New England Patriots

	DATE	OPPONENT	ET	TV
Week 1	9/9	Houston Texans	1:00pm	CBS
Week 2	9/16	at Jacksonville Jaguars	4:25pm	CBS
Week 3	9/23	at Detroit Lions	8:20pm	NBC
Week 4	9/30	Miami Dolpins	1:00pm	CBS
Week 5	10/4	Miami Dolphins (Thu)	8:20pm	FOX / NFLN
Week 6	10/14	Kansas City Chiefs	8:20pm	NBC
Week 7	10/21	at Chicago Bears	1:00pm	CBS
Week 8	10/29	at Buffalo Bills (Mon)
Week 9	11/4	Green Bay Packers	8:20pm	NBC
Week 10	11/11	at Tennessee Titans	1:00pm	CBS
Week 11	11/18	BYE
Week 12	11/25	at New York Jets	1:00pm	CBS
Week 13	12/2	Minnesota Vikings	4:25pm	FOX
Week 14	12/9	at Miami Dolphins	1:00pm	CBS
Week 15	12/16	at Pittsburgh Steelers	4:25pm	CBS
Week 16	12/23	Buffalo Bills	1:00pm	CBS
Week 17	12/30	New York Jets	1:00pm	CBS

New England Patriots Team History

The New England Patriots are the face of successful professional football in the United States. As a member of the AFL, the Patriots struggled for the majority of their tenure. The team never had a regular home stadium and played in only one AFL Championship where they lost 51-10 in 1963. They didn’t appear in a post-season game for another 13 years. When the AFL and NFL merged in 1970 the Patriots were put in the AFC where they continue to play today. The team didn’t manage to secure a Super Bowl Championship for the first 30 years of its existence even when appearing in quite a few.

The early 2000s have been quite generous to the team, however, starting with the hiring of Bill Belichick in 2000. He managed to secure the team its first Super Bowl in 2001, and took them to repeat titles in 2003 and 2004. Much of this success is attributed to the selection of Tom Brady at quarterback in the 2000 draft. Since 2000, Belichick and Brady have been side by side leading the Patriots to become one of the most winningest professional football teams of the new century.

Tom Brady was named MVP of the 2001 Super Bowl after coming back from an injury the week before. In the offseason the Patriots traded away veteran quarterback Drew Bledsoe and Tom Brady’s status as the face of the Patriots was solidified. The 2003 Super Bowl gave Tom Brady his second Super Bowl MVP title as they hit a last minute field goal against the Carolina Panthers. In a repeat performance in 2004, the Super Bowl trophy was held yet again by the New England Patriots as Brady threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21.

After losing the AFC Championship title in consecutive years, the Patriots once again challenged for the Lomabrdi trophy in 2014 when they defeated the Seattle Seahawks. With a narrow 28-24 lead dwindling as Russell Wilson marched down the field, the Seahawks threw from the one-yard line and watched helplessly as the pass was picked off by Malcolm Butler to preserve the lead and secure yet another Super Bowl victory.

Two years later, the New England Patriots would once again put on a dramatic show in the 2016 Super Bowl, coming back from a seemingly impossible deficit of 3-28 entering the second half while playing the Atlanta Falcons. After a series of miracles, the Patriots wound up winning the championship once again with a 34-28 overtime victory.

In 2017, the Patriots were a steady 13-3 SU and ATS and overcame the Jacksonville Jaguars to secure yet another Super Bowl berth. However, they lost as favorites to the surprising Philadelphia Eagles 33-41. New England returns to the fray in 2018 with high expectations once again.