The New England Patriots have won six championships over the past 25 years, with Tom Brady leading them to victory in each of them. As New England has had a lot of success over the years, it's the perfect time to figure out where these teams rank. The greatest Patriots teams of all time have given fans many memories. However, the best Patriots teams have not always won the Big Game. New England still has many teams on the list of the 100 best NFL teams of all time. Therefore, it's time to look at some of the best Pats teams of all time that has also included some of the best players ever.
The 10 greatest New England Patriots teams of all time
10. 2001 Patriots
Drew Bledsoe suffered an injury early in the season. While things looked bad for a while, a young rookie emerged from the rubble. Alongside Bill Belichick, Tom Brady would capture the hearts of everyone and begin his majestic career this season, winning game after game to slowly lead New England to the playoffs.
Brady started his Hall of Fame career with a win over the Oakland Raiders in the infamous tuck rule game. Then, the Pats would stun the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-17 in the AFC Title Game before setting up a showdown with the St. Louis Rams. Many people expected “The Greatest Show on Turf” to dominate the Patriots. Instead, Brady led a two-minute drive to set up a game-winning field goal by Adam Vinatieri, cementing his first of six championships.
9. 2011 Patriots
New England still sought out its fourth title at this point, and things looked promising. While there certainly was a great chance to do it, they fell victim to an old foe. The Pats started their run with a 45-10 throttling of the Denver Broncos in the AFC Divisional Round. Then, they eked out a 23-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens.
The shoe dropped in Super Bowl XLVI, as they faced the New York Giants in a rematch of an epic Super Bowl loss from four years ago (more on that later). Unfortunately for the Patriots, they fell behind 9-0, and the same issues resurfaced. Despite holding the lead in the fourth quarter, the Patriots could not hold on, losing again to Eli Manning and the G-Men.
8. 2010 Patriots
The 2010 Patriots were not a dominant team. Still, they won the AFC East and looked like they had a good chance to make it to the Super Bowl. It would not end well for the Patriots, as they fell 28-21 to the New York Jets. Ultimately, this would mark another disappointing end for the Pats in an otherwise dominant decade.
7. 2018 Patriots
The 2018 Patriots might have been the weakest team of all the winners. The Pats won the division with an 11-5 record while also going 8-0 at home. Then, they beat the Los Angeles Chargers 41-28 in the AFC Divisional Round before winning an overtime shootout against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
Many prognosticators predicted that the Super Bowl battle between the Los Angeles Rams would feature more offense. Instead, it was a defensive slugfest, with the Pats winning 13-3, claiming what would be their final title to this point.
6. 2017 Patriots
The Patriots had a golden opportunity to win a Super Bowl here. Amazingly, they went 13-3, dominating everyone in their wake. After demolishing the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Divisional Round, they edged out the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Championship Game.
This set them up for a battle with the Philadelphia Eagles and Nick Foles. While it initially appeared that New England had an advantage, things fell apart as the Pats fell victim to a trick play that would become known as “The Philly Special.”
5. 2014 Patriots
At this point, the Patriots had not won a title in a decade. Notably, NFL fans had little expectation for Brady and Belichick after a decade of playoff exits. For a while, it seemed to be the pattern. However, the Pats changed all that in the 2015 playoffs. That is when the Patriots turned things up and made an incredible run. First, they edged out the Ravens 35-31 in the AFC Divisional Round before destroying the Indianapolis Colts 45-7 in the AFC Title Game.
It would set them up for a showdown with the defending champion Seattle Seahawks. While it looked dire for a while, the Pats would not let a 10-point deficit doom them. Instead, Brady led the Patriots with two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to give the Patriots their first title in a decade.
4. 2016 Patriots
This is probably the Patriots team that most newer fans remember. Amazingly, it was also known as one of the most memorable games of all time. The Pats started their run with a 34-16 thrashing of the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional Round. Next, they dominated the Steelers 36-17 in the AFC Title Game.
The Pats played awful football in Super Bowl LI for two whole quarters, and trailed 28-3 in the third. Then, the Patriots began the most incredible Super Bowl comeback of all time, tallying 25 straight points to force overtime before winning it with a touchdown in OT.
3. 2003 Patriots
The Patriots had missed the playoffs the season before. Therefore, they had something to prove. They certainly proved something by destroying nearly everyone in their path, going 14-2 and winning the top seed. Then, they took down the Tennessee Titans 17-14 in the AFC Divisional Round before beating Peyton Manning and the Colts 24-14 in the AFC Championship Game.
Super Bowl XXXVIII was an instant classic as the Pats clashed with the Carolina Panthers. Additionally, it was also a game that saw both teams combine for 37 points in the fourth quarter. It also went down to the very wire, with Brady once again leading a game-winning drive that saw Vinatieri finish it off with a field goal with four seconds left.
2. 2004 Patriots
The Patriots had won two titles in three seasons by this point. Yet, there was still room for more. The Pats dominated the regular season, going 14-2 before setting themselves up for a great playoff run. Ultimately, they would beat the Colts 20-3, taking down Manning again before dispatching the Steelers 41-27 in the AFC Title Game.
It was a tightly-contested battle with the Eagles until the fourth quarter. Significantly, the Patriots scored 10 points to build a lead and did enough to hold them down for their third championship.
1. 2007 Patriots
In an ironic twist, the best Patriots team ever did not even win the Super Bowl. But what they did before was simply incredible. With Brady throwing passes to future Hall of Famer Randy Moss, the Pats went 16-0, winning every single regular-season game. Then, they beat the Jaguars 31-20 in the AFC Divisional Round before defeating the San Diego Chargers 21-12 in the AFC Title Game.
Most football fans are familiar with the outcome of this story. Unfortunately, the Patriots chose the worst time to have their worst offensive game of the season, running into a Giants team that sacked Brady five times. They also forced a fumble. Later, the Giants got a ridiculous play from David Tyree (see above), who caught the football with his helmet to set up the Giants with a chance to win. Eli Manning would find Plaxico Burress on a slant to deliver the game-winning touchdown.
