Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: the New England Patriots are representing the AFC in the Super Bowl.
That phrase has been less common in recent years. New England’s dynastic run was halted for several seasons after Tom Brady and Bill Belichick split up following the 2019 campaign. The team sputtered to a 29-38 record in Belichick’s final four seasons with the club and went 4-13 in Jerod Mayo’s lone season before Mike Vrabel came to town.
Advertisement
Vrabel quickly established himself as the dynamic leader the Patriots needed to find success. That, plus the ascension of second-year quarterback Drake Maye, helped New England go 14-3 and win the AFC, ushering in what Patriots fans hope will be another dynasty.
Regardless of whether the return to form becomes a trend or a blip on the radar, the Patriots continue to build upon their Super Bowl legacy. They are the NFL’s clear-cut leader in Super Bowl appearances and have established themselves as the league’s most dominant team of the 21st century.
Here’s a look at the Patriots’ Super Bowl history as they prepare to face the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 60.
TURNAROUND TITLE: How Patriots went from AFC basement to Super Bowl 60
Advertisement
How many times have Patriots been to the Super Bowl?
The Patriots’ appearance in Super Bowl 60 will mark the franchise’s 12th all-time. That’s far and away the most in NFL history, and well ahead of the Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers, who are tied for second with eight Super Bowl appearances.
New England’s first Super Bowl appearance came in Super Bowl 20, when they lost to the Chicago Bears following the 1985 NFL season. The Patriots then had an 11-year championship hiatus before going to the Super Bowl 11 times over 30 seasons.
Before making it to Super Bowl 60, the Patriots last played for an NFL championship in Super Bowl 53. They beat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in a defensive slugfest that remains the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in NFL history.
How many Super Bowls have the Patriots won?
The Patriots have won six of the 11 Super Bowls they have played in to date. Their six victories are tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most in NFL history.
Advertisement
All six of the Patriots’ Super Bowl wins have come since the 2001 NFL season. They all occurred during Tom Brady’s 20-year run with the franchise and featured him as the starting quarterback.
As such, Maye will be looking to become the first non-Brady quarterback to lead New England to a Super Bowl win.
Full list of Patriots Super Bowl appearances, results
The Patriots are appearing in the Super Bowl for the first time in seven years but the 11th time over a 30-year span.
New England’s first appearance came in Super Bowl 20. They were trounced 46-10 by the Chicago Bears in a game during which the Bears logged four rushing touchdowns, including one by defensive lineman William “The Refrigerator” Perry.
Advertisement
The Patriots didn’t win their first Super Bowl until their third appearance. That came in Super Bowl 36, when they upset the heavily favored St. Louis Rams 20-17 in a game where Ty Law had a crucial pick-six and Adam Vinatieri kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired.
New England went on to win back-to-back Super Bowls in 2003 and 2004, giving the team three titles in a span of four years. However, the team would go on to lose each of its next two Super Bowl appearances to Eli Manning and the New York Giants, including a 17-14 Super Bowl 42 loss that denied the Patriots a chance at the NFL’s first-ever 19-0 season.
The Patriots kick-started another chapter of their dynasty when they won Super Bowl 49 over the Seattle Seahawks. Malcolm Butler had a goal-line interception in the game’s final minute to seal a 28-24 New England victory.
The Patriots would go on to appear in four Super Bowls over a five-year span. They won three of them, with the most notable being their 34-28 overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons during which the team famously overcame a 28-3 deficit, and the most recent being their 13-3 victory over the Rams.
Advertisement
Below is a look at the scores and results from the Patriots’ Super Bowl appearances in order:
-
Super Bowl 20 (Jan. 26, 1986): Chicago Bears 46, New England Patriots 10
-
Super Bowl 31 (Jan. 26, 1997): Green Bay Packers 35, New England Patriots 31
-
Super Bowl 36 (Feb. 3, 2002): New England Patriots 20, St. Louis Rams 17
-
Super Bowl 38 (Feb. 1, 2004): New England Patriots 32, Carolina Panthers 29
-
Super Bowl 39 (Feb. 6, 2005): New England Patriots 24, Philadelphia Eagles 21
-
Super Bowl 42 (Feb. 3, 2008): New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14
-
Super Bowl 46 (Feb. 5, 2012): New York Giants 21, New England Patriots 17
-
Super Bowl 49 (Feb. 1, 2015): New England Patriots 28, Seattle Seahawks 24
-
Super Bowl 51 (Feb. 5, 2017): New England Patriots 34, Atlanta Falcons 28
-
Super Bowl 52 (Feb. 4, 2018): Philadelphia Eagles 41, New England Patriots 33
-
Super Bowl 53 (Feb. 3, 2019): New England Patriots 13, Los Angeles Rams 3
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Patriots Super Bowl history, record: How many have they made, won?
