Without further ado...
10. 2010 (14-2, AFC East Champs, lost in Divisional Round)
Last year's squad was a very likable team. Going into the season the expectations for the team were not as high as in years past. There were a lot of rookies and second year players and most people thought they were a year away from contending.
They lost in week 2 to the Jets at the Meadowlands and again to the Browns in week 9. After that loss in Cleveland the team rattled off 8 straight wins to close the regular season, scoring 30+ points in every win.
Tom Brady threw for 39 touchdowns with only 4 interceptions and was the unanimous choice for MVP.
The playoff loss to the Jets was disappointing but the season was a fun ride as Brady and the young guys clicked much quicker than anyone expected.
Favorite Game: November 21, home, 31-28 W over the Colts. The Patriots got only their second win against the Colts since the 2004 playoffs and the win was sealed with a late James Sanders interception of Peyton Manning.
9. 1998 (9-7, 4th in AFC East, lost in Wild Card Round)
An exceptionally strong year for the AFC East as a whole. Four teams from the division made the playoffs that year (Jets, Bills, Dolphins, Pats) as the other two divisions had only their champion with a winning record.
The Patriots found themselves at 5-5 after a November 15 loss in Buffalo. They had started the year 4-1 and a possible playoff spot was slipping away. A Monday night home game against the Dolphins became a must-win for the team. Drew Bledsoe led the team to a thrilling 26-23 win, throwing for 423 yards and a late touchdown pass to Shawn Jefferson to win it. He did that despite breaking the index finger on his throwing hand on the winning drive.
The next week he played with the broken finger and threw a touchdown pass to Ben Coates to win the game with no time remaining. That pass came after a controversial pass interference call put the ball on the 1 yard line. The Bills were so upset with the call that they walked off the field and the Patriots had Adam Vinatieri run for the 2 point conversion unopposed. Bledsoe played two more games after that (a win in Pittsburgh and a loss at St. Louis) before they had to shut him down for the season. Scott Zolak clinched the playoff berth with a win at home against San Francisco but they were blown out on the road in Jacksonville in the first round.
Favorite Game: The Buffalo win. Doug Flutie's return to New England, a last minute win, and Wade Phillips leading his team off the field when there was still a play left added up to a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.
8. 2008 (11-5, tied for first in AFC East, missed playoffs)
A season that felt like a throwback to the 1990s. The Patriots became underdogs again after Brady tore his ACL in the first half of the season opener. Long time back-up (long time as in he hadn't started since high school) Matt Cassel stepped in and became the starting quarterback and helped Josh McDaniels get his first head coaching job. Cassel threw for almost 3,700 yards on the season to go with 21 touchdown passes. Unfortunately this was a strong year in the AFC and for the first time in the current playoff system an 11 win team did not qualify for the playoffs.
The team sat at 7-5 heading into December, needing to win out to have any hope at the playoffs. They did win out, including a 47-7 annihilation of the eventual NFC champion Cardinals at home, but thanks the Brett Favre choking for the Jets against Miami they did not make the playoffs. December also featured the second of Junior Seau's three "post-graduation" returns to the Patriots. They signed him the week of the Seattle game and he somehow ended up playing the majority of the game.
Favorite Game: The loss to the Jets on Thursday night at home. Down 24-6 in the second quarter, and 31-24 in the last 2 minutes the Patriots twice came all the way back to tie, highlighted by a freakish catch by Randy Moss with 1 second left to force overtime. Of course they ended up losing in overtime after they allowed Dustin Keller to gain 16 yards on a third and 15 to start the possession. This brought back childhood memories of the team sucking you in and then kicking you square in the nuts.
7. 2006 (12-4, AFC East Champs, lost in AFC Championship Game)
This team was a classic example of maximizing talent and showed why Brady is the greatest of this generation. He had a receiving corps that featured a past his prime Troy Brown (in his last full season), Reche Caldwell, Doug Gabriel, and Jabar Gaffney, among others. Gaffney ended up being a pleasant surprise, breaking out in the playoffs and emerging as a dependable receiver in 2007.
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| Brady struggled in SD but found a way to win |
Favorite Game: The Divisional win over San Diego. The Chargers dominated the game and Brady was sub par for most of the game but San Diego continued to do dumb things. The biggest play of the game was Troy Brown forcing a fumble after a Brady interception by Marlon McCree that could have iced the game had he just gone down. I also loved the Chargers (mainly LT) complaining about the Patriots' celebration after they had been spouting off all week.
6. 2007 (16-0, AFC East Champs, lost in Super Bowl)
The greatest regular season in NFL history will forever be overshadowed by the way it ended, which I still cannot talk about so let's move on....
5. 1996 (11-5, AFC East Champs, lost in Super Bowl)
The first really good Patriots team of my childhood. This season did not start well though. Coming off of a 6-10 year in 1995, New England opened 1996 with back to back losses to Miami and Buffalo on the road.
They won 11 of their next 14 games after that to win the AFC East and earn a first round bye. It also allowed them to host a playoff game for the first time since 1978. They blew out Pittsburgh 28-3 in a game that will be remembered as "The Fog Game".
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| The first true Patriots success during my time as a fan |
The Pats were expected to be blown out in the Super Bowl by the Packers but hung tough for most of the game. They led 14-10 after the first quarter (the highest scoring quarter in Super Bowl history) and trailed only 27-21 after a Curtis Martin touchdown run. Unfortunately they kicked off to eventual Super Bowl MVP Desmond Howard, who ran back the ensuing kickoff 99 yards to provide the final 35-21 margin.
Favorite Game: Week 17 against the Giants. The Patriots fell behind 22-0 in the Meadowlands and it looked as if they would not be getting a bye in the playoffs, but the Pats came roaring back and the Giants imploded. They ended up winning the game 23-22, highlighted by a Dave Meggett punt return for a touchdown and the winning touchdown pass to Ben Coates on a fourth down. Recently watched this on Youtube.
4. 1994 (10-6, tied for first in AFC East, lost in Wild Card Round)
The year that I fell in love with both the Patriots and the NFL in general. I have Robert Kraft to thank for that because after taking over as owner of the team people actually wanted to attend games again. Since they were selling out again I was able to watch the Patriots on TV every week. I bet there are plenty of people that laugh at teams now getting blacked out locally that have no idea that this was our reality prior to Kraft. I remember being 8 years old when Bledsoe led his big comeback against Miami in the final game of the 1993 season and needing to wait for in-game updates on whatever game we were being shown locally to know what was happening (the world without Red Zone was a terrible place).
I truly became the sports nut I am today in 1994. Bledsoe truly emerged as a franchise player (broke on to the scene in week 1 throwing for 421 yards and 4 TD's in a 39-35 shootout loss to Marino in Miami) and quickly became my favorite player. I began watching football on TV every week, highlighted by the Patriots being on every week, and I also got my first subscription to Sports Illustrated (when it was still relevant) so I was reading about sports when I wasn't watching them.
The season looked like it was going to be a disappointing one. The Patriots sat at 3-6 in early November before ripping off 7 straight wins to make the playoffs. They lost to Cleveland (coached by Belichick) on the road 20-13, but I was hooked. I remember watching the rest of the playoffs that year and the San Francisco-San Diego Super Bowl was the first one I remember having any interest in watching.
Favorite Game: The 26-20 overtime comeback over Minnesota. The Pats were down 20-3 at the halftime and were booed off of the field. They came out in the second half and handed the game to Bledsoe. He threw for 426 yards and set the NFL single game records for attempts (70) and completions (45). He won the game with a 14 yard touchdown pass to fullback Kevin Turner. That win started the 7 game win streak that got them into the playoffs.
3. 2004 (14-2, AFC East Champions, Won Super Bowl)
Probably the strongest of the Patriots' three championship teams. Coming in to the season as defending Super Bowl Champions the Patriots' offense got even stronger with the addition of running back Corey Dillon. Dillon ended up rushing for over 1,600 yards on the season.
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| Mr. Moreland: just happy to be there |
The Patriots won their second consecutive Lombardi Trophy, and third in four years, after defeating the Colts and Steelers in the AFC and then the Eagles in the Super Bowl. The team will be remembered for Dillon's last elite season and for the Pats' willingness to do anything for the team (Brown playing both ways, Vrabel catching a TD in the Super Bowl, different members of the defense playing fullback in short yardage and goal line situations).
Favorite Game: Tie between the Colts and Steelers playoff wins. The Patriots' defense was completely written off heading into the Colts game (everyone predicted a shootout) but they stood tall. The Colts got the ball to start the game and the Pats forced a three and out, setting the tone for the game. They went on to win 20-3 led by Dillon and Tedy Bruschi. The next week everyone was ready to crown Pittsburgh champs but the Patriots walked into Heinz Field and took a 24-3 halftime lead en route to a 41-27 win. A fourth and one stop followed by a 60 yard pass from Brady to Deion Branch quieted the crowd, while an 87 yard interception return for a touchdown by Rodney Harrison served as the virtual knockout blow.
1A. 2001 (11-5, AFC East Champs, Won Super Bowl)
This team is the one that started the Patriots' run of dominance, but it has to rank as the most unlikely Super Bowl champion in history. Key contributors on this team included Jermaine Wiggins, Matt Stevens, Marc Edwards, Antowain Smith, Tebucky Jones, David Patten, and J.R. Redmond, among others. Their best player was arguably their kicker, Adam Vinatieri. Their starting quarterback was a skinny second year kid named Tom Brady.
Don't get me wrong I am not hating on this team. In fact everything I just said is what makes the team so great. They were truly a team and they got contributions from a variety of players. As has become their staple they found ways to win and didn't beat themselves.
They fought through 0-2 and 1-3 records to reach 5-5 and then rattled off 6 straight wins to win the division and earn a bye. Brady was not the focal point, as highlighted by the fact that 2 of their wins came when he threw for 107 and 108 yards. Smith had a big year, rushing for over 1,100 yards and Troy Brown led the receiving corps with 101 catches and numerous big plays.
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| A shocking scene in 2001 |
1B. 2003 (14-2, AFC East Champs, Won Super Bowl)
My personal favorite team and possibly the greatest Patriots' defense in franchise history. The team did not make the playoffs in 2002, failing to defend their 2001 title. They reloaded in 2003 and went on a remarkable, historic run. They began the year 2-2 before winning their final 15 games and the Lombardi Trophy.
The defense was led by free agent signings Rodney Harrison and Ted Washington. Harrison became a leader in the secondary, a strong one that also featured Ty Law and Tyrone Poole at the corners and rookie Eugene Wilson at the other safety, while Washington anchored the middle of the defense from his nose tackle position. They held 5 opponents to under 10 points, including 3 shutouts. They defeated co-MVP quarterbacks in the playoffs and held on for dear life in the Super Bowl.
People began to realize something special was happening in October. The Pats went down to Miami and won in overtime on a long Brady to Brown touchdown pass. The Patriots always struggled, and rarely won, in Miami and people began to take notice. The game that garnered them the most national attention was their win in Indianapolis on Thanksgiving weekend. They jumped out to a big early lead but the Colts came back. Up 4 in the final minute the Patriots' defense stopped the Colts' Edgerrin James on the goal line to preserve the win.
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| Manning Face |
Favorite Game: My favorite Patriots' playoff game of all time was my favorite game from this season. The Patriots' boasted the best defense in the league that season but were forgotten about in the days leading up to the AFC Championship Game at home against the Colts. When the game started that changed as they picked off Peyton Manning 4 times (3 by Ty Law) and recovered a fumble. This was a big time "Manning Face" game as he seemed completely confused by the New England defense at times.
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