2016 New England Patriots season
| 2016 New England Patriots season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Bill Belichick |
| Owner | Robert Kraft |
| Home field | Gillette Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 14–2 |
| Division place | 1st AFC East |
| Playoff finish |
Won Divisional Playoffs (Texans) 34–16 Won AFC Championship (Steelers) 36–17 Won Super Bowl LI (Falcons) 34–28 (OT) |
| Pro Bowlers |
4
|
| AP All-Pros |
7
|
| Uniform | |
 |
|
The 2016 New England Patriots season was the franchise's 47th season in the National Football league, the 57th overall and the 17th under head coach Bill Belichick.
During the season, the Patriots became the first team that originated from the American Football League to reach 500 franchise wins—regular season and playoffs—with their Week 12 win over the New York Jets. In Week 15, the Patriots clinched their eighth straight AFC East division title, and in doing so surpassed the 1979 Los Angeles Rams for most consecutive division titles. With their Week 17 win over the Miami Dolphins, the Patriots clinched home field advantage throughout the entire AFC playoffs and ended the regular season with a league-best record of 14–2. With their win over the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round, the Patriots advanced to the AFC Championship Game for the sixth consecutive year, surpassing the 1977 Oakland Raiders for most consecutive appearances in conference championship games. After their win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game, the Patriots became the first organization to clinch a ninth Super Bowl berth. They surpassed the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys, and Denver Broncos who are all tied at 8. Furthermore, Bill Belichick broke the record for a head coach by coaching his seventh Super Bowl, breaking a tie with Don Shula.
Patriots starting quarterback Tom Brady was suspended for the first four games of the season due to his alleged role in the Deflategate scandal. Under backup quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett, the team went 3–1 during Brady's suspension. During the season, Bill Belichick moved into fourth place on the list for most wins as a head coach, and Brady set the record for most wins by a starting quarterback (208 following the Super Bowl win). The record for the most pass attempts by a team without an interception to start a season was also set by the Patriots. Furthermore, the Patriots set a single season record for least amount of interceptions thrown by a team with only 2. Tom Brady also set the record for the best touchdown–interception ratio in a single season, with 28 touchdowns and 2 interceptions (a ratio of 14:1). This broke the previous record of Nick Foles's 27 touchdowns to 2 interceptions (13.5:1), which was set in 2013 while he was with the Philadelphia Eagles. Meanwhile, the defense led the league in the fewest points allowed (250 points allowed) for the first time since the 2003 season. The Patriots were 8–0 on the road during the 2016 season; the first time since they went undefeated in the road in their 2007 season. They became the 7th NFL team to accomplish this feat.
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