History of the New England Patriots

[54] On a 3rd-down play late in the 4th quarter, Patriots defensive tackle Ray "Sugar Bear" Hamilton sacked Oakland quarterback Ken Stabler, which would have forced the Raiders into a 4th-down situation.

[95] Soon after the 1985 Super Bowl, Boston Globe sportswriter Ron Borges wrote a story alleging that six Patriots players, including Fryar, cornerback Raymond Clayborn, safety Roland James, and running back Tony Collins were marijuana users.

[113][114] The losses from the Victory Tour were reportedly equivalent to the family's net worth, and the revenue from the Patriots was not enough to service the debt even after the team made it to the Super Bowl.

[115] On April 10, 1986, a group of six Pennsylvania businessmen led by Fran Murray and Drew Lewis purchased a three-year option to acquire the team, stadium, and racetrack lease.

[146] The Patriots ended the season at 6–10 with several upsets over playoff teams, including wins against the Minnesota Vikings and future AFC Champion Buffalo Bills.

[173][174] Although future St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke offered more money than Kraft, Orthwein would have been saddled with as much as $20 million in relocation costs, as well as any legal expenses resulting from breaking the lease.

[202] The conflict climaxed in the days leading up to the Super Bowl, with rumors that Parcells would leave the Patriots after the season to take the vacant head coaching job with the New York Jets.

[225] Although Robert Edwards had a promising rookie season, his career was derailed after he suffered a dislocated knee in Hawaii while playing a game of flag football on the beach.

[238] Belichick succeeded him as head coach,[238] but resigned at a press conference the following day, citing the uncertainty over the Jets' ownership after the death of Leon Hess as his reason.

[249][250][251] Wide receiver Terry Glenn didn't show up to training camp in August and was suspended by the NFL for the first four games of the season due to violating substance abuse policies.

[257] During the season, first-round draft pick Richard Seymour anchored the defensive line[258] and Antowain Smith, a free agent signed from Buffalo, ran over 1,000 yards.

[265][266] In the second half, with two special teams touchdowns and two fourth-quarter interceptions of passes thrown by Pittsburgh's Kordell Stewart, the Patriots upset the Steelers 24–17 to advance to Super Bowl XXXVI.

[271] With 1:30 to go and no time-outs, Brady led New England's offense downfield to the Rams' 30-yard line, setting up Adam Vinatieri, who won the game with a 48-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Patriots their first Super Bowl win.

[283] Following their victory in Super Bowl XXXVI, the Patriots won their first game in the new Gillette Stadium in the NFL's prime-time Monday Night Football opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

[297] Following their Super Bowl win, the Patriots traded a second-round draft pick for Cincinnati Bengals' running back Corey Dillon, who replaced Antowain Smith.

[318] The Patriots entered the 2006 season without their two starting wide receivers from 2005; David Givens left in free agency[319] and Deion Branch was traded to Seattle after a contract hold out.

[330][331] In September, head coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots were penalized by the NFL for videotaping opponents' defensive signals from an unauthorized location during their Week 1 game against the New York Jets.

[336] Tom Brady earned his first NFL MVP award, while the Patriots' offense broke multiple records, including those for points scored and total touchdowns.

[374] They beat the San Diego Chargers in Week 2 in their home opener,[375] but their 15-game win streak against the Buffalo Bills ended when Tom Brady threw four interceptions, and the Patriots lost 34–31 on a last-second field goal.

[378][379][380] During the Patriots' bye in Week 7, an incident occurred where tight end Rob Gronkowski was seen in a photo with an adult film actress wearing his game shirt.

[400] The 2013 season saw turnover on the offensive side, as Wes Welker, signed a contract with the Denver Broncos,[401] and tight end Aaron Hernandez was released from the team due to legal issues.

[403] After a home win against the New Orleans Saints in Week 6,[404] the Patriots fell to the rival New York Jets 30–27 on a converted Nick Folk field goal following an unsportsmanlike penalty to rookie Chris Jones.

[405] The team then had a pair of wins against the Miami Dolphins and the Pittsburgh Steelers,[406][407] but lost 24–20 on Monday Night Football to the Carolina Panthers following the bye week on a controversial end-game interception by Luke Kuechly.

[414] After the Seahawks drove all the way to the 1 yard line with under a minute to go, rookie cornerback Malcolm Butler caught an interception on Seattle's final offensive play, winning the game for the Patriots.

[434] Running back James White ran a toss into the end zone, giving the Patriots a 34–28 comeback victory and their second league title in three seasons.

[482] The team won its 11th consecutive AFC East division title after a 24–17 win against the Buffalo Bills in Week 16, but New England didn't get a first-round bye for the playoffs.

[493] In addition, several veteran players such as Patrick Chung, Brandon Bolden, Marcus Cannon, and Dont'a Hightower opted out of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

[500] The 2021 season started with the Patriots signing eleven free agents from other teams on the same day, including Hunter Henry, Nelson Agholor, Jonnu Smith, and Matthew Judon.

[504] One day after Belichick stepped down, the Patriots promoted the pair of Jerod Mayo, then-current linebackers coach and former player, and Eliot Wolf, director of scouting and son of Pro Football Hall of Fame general manager Ron Wolf, as first-time head coach and first-time de facto general manager to each succeed Belichick's duties.

[507] On the day of the final game of the 2024 season, the Patriots fired Jerod Mayo after repeating the prior year's 4–13 record in his debut campaign as a head coach, due to multiple factors, including limited experience, which was eventually described by Robert Kraft as being put in an "untenable situation".