No NFL franchise has appeared in more Super Bowls (11) and only the Pittsburgh Steelers can match the rate of success (6). The New England Patriots first played on Super Sunday in 1985, which resulted in a 46-10 loss to the storied Chicago Bears (XX). They returned to the "Big Game" 11 years later with a coaching staff that included Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick. The team fell to the Green Bay Packers, 35-21, in Super Bowl XXXI.
Belichick became the Patriots head coach in 2000. The club was in the Super Bowl a year later. It began an amazing run that saw quarterback Tom Brady and company reach this game nine times in 18 seasons, with six victories. A look back at those wins, with a little reminder of how the Pats got there.
6. Patriots 13, Rams 3 (Super Bowl LIII)
The last time a Bill Belichick team played on Super Sunday was five years ago. Given the current state of affairs with the franchise, it may seem a lot longer than that. The 2018 Patriots were far from dominant but showed their savvy in the postseason when it counted.
New England won its 10th straight division title with an 11-5 record. The club was just 3-5 away from home but perfect (9-0, including playoffs) at home. Twice during the season, Belichick and company lost back-to-back games.
Then came the playoffs and the running game took center stage. Celebrated offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia had his unit humming. A balanced attack totaled 150-plus yards on the ground in three postseason wins.
The 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams at Atlanta remains the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in the game's 57-year history, New England held Sean McVay's potent offense to 260 total yards and a field goal The Patriots' offense rolled up 407 total yards but managed only 13 points. Wide receiver Julian Edelman was the game's MVP in the defensive struggle.
5. Patriots 24, Eagles 21 (Super Bowl XXXIX)
You could make a case that this was the best of the Patriots' six Super Bowl title teams. The club finished the regular season 14-2 and cruised through the postseason with convincing wins over the Colts (20-3) and Steelers (41-27). Quarterback Tom Brady was his usual solid self but the addition of running back Corey Dillon via a trade with the Bengals was huge.
The opposition on Super Sunday was the 13-3 Philadelphia Eagles. The franchise was seeking its first Lombardi trophy and first NFL championship since 1960. The Patriots were the reigning Super Bowl champions and were looking to become the first team to repeat since the 1997 and '98 Denver Broncos.
While this game was decided by three points, the difference was another Adam Vinatieri field goal, it was hardly a thriller. The Philadelphia Eagles turned over the ball twice in the first quarter but wound up drawing first blood anyway. The team would wind up tied at 7-all at intermission and entered the fourth quarter knotted at 14-14.
The Pats scored the first 10 points of that final quarter and then held off the Birds. Safety Rodney Harrison had two of the team's three interceptions of Donovan McNabb and New England finished with four takeaways.
4. Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Super Bowl XXXVI)
It's the season when it all began. Bill Belichick was in his second season as the head coach of the Patriots. The team was off to a 0-2 start and in that second game, veteran quarterback Drew Bledsoe went down. Enter 2000 sixth-round pick Tom Brady and it was the start of a magical campaign.
New England finished 11-5 and won the AFC East. The playoffs epitomized team football and there was that memorable moment at Super Bowl XXXVI at New Orleans when the entire Patriots' team came out for the pre-game introduction.
In three postseason contests, the Patriots offense scored three touchdowns (one in each victory) and the defense and special teams combined for three TDs. In the 24-17 win over the Steelers at Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship Game, Bledsoe wound up replacing an injured Brady and led the team to its only offensive touchdown of the game.
A thrilling 20-17 win over the Rams at the Superdome featured a New England defensive unit that pummeled Mike Martz's receivers. The Pats owned a 17-3 fourth-quarter lead but the Rams, who outgained Belichick's club by 160 total yards, tied up the game with 1:30 and overtime seemed a certainty.
Brady orchestrated a 53-yard drive, Adam Vinatieri hit a 48-yard field goal on the final play of the game and a historic run began.
3. Patriots 32, Panthers 29 (Super Bowl XXXVIII)
The New England Patriots were Super Bowl champions in 2001. A year later, they started 3-0 but lost seven of their final 13 games to finish 9-7 and out of the playoffs. Bill Belichick's team looked like a one-hit wonder, but looks were obviously deceiving.
Things didn't get any better in Week 1 of 2023 when the club went to Buffalo and was spanked, 31-0. Three weeks later there was a loss at Washington. Was 2001 just a magical year?
Starting with a Week 5 victory at Tennessee, the 2023 Patriots would not lose another game. They closed the year with 12 straight regular-season wins, including an ironic 31-0 victory over the Bills. Their defense came up big in the playoffs with home wins over the Titans and Colts. Belichick's squad took a 14-game winning streak into Super Bowl XXXVIII and a date with the upstart Carolina Panthers at Houston.
It was a game that saw all of its points scored in the second and fourth quarters. New England owned a 14-10 lead at the half.
The clubs combined for 37 fourth-quarter points. Down 21-10, Carolina would take a 22-21 lead. With 1:08 to play, the teams were tied at 29-all. Panthers' kicker John Kasay booted a kickoff out of bounds and set the Patriots up for a short drive. Adam Vinatieri booted a 41-yard with four seconds to play. Tom Brady was the game's MVP, but linebacker Mike Vrabel came up big on both sides of the ball.
2. Patriots 28, Seahawks 24 (Super Bowl XLIX)
Bill Belichick's team had dropped its previous two Super Bowl appearances in 2007 and 2011, both narrow losses to the New York Giants. In 2014, the Patriots got off to their somewhat traditional 2-2 start. This time it felt a bit different. In Week 4 on a Monday night at Kansas City, the team was rolled by Andy Reid's Chiefs, 41-14. There was rumbling about Tom Brady, especially with a rookie named Jimmy Garoppolo waiting his turn.
After the game, Belichick uttered the words, "we're on to Cincinnati." That was the first of seven straight wins and an eventual 12-4 record. The Pats were the No. 1 seed in the AFC. They survived the Baltimore Ravens, 35-31, in the divisional round and humbled the Colts, 45-7, in the conference title game.
The Seattle Seahawks were not only 12-4 but were the defending Super Bowl champions. They boasted a fearsome defense, emerging quarterback Russell Wilson and relentless runner Marshawn Lynch.
The teams were tied at 14-all at intermission. Seattle responded with 10 straight points and owned a 24-14 lead early in the fourth quarter. Brady rallied his team to a 28-24 lead with 2:02 to play, but Pete Carroll's club wasn't done. They managed to reach the Patriots' five-yard line with 1:06 to play. Lynch ran four yards to the one, and it seemed inevitable that he would get the ball again.
Instead, Carroll opted to pass and Wilson threw the ball to Patriots' cornerback Malcolm Butler. It was a heart-stopping finish that changed the course of NFL history in more ways than one. And yet…
1. Patriots 34, Falcons 28 (OT) (Super Bowl LI)
It was somehow fitting that the Patriots' fifth Super Bowl title would come courtesy of the greatest comeback in the history of the 57-game series. The team would be without star quarterback Tom Brady for the first four games of the season as he served a suspension (you could say he "pleased the fifth") for his "role" in the much-discussed "Deflategate" controversy.
Backups Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett held down the fort. The team owned a 3-1 record when Brady returned. The results were a 14-2 mark, with a home loss to the Seahawks in Week 10 as their last setback of the regular season. They disposed of the Texans (34-16) and Steelers (36-17) in the playoffs by a combined 70-33 count and it was onto Super Bowl LI at Houston to face the Falcons.
After a scoreless first quarter, Atlanta scored the first 21 points of the game. Their third touchdown came when Robert Alford picked off Brady and returned the theft 82 yards for a score. With 8:31 remaining in the third quarter, Dan Quinn's club owned a 28-3 advantage.
Brady finished the game with 466 yards and a pair of scores, along with the aforementioned pick-six. He overcame five sacks as his team overcame a 25-point deficit. The Patriots scored the final 31 points of what became the first (and only to date) to go into overtime.
The veteran quarterback was named the game's MVP, but what about running back James White? He ran six times for 29 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner in the extra session. He also had a two-point conversion run after a Brady-to-Danny Amendola TD pass. White also set a Super Bowl record with 14 receptions, good for 100 yards. He is also the co-owner of single-season Super Bowl records for total touchdowns (3) and points scored (20).
