The New England Patriots were one of the eight charter members of the American Football League, founded in 1959. In 11 seasons in the AFL the Boston Patriots, as they were known then, advanced to the post season only once, losing to the Chargers 51-10 in the AFL Championship Game.
Things didn’t get much better for the Pats after the AFL-NFL Merger.
In their first 14 seasons in the NFL the Patriots never won a Playoff game. The team’s first Super Bowl appearance was a 46-10 mauling by the storied 1985 Chicago Bears.
In recent years the Patriots fortunes have changed and they have become one of the most successful and consistent teams in football.
- Super Bowl appearances: 7—1985-86 (XX), 1996-97 (XXXI), 2001-02 (XXXVI), 2003-04 (XXXVIII), 2004-05 (XXXIX), 2007-08 (XLII), 2011-12 (XLVI)
- All-time Super Bowl record: 3-3 (pending the result of XLVI)
- AFL Championships before the Super Bowl era: none (played in the 1963 AFL Championship Game)
Tom Brady after Super Bowl XXXVI
New England Patriots Super Bowl Results, Locations, and MVPs
Super Bowl XX, New England Patriots vs. Chicago Bears
- Date: January 26, 1986
- Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Score: Bears 46, Patriots 10
- MVP: Richard Dent, Bears DE
Super Bowl XXXI, New England Patriots vs. Green Bay Packers
- Date: January 26, 1997
- Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Score: Packers 35, Patriots 21
- MVP: Desmond Howard, Packers KR
Super Bowl XXXVI, New England Patriots vs. St. Louis Rams
- Date: February 3, 2002
- Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Score: Patriots 20, Rams 17
- MVP: Tom Brady, Patriots QB
Super Bowl XXXVIII, New England Patriots vs. Carolina Panthers
- Date: February 1, 2004
- Location: Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
- Score: Patriots 32, Panthers 29
- MVP: Tom Brady, Patriots QB
Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles
- Date: February 6, 2005
- Location: Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida
- Score: Patriots 24, Eagles 21
- MVP: Deion Branch, Patriots WR
Super Bowl XLII, New England Patriots vs. New York Giants
- Date: February 3, 2008
- Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
- Score: Giants 17, Patriots 14
- MVP: Eli Manning, Giants QB
(This game, of course, famously featured one of the 13 best plays in Super Bowl history.)
Super Bowl XLVI, New England Patriots vs. New York Giants
- Date: February 5, 2012
- Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
- Score: Patriots ??, Giants ??
- MVP: ???
Click to view the New York Giants Super Bowl History.
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About Josh Tinley
