New England Patriots

The New England Patriots are a National Football League team that plays in the East division of the American Football Conference.

The Patriots were one of the eight original franchises of the American Football League; they were known until 1971 as the Boston Patriots. They appeared in just one AFL Championship game, losing in 1962 to the San Diego Chargers.

Following the 1970 merger with the NFL, the Patriots would relocate from Boston to the Massachusetts town of Foxboro. Before the turn of the century, the Patriots appeared in two Super Bowls, losing to the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX, and losing to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI.

But over the most recent decade, no team has won more Super Bowls than the Patriots. Led by coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, the Patriots shocked the football world by upsetting the heavily-favored St. Louis Rams to win Super Bowl XXXVI. The win was particularly memorable not because it came in the same football season as the September 11 terrorist attacks, but also because they won on a last-second field goal by Adam Vinatieri.

The Patriots went on to win back-to-back Super Bowls by defeating the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII and the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXIX. In 2007, they became the second team in the modern era to complete a regular season undefeated, joining the 1972 Miami Dolphins. However, they were upset by the New York Giants 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII.

In 2008 Tom Brady was injured in the team’s first game of the year, and backup quarterback Matt Cassell stepped in and started the Patriots’ last 15 games. New England narrowly missed the playoffs but Brady returned to the starting lineup for the 2009 season and the team returned to the playoffs losing to the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card round 33-14. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nwe/2009.htm

The biggest story of 2009 for the New England Patriots was the return of their starting quarterback Tom Brady. Brady missed all but one quarter of the 2008 season thanks to a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament.NFL.com:http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d80a95089&template=with-video&confirm=true Brady's Season over After Injuring Knee Vs. Chiefs] While [[Matt Cassel was able to lead the team to 11 wins in Brady’s absence, the team traded him to the Kansas City Chiefs remove any doubt of who would be the starter in the 2009 season.

Brady took the field for the team’s 2009 opener against the Buffalo Bills and found his team down 24-13 with just over two minutes to go in the game when he led them in a furious comeback.

Brady hit tight end Ben Watson on an 18 yard touchdown pass and when the Bills fumbled the ensuing kickoff, Brady needed just three plays to hit Watson again, this time on a 16 yard pass that gave his team a 25-24 win.http://www.patriots.com/search/index.cfm?ac=searchdetail&pid=38859&pcid=41

New England went on to win 10 games in 2009, and win the AFC East yet again. Eventually the Patriots lost in the Wild Card round to the Baltimore Ravens. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nwe/2009.htm

Brady finished the season with 4,398 yards passing, just the third time in his career he has topped the 4,000 yard mark. He also made his fifth Pro Bowl team.http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BradTo00.htm

The Patriots opened the 2008 NFL season with a September 7 game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Quarterback Tom Brady was injured in the first quarter, forcing backup Matt Cassel to finish the game. Despite the loss of Brady, the Patriots won 17-10. Following the game, the NFL Network reported that Brady had torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).NFL.com: Brady's Season over After Injuring Knee Vs. Chiefs Coach Bill Belichick confirmed that Brady would miss the 2008 season in September 8, 2008.BostonHerald.com: Tom Brady Out for Season

The Patriots finished the season with an 11=5 record, tied for first in the AFC East. Despite the strong season, they did not qualify for the playoffs.