The Patriots Remarkable Success Through the Years

With the Patriots securing their sixth Super Bowl win a few Sundays ago, the team is nowhere close to slowing down their almost two-decade streak of record-breaking success. The team is now tied with the Steelers for the most Super Bowl wins of all time and, having made it to the big game eleven times, has the most overall Super Bowl appearances.

Much of their recent success is attributable to the powerhouse pairing of quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick. The team’s acquirement of Belichick in 2000 is considered the top moment in team history according to a recent study. This, not surprisingly, is followed closely by drafting Tom Brady as the 199th pick in the 2000 Draft. After just 3 weeks of the 2001 season, Brady became the starting quarterback due to an injury to Drew Bledsoe. Since then, Belichick and Brady have made nine Super Bowl appearances and won six, the most of any head coach-quarterback tandem.

Their first Super Bowl win was at the end of the 2001 season and featured a two-minute drill by Brady that set up Adam Vinatieri’s game-winning field goal that many fans remember fondly. Over the next three years, the team won two more Super Bowls, propelling them into their long streak of success. Between 2003 and 2004, the team had 21 consecutive wins, another NFL record and has the most consecutive division titles (10) between 2009 and 2018.

In 2018, the team was ranked the sixth most valuable sports team in the world, with a valuation of $3.7 billion. They are surpassed by only one other football team, the Dallas Cowboys. Their most recent Super Bowl win, however, may move them up a spot or two on Forbes’ list.

Having had so much success, the Patriots have also had a few slip-ups. Making it to a record number of Super Bowls, they have also had a record number of Super Bowl losses (5) tying with the Broncos. They have also sparked controversy, most notably “Spygate” and “Deflategate” in which, respectively, the opposing team’s coach was recorded outside the designated areas and the balls were deflated to give the Patriots an advantage. Nevertheless, the Patriots success is truly unparalleled and no one can doubt the talent that has carried them for so many years.