room attendants, which implied that he was well aware of the situation – and that the Patriots staff had deliberately deflated the footballs. However, a later study conducted by the American Enterprise Institute determined that the Wells report evidence and metrology had been deeply flawed and were unreliable.
After the incident, the National Football League suspended Tom Brady without pay for the first four games of the 2015 season. They also fined the team $1 million and made them forfeit their first-round draft pick in 2016 and their fourth-round draft pick in 2017.
Brady appealed the decision and it was eventually overturned by the US District Court for the Southern District of New York – only to be reinstated a year later, for the 2016 NFL season by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Brady did agree to the suspension, but despite this, they still went on to win Super Bowl LI, a result that included an epic comeback over the Atlanta Falcons.
The Patriots’ appearance in Super Bowl LII was not without controversy. Officiating marred the Patriots’ victory in the AFC Championship over Jacksonville. This game saw New England receive only one penalty. Furthermore, the Patriots involved an official in a late-game touchdown celebration with a still image from the game seemingly showing the referee happy alongside the celebrating New England players.
The New England Patriots Main Rivalries
The New England Patriots main rivals in the NFL are:
The New York Jets
The New England Patriots lead the series against the New York Jets, 73-54-1.
The closest geographical rivalry in terms of home ground game rivals is with the New York Jets. These two teams have played in the same division (now known as the AFC East) since both teams started playing pro football in 1960. They have played each other twice every year since then.
However, it is since 1996 that the rivalry has escalated – when the former head coach of the Patriots, Bill Parcells, left to become the head coach of the NY Jets – and he was replaced by the Jets Coach, Pete Carroll. After four years, however, they fired Carroll and his assistant resigned the day after he was named as the Jets’ new head coach – to become the new head coach of the Patriots. Six years later, Belichick’s assistant, Eric Mangini, signed as the new Head Coach of the Jets.
In November 2012, Bill Belichick tallied up his 200th head coaching win (including regular season and playoffs) after defeating the Jets 49-19. These two teams will next meet on September 24th, 2023.
The Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts
The New England Patriots lead their series against the Indianapolis Colts, 53*-30-0
The rivalry between these two teams ran mainly between their tenure together in the AFC East (1970 – 2001). They clashed in a number of close games – such as the 1971 game when a last-minute touchdown saw the Patriots score 21 to the Colts 17 points.
However, in the 2002 realignment, they were separated, but their rivalry continued. Both of these teams were considered the best in the AFC – and both had quarterbacks that seemed destined for the Hall of Fame, Tom Brady (Patriots) and Peyton Manning (Colts). In the playoffs between 2003 and 2006, they met three times in four years – with the winner going on to win the Super Bowl each time. The Colts and Patriots offense has been nail-biting stuff for quite some time, especially given the deflategate of 2015, a game that the Patriots won despite the belief that there was cheating. Perhaps, their 53 wins could be adjusted to 52 wins. The Colts and the Deflatriots will next meet on November 12th, 2023.
The Buffalo Bills
The New England Patriots lead their series against the Bills, 77-49-1.
Both the Patriots and Bills were charter members of the AFL and have remained division rivals even after the AFL-NFL merger. Before the rise of Tom Brady, the rivalry was, on the whole, mellow – although it could get tense. It featured top performances from players such as Joe Ferguson, OJ Simpson, Jim Kelly, Steve Grogan and Drew Bledsoe. However, during this tenure, it was Brady that dominated the Bills – with a 32-3 regular-season record over the franchise’s rivals.
Because of this, the Patriots fans were apathetic towards these rivals – but on the flip side, the Bills fans grew to hate the Patriots more than any other team. After Brady left the team in 2019, the Bills beat the Patriots twice in the two 2020 games. This was the first time they had managed to do so since the 1999 season. Moreover, the Bills managed to defeat the Patriots in the 2021-22 NFL playoffs – their first playoff matchup in almost sixty years. These two franchises will next meet on October 22nd, 2023.
New England Patriots Facts
Everything you need to know about the New England Patriots…
New England Patriots Nicknames
- The Pats
Championships Wins:
To date, the New England Patriots have won the Super Bowl 6 times including 2 consecutive Super Bowl Championships:
- 2001: Super Bowl XXXVI,
- 2003: Super Bowl XXXVIII
- 2004: Super Bowl XXXIX
- 2014: Super Bowl XLIX
- 2016: Super Bowl LI
- 2018: Super Bowl LIII
NFL/NFC Conference Championships
In the New Englands Patriots’ franchise history, they have won the AFC Conference Championships eleven times:
- 1985
- 1996
- 2001
- 2003
- 2004
- 2007
- 2011
- 2014
- 2016
- 2017
- 2018
Division Championships
The New England Patriots NFL team has won 22 Division championships – the AFL East division titles one time:
- 1963
and the AFC East division title 21 times:
- 1978
- 1986
- 1996
- 1997
- 2001
- 2003
- 2004
- 2005
- 2006
- 2007
- 2009
- 2010
- 2011
- 2012
- 2013
- 2014
- 2015
- 2016
- 2017
- 2018
- 2019
Playoff Berth Appearances
The New England Patriots clinched NFL playoffs spots 28 times since they were first established:
Once in the AFL: 1963
27 times in the NFL: 1976, 1978, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021
New England Patriots Home Fields
Since they were first created, the New England Patriots have had six home fields:
- Nickerson Field between 1960 and 1962
- Fenway Park between 1963 and 1968
- The Alumni Stadium in 1969
- The Harvard Stadium in 1970
- Foxboro Stadium between 1971 and 2001
- The Gillette Stadium from 2002 until present
New England Patriots Pro Football Hall of Famers
Here are the players who have spent all or part of their football careers playing for the New England Patriots and who have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Players
- No. Player Position Dates Induction
- 73 John Hannah G 1973–1985 1991
- 40 Mike Haynes CB 1976–1982 1997
- 85 Nick Buoniconti LB 1962–1968 2001
- 56 Andre Tippett LB 1982–1993 2008
- 28 Curtis Martin RB 1995–1997 2012
- 55 Junior Seau LB 2006–2009 2015
- 81 Randy Moss WR 2007–2010 2018
- 24 Ty Law CB 1995–2004 2019
Coaches and Contributors
- Name Position Seasons Inducted
- Raymond Berry Head coach 1984–1989 1973
- Bill Parcells Head coach 1993–1996 2013
New England Patriots Most Valuable Player Awards
Here are all the Most Valuable Player Awards (MVP) received by New England Patriots players:
- Season Player Position
- 2007 Tom Brady QB
- 2010 Tom Brady QB
- 2017 Tom Brady QB
New England Patriots FAQs
Can I Bet on the Patriots Winning the Super Bowl?
Yes, as long as you live in a state where NFL betting is legal. There are now more NFL sites for betting than ever before. Simply choose a bookmaker, click on Super Bowl, menu, teams and click on the Patriots. You can bet on the team performances – or single player performances such as how well Mac Jones plays on the day and whether he will be named MVP. Bookies will offer all sorts of bets on Super Bowls, playoffs and even the standard Saturday Night regular-season games.
Can I Make NFL Fantasy Bets?
Yes, there are numerous sites you can bet on fantasy NFL bets – and start managing your own dream team. Simply download draft fantasy filter and start scrolling through your favorite Patriots players. You can quickly and easily start checking out the draft fantasy menu games, competing against others and putting your NFL knowledge to the test. Make sure you only use top-rated, legal and regulated sites before registering.
