AFC
New England Patriots, professional football team and one of four teams in the East Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) of the National Football League (NFL). Formerly called the Boston Patriots, the team plays its home games at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The team’s name was inspired by Boston’s role in the American Revolution (1775-1783).
The Boston Patriots joined the NFL’s rival, the American Football League (AFL), as a charter member in 1960. It played its home games in Boston. In its second season the team compiled a winning record, but struggled through most of the decade.
The club moved to the NFL when the two leagues merged in 1970, establishing a new home in Foxboro. Because the team played its games outside of Boston, the franchise changed its name to the New England Patriots in 1971, at the same time hoping to appeal to a larger fan base. The Patriots had a slow start in the NFL, winning no more than seven games in a season from 1970 to 1975.
New England made a remarkable turnaround in 1976, finishing with an 11-3 win-loss record and earning a wildcard berth to the playoffs. In 1978, led by quarterback Steve Grogan, the Patriots won their first NFL Eastern Division crown. In the early 1980s, however, New England again dropped to the bottom of the division.
The Patriots made back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time in franchise history in 1985 and 1986. A wildcard team in 1985, New England won three playoff games to reach Super Bowl XX, where they lost to the Chicago Bears, 46-10. In 1986 New England lost in the divisional playoffs.
The franchise floundered from 1987 to 1993, bottoming out in 1990 with a 1-15 record. In 1996 the Patriots returned to prominence, capturing the AFC championship before losing in the Super Bowl to the Green Bay Packers.
New England built a strong team for the 2001 season, led by quarterback Tom Brady. In the playoffs the team posted a series of upsets, culminating in a last-second 20-17 victory over the St. Louis Rams in the 2002 Super Bowl. Brady won the game’s most valuable player (MVP) award.
Two years later Brady repeated as Super Bowl MVP as the Patriots captured their second championship in three years, this time defeating the Carolina Panthers in another close title game. The team’s remarkable run featured 15 straight victories, 12 in the regular season and 3 in the playoffs. New England opened the 2004 season with six more victories before losing, setting a league record for most consecutive regular-season wins (18). At the end of the season the Patriots won another championship, becoming the second team in NFL history to win three Super Bowl titles in four years (the Dallas Cowboys accomplished the feat in 1993, 1994, and 1996).
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