Super Bowl LX: 10 things to know about the Patriots

There are dynasties in pro football. And then there are the New England Patriots -- truly the gold standard of NFL excellence.

In the Super Bowl era, the Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs have laid claim to being a dynasty. But the Patriots are appearing in their 12th Super Bowl and are aiming to win a record seventh Vince Lombardi Trophy.

If the Patriots should defeat the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium, it would bring the franchise its first Vince Lombardi Trophy without the influence of coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady.

There is new blood starting with quarterback and MVP runner-up Drake Maye and 2025 NFL coach of the year Mike Vrabel, a former Patriots player who took a 4-13 team in 2024 to the brink of winning a Super Bowl title in his first season in New England.

Sunday’s game is a rematch of a memorable Super Bowl clash on Feb. 1, 2015.

New England rallied from a 10-point deficit and led by four points in the final minute, but the Seahawks were inside the 1-yard line with seconds remaining.

Seattle coach Pete Carroll tried to cross the Patriots up. Instead of sending running back Marshawn Lynch into the line, the Seahawks tried a pass. A Russell Wilson toss intended for wide receiver Ricardo Lockette was intercepted by rookie Malcolm Butler at the goal line. New England held on to win, 28-24.

Here are 10 things to know about the Patriots franchise, past and present.

Beginnings

The Patriots were a charter member of the American Football League, with Billy Sullivan awarded the franchise on Nov. 22, 1959. Known as the Boston Patriots, the team debuted in 1960 and won the AFL’s Eastern Division title in 1963.

The team became the New England Patriots in 1971 as a nod to the region. But that was not the first choice.

When the team moved to Foxborough, it was renamed the Bay State Patriots -- a name that was rejected by the NFL after a month. The league did not want the team to be called the B.S. Patriots.

Since its inception, the Patriots have a 559-449-9 regular-season record.

A winning tradition

Between 2001 and 2019, the Patriots, led by the combination of quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick won six Super Bowl titles in nine appearances. In 2007, the Patriots became the first NFL team to fashion a 16-0 regular season. New England’s quest to join the 1972 Miami Dolphins as the only wire-to-wire undefeated team was thwarted in Super Bowl XLII, when the New York Giants scored late to win a 17-14 decision. The Patriots finished the season with an 18-1 mark.

New England holds the NFL record for the longest winning streak with 21, set during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Including the postseason, the Patriots reeled off 15 straight wins to end the 2003 and then went 6-0 to start the 2004 campaign.

New England dominated the AFC East, winning 11 consecutive division titles from 2009 to 201. The Patriots also had 19 straight winning seasons from 2001 to 2019.

Maye showed the way

Second-year quarterback Drake Maye led the NFL in yards per attempt (8.9) and completion percentage (72%) during the 2025 season.

By comparison, Tom Brady, who also led the Patriots to a Super Bowl in his second season, threw for 2,843 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Granted, Brady only played in one game during his rookie season, while Maye started 13 games in 2024, his first year in New England.

Like Brady, Maye has put up the numbers and has delivered in the clutch. But his teammates point to his leadership as he grew into the role this season.

“The leap he’s taken this year, I think, is the leadership role,” running back Rhamondre Stevenson told CNN. “He’s a great leader. He demands the offense to do certain things. He’s looking at how we practice then he has something to say about it the next day, whether it was good practice, great practice, or, you know, a not so good one.

“So he’s just a vocal leader, he commands offense well.”

Vrabel can make history

Patriots coach Mike Vrabel can make history if New England wins on Sunday. He would become the first person to win Super Bowl titles as a player and coach with the same team. Vrabel was a key component of the Patriots squads that won Super Bowls after the 2001, 2004 and 2005 seasons. In Super Bowl XXXLVII he lined up as a tight end and caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady against the Carolina Panthers.

Adept at outside or inside linebacker, Vrabel signed a free-agent deal with the Patriots in March 2001, becoming one of the “Discount Dudes” who helped the Pats upset the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI, according to The Athletic.

Vrabel would help New England win two more Super Bowls and reach a fourth one.

Four other coaches in NFL history have achieved the Super Bowl player/coach daily double — but with different teams.

• Tom Flores: Won Super Bowl IV as a Kansas City Chiefs player, then coached the Raiders to wins in Super Bowls XV and XVIII.
• Mike Ditka: Won Super Bowl VI with the Dallas Cowboys as a player, then coached the 1985 Chicago Bears to a Super Bowl XX victory.
• Tony Dungy: Won Super Bowl XIII as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers defense then coached the Indianapolis Colts to victory in Super Bowl XLI.
• Doug Pederson: Was a backup quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, who won Super Bowl XXXI. He would take a Lombardi trophy as a coach when the Philadelphia Eagles beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.

Team greats

Eleven members of the Patriots are the Pro Football Hall of Fame, either as players or coaches. Players who played most of their HOF careers – or made their biggest contributions — with the Patriots include linebacker Andre Tippett, guard John Hannah, defensive back Ty Law, defensive back Mike Haynes and defensive lineman Richard Seymour.

Other Hall of Famers with ties to the Patriots include coach Bill Parcells, linebacker Nick Buoniconti, running back Curtis Martin, wide receiver Randy Moss, linebacker Junior Seau and defensive back Darrelle Revis.

While coach Bill Belichick has been snubbed in this year’s balloting, he is certain to receive enough votes in the future. Quarterback Tom Brady is also a lock for enshrinement.

The franchise also has 35 players in the Patriots Hall of Fame.

There are six players and coaches in both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Patriots Hall of Fame.

The team has retired six jersey numbers, including those of quarterback Tom Brady (No. 12), receiver Gino Cappelletti (No. 20), defensive back Mike Haynes (No. 40), linebacker Steve Nelson (No. 57), guard John Hannah (No. 73), tackle Bruce Armstrong (No. 78) and defensive end Bob Dee (No. 89).

Snowplow game

On a harsh, wintry day on Dec. 12, 1982, snowplow operator Mark Henderson became a New England folk hero when he cleared a patch of field at Schaefer Stadium for Patriots kicker John Smith, whose 33-yard field goal was the difference in a 3-0 victory against the Miami Dolphins. Henderson was at the stadium on a work release from prison.

“There is a reason a John Deere tractor hangs from the New England Patriots Hall of Fame,” ESPN’s Mike Reiss wrote in 2014.

Miami coach Don Shula was predictably upset. Shula, who served on the NFL’s competition committee, helped pass a rule in 1983 that made clearing a path to aid a kicker an illegal act.

Man in the trench coat

On Nov. 3, 1961, the Patriots (4-3-1) were hanging on to a 28-21 lead against the Dallas Texans (3-4), The New York Times reported. During the cold, windy Friday night at Nickerson Field, the Patriots’ defense was trying to protect their lead with a last-second goal-line stand.

From the 1-yard line, Texans quarterback Cotton Davidson threw toward receiver Chris Burford in the end zone. Fans standing on the field ringed the end zone, about five deep. One fan, who allegedly was wearing a trench coat, leaped forward toward the line of scrimmage before the snap, giving the Patriots a 12th man. He swatted at the football before disappearing into the crowd.

“Then all the fans rushed the field and it was like everyone wasn’t sure what they saw,” former Patriots defensive end Larry Eisenhauer told the newspaper. “But we watched the film on Monday and we saw this guy jump from the crowd and knock it down.”

For years, Patriots owner Billy Sullivan, who usually wore a trench coat, was rumored to be the culprit. He coyly never denied it.

Vagabonds

Between 1960 and 1971, the Patriots changed stadium venues four times. Nickerson Field was used from 1960 to 1963, followed by Alumni Field at Boston College (1963, 1969), Fenway Park (1963-68) and Harvard Stadium (1970).

The Pats’ final game at Alumni Stadium was interrupted when a popcorn machine under the the bleachers caught fire.

“Fortunately, nobody was hurt and it wasn’t a huge section of seats that were burned,” radio announcer Gil Santos said. “After the fire was out, everybody found a seat, and the game continued. Popcorn sales, of course, went down.”

28-3

Patriots fans remember these numbers with relish, while fans of the Atlanta Falcons predictably cringe. It happened nine years ago, on Feb. 5, 2017. After falling behind 28-3 to Atlanta in Super Bowl LI at Houston’s NRG Stadium, New England scored 25 points to send the game into overtime. That rally included back-to-back touchdown drives that featured two crucial two-point conversions.

The Patriots then scored in overtime to win 34-28 and complete the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. Brady earned his fifth Super Bowl ring as New England won the first overtime game in the game’s history.

James White scored the game’s final two touchdowns, running for a 1-yard score with 57 seconds left in regulation and adding a 2-yard run with 11:02 left in OT.

Super Bowl results

How the Patriots fared in their 11 previous Super Bowl appearances.

• Super Bowl XX (1985): Lost to the Chicago Bears, 46-10.
• Super Bowl XXXI (1996): Lost to the Green Bay Packers, 35-21.
• Super Bowl XXXVI (2001): Defeated the St. Louis Rams, 20-17.
• Super Bowl XXXVIII (2003): Defeated the Carolina Panthers, 32-29.
• Super Bowl XXXIX (2004): Defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 24-21.
• Super Bowl XLII (2007): Lost to the New York Giants, 17-14.
• Super Bowl XLVI (2011): Lost to the New York Giants, 21-17.
• Super Bowl XLIX (2014): Defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 28-24.
• Super Bowl LI (2016): Defeated the Atlanta Falcons, 34-28 (OT).
• Super Bowl LII (2017): Lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, 41-33
• Super Bowl LIII (2018): Defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3.

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