The Patriots entered the season without their two starting wide receivers from 2005; David Givens left in free agency while Deion Branch held out for a new contract before being traded in early September.

A close win over the top-seeded San Diego Chargers on the road in the divisional round set the Patriots up to face their rival Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game.

Despite opening up a 21–3 lead, the Patriots stumbled down the stretch at the RCA Dome and the Colts emerged with a 38–34 victory, from which they would go on to win Super Bowl XLI.

[7] Linebacker Willie McGinest, the Patriots' first-round pick in the 1994 NFL draft, was released on March 9[8] and signed with the Cleveland Browns six days later.

Branch held out all of mini-camp, training camp, the preseason and into the regular season before eventually being traded to the Seattle Seahawks for a first-round pick in the 2007 NFL draft on September 11.

[22] As the Patriots made their final roster cut-downs, they also traded running back Patrick Cobbs to the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 1 for a conditional 2007 draft pick.

On June 5, the Patriots traded wide receiver Bethel Johnson to the New Orleans Saints for defensive tackle Johnathan Sullivan, the sixth overall pick in the 2003 NFL draft.

New England would counter with a score of their own, as Brady threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Doug Gabriel, the Patriots' only points of a 17–7 loss.

In the fourth quarter, Gostkowski kicked a 24-yard field goal, Dillon scored from one yard out on a run, and Brady completed a three-yard touchdown pass to tight end Daniel Graham.

In the second quarter, New England continued to build on their lead, as Gostkowski kicked a 31-yard field goal, while Brady completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Troy Brown.

In the fourth quarter, Lindell would add a 46-yard field goal, but Brady put the game away with a five-yard touchdown pass to Gabriel, giving New England the season sweep over Buffalo and a 5–1 record.

The Patriots, who took to the air with a spread offense for the entire game, opened with a seven-play, 86-yard strike that ended with a touchdown pass from Brady to wide receiver Reche Caldwell.

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts After blanking the Packers in the previous week, the Patriots prepared to take on the team with the number one overall defense in the NFL: the Chicago Bears.

The game closed on a Dillon fumble which gave the Bears one final chance to drive down field, but quarterback Rex Grossman threw his third interception of the night to cornerback Asante Samuel.

(Steve Grogan, 75 wins[52]) at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts Dillon turned out to be the savior of a turnover-filled game as the Patriots were able to rally from an eight-point deficit to defeat the visiting Detroit Lions, 28–21.

The second quarter saw both offenses gaining momentum with the Lions scoring the first touchdown in the game on a five-yard Jon Kitna pass to Mike Furrey with 13:44 remaining.

In the second quarter, the Patriots' domination of the game continued with Gostkowski kicking a 32-yard field goal, while Brady completed a six-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jabar Gaffney.

Later in the quarter, Jets defensive back Hank Poteat recovered a fumble from Dillon on the Patriots 15-yard line, setting up Mike Nugent's 28-yard field goal to cut their deficit to 7–3.

Then on the first play of the Jets' ensuing drive, New England defensive back Asante Samuel put the game away by intercepting Pennington's pass and returning it 36 yards for a touchdown.

In the second quarter, Chargers receiver Eric Parker's 13-yard punt return set up a 48-yard scoring drive that ended with LaDainian Tomlinson's 2-yard touchdown run, giving his team a 7–3 lead.

New England responded with a 72-yard scoring drive, with receiver Jabar Gaffney catching four passes for 46 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown reception with six seconds left in the half, cutting their deficit to 14–10.

On a fourth-down conversion attempt, Brady's pass was intercepted by Marlon McCree, but Troy Brown stripped the ball, and receiver Reche Caldwell recovered it.

Two plays later, Caldwell caught a 49-yard strike down the right sideline to set up Gostkowski's third field goal to give them a 24–21 lead with only 1:10 left in the fourth quarter.

With no timeouts left, San Diego drove to the Patriots 36-yard line on their final possession, but Nate Kaeding's 54-yard field goal attempt fell short with three seconds remaining in the game.

On third down, running back Laurence Maroney fumbled a handoff, but the ball rolled into the end zone where offensive lineman Logan Mankins recovered it for a touchdown.

Then, two plays after the ensuing kickoff, cornerback Asante Samuel intercepted a pass from Peyton Manning and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown, giving New England a 21–3 lead.

Later in the quarter, Indianapolis drove 80 yards in 15 plays, with Vinatieri finishing the drive with a 26-yard field goal, cutting the score to 21–6 with 11 seconds left in the half.

Four plays later, Brady threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to receiver Jabar Gaffney, who made a leaping catch in the back of the end zone.

Three plays later, Rhodes fumbled the ball at the 1-yard line, but center Jeff Saturday recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown to tie the game.

[64] Quarterback Tom Brady reportedly declined an invitation to the play in the game, favoring the 2007 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament instead.