2018 New England Patriots season

The 2018 season was the New England Patriots' 49th in the National Football League (NFL), their 59th overall and their 19th under head coach Bill Belichick. The Patriots entered the season as two-time defending AFC champions.

2018 New England Patriots season
Owner	Robert Kraft
General manager	Bill Belichick
Head coach	Bill Belichick
Offensive coordinator	Josh McDaniels
Home field	Gillette Stadium
Results
Record	11–5
Division place	1st AFC East
Playoff finish	Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Chargers) 41–28 Won AFC Championship (at Chiefs) 37–31 (OT) Won Super Bowl LIII (vs. Rams) 13–3
Pro Bowlers	Selected but did not participate due to participation in Super Bowl LIII: QB Tom Brady CB Stephon Gilmore
AP All-Pros	CB Stephon Gilmore (1st team) KR Cordarrelle Patterson (2nd team)
Uniform
← 2017 Patriots seasons 2019 →

The Patriots' losses to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions in Week 2 and 3 marked the franchise's first back-to-back double-digit losses since 2002.^[1] After this slow 1–2 start, the Patriots improved to 7–2 after Week 9. Following a notable Week 14 loss to the Miami Dolphins, the Patriots could not match their 13–3 record from 2017. A defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 15 meant the Patriots had lost five games for the first time since 2009. After a win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 16, the Patriots clinched the AFC East for the tenth consecutive season, surpassing the Dallas Cowboys (1975–1983) and the Indianapolis Colts (2002–2010) for the most consecutive playoff appearances. New England went undefeated at home with a Week 17 win over the New York Jets in which they clinched a first-round bye, and wrapped up the regular season with an 11–5 record that was good enough to give them the AFC's second seed in the postseason. Despite their five losses, the team achieved the rare distinction of going unbeaten against teams that qualified for the playoffs.^[2][3][4]

For the first time since 2010, the Patriots did not play the Denver Broncos during the regular season.

The 2018 Patriots became the second team ever in the four major American sports leagues to win at least 10 straight division titles, joining Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves (1991–2005, excluding the strike-shortened 1994 season). The Patriots also secured their 16th-straight 10-win season, tying the San Francisco 49ers' league record streak, set from 1983–98. Notable records set during the season include QB Tom Brady achieving the record for most career passing touchdowns (including playoffs).^[5]

In the playoffs, the Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in the Divisional round, 41–28, to advance to the AFC Championship game for a record eighth straight season. The Patriots defeated the Chiefs, 37–31 in overtime, to advance to the Super Bowl for a third straight year, becoming only the third team in NFL history to appear in three or more consecutive Super Bowls (joining the 1971–73 Miami Dolphins and 1990–93 Buffalo Bills). In Super Bowl LIII, they faced the Los Angeles Rams in a rematch of Super Bowl XXXVI, in which the Patriots defeated the then-St. Louis Rams 20–17. The Patriots won the rematch as well by a score of 13–3 to win their sixth Super Bowl, tying the Pittsburgh Steelers for most Super Bowl championships in NFL history.^[6]

As of the 2023 season, this is the most recent season the Patriots have won a playoff game, with their Super Bowl victory being the most recent playoff win for the team.

Offseason

On February 5, 2018, the Detroit Lions hired Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia to serve as head coach.^[7]

On February 6, the Indianapolis Colts announced hiring Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as their new head coach.^[8] The next day, McDaniels abruptly rejected the offer citing personal reasons, and decided to stay a part of the Patriots' organization.^[9] The controversy surrounding this decision led McDaniels' then-agent Bob LaMonte to terminate their professional relationship.^[10]

Roster changes

Free agents

Unrestricted

Position	Player	2018 Team	Date signed	Contract
WR	Danny Amendola	Miami Dolphins	March 15, 2018[11]	two years, $12 million[12]
CB	Johnson Bademosi	Houston Texans	March 16, 2018[13]	two years, $6.25 million[14]
RB	Brandon Bolden	New England Patriots	February 24, 2018[15]	one year, $880,000[15]
RB	Rex Burkhead	New England Patriots	March 15, 2018[16]	three years, $9.75 million[17]
CB	Malcolm Butler	Tennessee Titans	March 15, 2018[18]	five years, $61 million[19]
SS	Nate Ebner	New England Patriots	March 13, 2018[20]	two years, $5 million[21]
OT	Cameron Fleming	Dallas Cowboys	March 24, 2018[22]	one year, $3.5 million[23]
OLB	Marquis Flowers	New England Patriots	March 22, 2018[24]	one year, $2.55 million[24]
DT	Ricky Jean Francois	Detroit Lions	July 25, 2018	one year, $1.01 million[25]
RB	Dion Lewis	Tennessee Titans	March 15, 2018[26]	four years, $20 million[27]
WR	Matthew Slater	New England Patriots	March 20, 2018[28]	two years, $5.2 million[28]
OT	Nate Solder	New York Giants	March 15, 2018[29]	four years, $62 million[30]
OT	LaAdrian Waddle	New England Patriots	March 22, 2018[31]	one year, $1.5 million[31]

Restricted

Position	Player	2018 Team	Date signed	Contract
SS	Brandon King	New England Patriots	March 8, 2018[32]	two year, $2.6 million[32]

Signings

Position	Player	Previous Team	Date signed	Contract
DE	Adrian Clayborn	Atlanta Falcons	March 17, 2018[33]	two years, $12 million[34]
RB	Jeremy Hill	Cincinnati Bengals	March 17, 2018[35]	one year, $1.5 million[36]
OT	Matt Tobin	Seattle Seahawks	March 17, 2018[37]	one year, $815,000[38]
TE	Troy Niklas	Arizona Cardinals	April 4, 2018[39]	one year, $940,000[40]
OG	Luke Bowanko	Baltimore Ravens	April 4, 2018[41]	one year, $835,000[40]
WR	Jordan Matthews	Buffalo Bills	April 6, 2018[42]	one year, $1 million[43]
OT	Ulrick John	Green Bay Packers	April 24, 2018[44]	one year, $745,000[45]
OG	Jason King	Baltimore Ravens	May 18, 2018[46]	one year, $481,000[47]
WR	Devin Lucien	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	July 23, 2018[48]	one year, $480,000[49]
SS	Eddie Pleasant	Houston Texans	July 24, 2018[50]	one year, $875,000[51]
OG	Nate Theaker	New Orleans Saints	July 24, 2018[50]	one year, $480,000[52]
WR	Paul Turner	New Orleans Saints	July 27, 2018[53]	one year, $555,000[54]
C	Brian Schwenke	Tennessee Titans	July 31, 2018[55]	one year, $790,000[56]
FB	Henry Poggi	Oakland Raiders	August 1, 2018[57]	one year, $480,000[58]
WR	Eric Decker	Tennessee Titans	August 3, 2018[59]	one year, $1.9 million[60]
WR	K.J. Maye	Tennessee Titans	August 27, 2018[61]	one year, $480,000[62]
RB	Kenneth Farrow	Los Angeles Chargers	August 27, 2018[61]	one year, $480,000[63]
RB	Khalfani Muhammad	Tennessee Titans	August 27, 2018[61]	one year, $480,000[64]
WR	Amara Darboh	Seattle Seahawks	September 2, 2018[65]
WR	Chad Hansen	New York Jets	September 2, 2018[65]
C	Brian Schwenke	New England Patriots	September 4, 2018[66]	one year, $790,000[67]
WR	Corey Coleman	Buffalo Bills	September 11, 2018[68]	one year, $630,000[69]
WR	Bennie Fowler III	Chicago Bears	September 11, 2018[70]	one year, $705,000[71]
RB	Kenjon Barner	Carolina Panthers	September 11, 2018[72]	one year, $790,000[73]
CB	Cyrus Jones	Baltimore Ravens	September 17, 2018[74]	two years, $1,810,000[75]
RB	Kenjon Barner	New England Patriots	September 26, 2018[76]
DE	John Simon	Indianapolis Colts	September 26, 2018[76]
RB	Kenjon Barner	New England Patriots	October 8, 2018[77]
LB	Albert McClellan	Baltimore Ravens	November 6, 2018[77]
S	Obi Melifonwu	Oakland Raiders	November 6, 2018[77]
OT	Matt Tobin	New England Patriots	November 7, 2018[77]
LB	Ramon Humber	Buffalo Bills	November 14, 2018[77]

Indicates that the player was a free agent at the end of his respective team's 2017 season.

Released/Waived

Position	Player	2018 Team	Date released
DE	Caleb Kidder		March 6, 2018[21]
WR	Bernard Reedy	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	March 7, 2018[78]
LB	Shea McClellin		March 19, 2018[79]
G	Jason King	New England Patriots	May 10, 2018[80]
OT	Antonio Garcia	New York Jets	May 11, 2018[81]
WR	Darren Andrews	New England Patriots	May 14, 2018[82]
WR	Chris Lacy	Detroit Lions	May 18, 2018[46]
WR	Cody Hollister	New England Patriots	July 24, 2018[50]
S	David Jones	Detroit Lions	July 27, 2018[83]
TE	Troy Niklas		July 27, 2018[53]
TE	Shane Wimann		July 31, 2018[55]
G	Nate Theaker		August 2, 2018[84]
WR	Malcolm Mitchell		August 6, 2018[85]
WR	Jordan Matthews	Philadelphia Eagles	August 8, 2018[86]
WR	Kenny Britt		August 22, 2018[87]
S	Eddie Pleasant	Arizona Cardinals	August 27, 2018[88]
WR	Paul Turner		August 31, 2018[89]
WR	Devin Lucien
RB	Khalfani Muhammad	Denver Broncos
DT	Frank Herron	New England Patriots
CB	Ryan Lewis	Buffalo Bills
DT	John Atkins	Detroit Lions	September 1, 2018[90]
P	Corey Bojorquez	Buffalo Bills
RB	Brandon Bolden	Miami Dolphins
G	Luke Bowanko	Washington Redskins
OT	Cole Croston	New England Patriots
QB	Danny Etling	New England Patriots
RB	Kenneth Farrow
C	James Ferentz	New England Patriots
LB	Marquis Flowers	Detroit Lions
RB	Mike Gillislee	New Orleans Saints
DE	Trent Harris	New England Patriots
CB	Cyrus Jones	Baltimore Ravens
G	Jason King
LB	Harvey Langi	New York Jets
DE	Eric Lee	Detroit Lions
WR	K.J. Maye
WR	Riley McCarron	New England Patriots
CB	A.J. Moore	Houston Texans
FB	Henry Poggi
G	Brian Schwenke	New England Patriots
OT	Matt Tobin	San Francisco 49ers
S	Damarius Travis
TE	Will Tye	Philadelphia Eagles
DT	Vincent Valentine	New England Patriots
RB	Ralph Webb	New England Patriots
CB	Jomal Wiltz	New England Patriots
WR	Amara Darboh	Seattle Seahawks	September 4, 2018[66]
WR	Chad Hansen	Tennessee Titans	September 10, 2018[91]
WR	Riley McCarron	New England Patriots
WR	Bennie Fowler III	New York Giants	September 15, 2018[92]
WR	Corey Coleman	New York Giants	September 17, 2018[93]
RB	Kenjon Barner	New England Patriots	September 19, 2018[74]
RB	Kenjon Barner	New England Patriots	October 4, 2018[77]
CB	Cyrus Jones	Baltimore Ravens	October 6, 2018[77]
OT	Cole Croston	New England Patriots	November 6, 2018[77]
DE	Geneo Grissom	Indianapolis Colts	November 7, 2018[77]
RB	Kenjon Barner	Carolina Panthers	November 13, 2018[77]
LB	Nicholas Grigsby	Detroit Lions	November 13, 2018[77]
OT	Matt Tobin		November 26, 2018[77]

Retirements

Position	Player	Date retired
LB	David Harris	February 23, 2018[94]
TE	Martellus Bennett	March 7, 2018[95]
LB	James Harrison	April 16, 2018[96]
OT	Andrew Jelks	July 19, 2018[97]
WR	Eric Decker	August 26, 2018[98]

Trades

• On March 10, the Patriots traded their 2019 third-round selection to the Cleveland Browns for defensive tackle Danny Shelton and Cleveland's 2018 fifth-round selection (No. 159 overall).
• On March 15, the Patriots traded their 2018 sixth-round selection (No. 205) to the Cleveland Browns for cornerback Jason McCourty and Cleveland's 2018 seventh-round selection (No. 219 overall).
• On March 18, the Patriots traded their 2018 fifth-round selection (No. 159) to the Oakland Raiders for wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson and a 2018 sixth-round selection (No. 210 overall).
• On April 3, the Patriots traded wide receiver Brandin Cooks and their 2018 fourth-round selection (No. 136) to the Los Angeles Rams for their first-round (No. 23) and sixth-round (No. 198) selections.
• On April 28, the Patriots traded their third-round selection (95th overall) to San Francisco in exchange for San Francisco's fifth-round selection (143rd overall) and offensive tackle Trent Brown.
• On August 31, the Patriots traded safety Jordan Richards to the Atlanta Falcons for a 2020 conditional seventh-round pick.^[99]
• On September 17, the Patriots traded a conditional fifth-round selection to the Cleveland Browns for wide receiver Josh Gordon.^[93]

Draft

Main article: 2018 NFL draft

2018 New England Patriots Draft

Round	Selection	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	23	Isaiah Wynn	OT	Georgia	from Los Angeles Rams
	31	Sony Michel	RB	Georgia
2	56	Duke Dawson	CB	Florida	from Tampa Bay
5	143	Ja'Whaun Bentley	LB	Purdue	from San Francisco
6	178	Christian Sam	LB	Arizona State	from Cleveland
	210	Braxton Berrios	WR	Miami (FL)	from Oakland
7	219	Danny Etling	QB	LSU	from Cleveland
	243	Keion Crossen	CB	Western Carolina	from Kansas City
	250	Ryan Izzo	TE	Florida State	from Philadelphia

Draft trades

• The Patriots traded Brandin Cooks and their fourth-round selection (136th overall) to Los Angeles in exchange for their 23rd and sixth-round (No. 198) selections.
• The Patriots traded quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to San Francisco in exchange for San Francisco's second-round selection (43rd overall).
• The Patriots traded their second-round selection (43rd overall) to Detroit in exchange for Detroit's second and fourth-round selections (51st and 117th overall).
• The Patriots traded their second-round selection (51st overall) to Chicago in exchange for Chicago's fourth-round selection (105th overall) and their 2019 second-round selection.
• The Patriots traded their second and fourth-round selections (63rd and 117th overall) to Tampa Bay in exchange for Tampa Bay's second-round selection (56th overall).
• The Patriots traded their third-round selection (95th overall) to San Francisco in exchange for San Francisco's fifth-round selection (143rd overall) and offensive tackle Trent Brown.
• The Patriots traded their fourth-round selection (105th overall) to Cleveland in exchange for Cleveland's fourth and sixth-round selections (114th and 178th overall).
• The Patriots traded their fourth-round selection (114th overall) to Detroit in exchange for Detroit's 2019 third-round selection.
• The Patriots traded their fourth-round selection (131st overall) to Philadelphia in exchange for cornerback Eric Rowe.
• The Patriots traded the fifth-round selection they acquired from Cleveland (131st overall) to Oakland in exchange for Oakland's sixth-round selection (210th overall) and wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson.
• The Patriots traded their third-round selection in 2019 to Cleveland in exchange for Cleveland's fifth-round selection (159th overall) and defensive tackle Danny Shelton.
• The Patriots traded their fifth- and seventh-round selections (168th and 270th overall) to Seattle in exchange for defensive end Cassius Marsh.
• The Patriots traded their sixth-round selection (198th overall) to Kansas City in exchange for Kansas City's seventh-round selections (233rd and 243rd overall).
• The Patriots traded their sixth-round selection (205th overall) to Cleveland in exchange for Cleveland's seventh-round selection (219th overall) and cornerback Jason McCourty.
• The Patriots traded their seventh-round selection (233rd overall) to Philadelphia in exchange for Philadelphia's seventh-round selection (250th overall) and their 2019 seventh-round selection.
• The Patriots traded their seventh-round selection (249th overall) to Cincinnati in exchange for linebacker Marquis Flowers.
• The Patriots traded cornerback Justin Coleman to Seattle in exchange for Seattle's seventh-round selection they acquired from Philadelphia (250th overall).

Undrafted Free Agents

Player	Position	College	Date Signed
Darren Andrews	WR	UCLA	May 11, 2018
John Atkins	DT	Georgia
Trent Harris	DE	Miami (FL)
Frank Herron	DT	LSU
J. C. Jackson	CB	Maryland
Chris Lacy	WR	Oklahoma State
A.J. Moore	CB	Ole Miss
Ralph Webb	RB	Vanderbilt
Shane Wimann	TE	Northern Illinois
Corey Bojorquez	P	New Mexico	May 14, 2018
Source:[81][82]

Made regular season roster

Suspensions

Wide receiver Julian Edelman was suspended for the first four games of the 2018 season for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances. Edelman, who missed the entire 2017 season due to a torn ACL suffered during the preseason, unsuccessfully appealed the suspension, and returned to the Patriots' roster for the team's Week 5 Thursday Night game vs. the Indianapolis Colts on October 4.^[100]

On December 20, 2018, Wide receiver Josh Gordon was suspended indefinitely for violating the terms of his reinstatement under the league's substance abuse policy. This is the second time Gordon was suspended indefinitely by the league.^[101]

Staff

2018 New England Patriots staff

Front office Chairman/CEO – Robert Kraft President – Jonathan Kraft General manager – Bill Belichick Director of player personnel – Nick Caserio Director of college scouting – Monti Ossenfort Director of pro personnel – Dave Ziegler Assistant director of college scouting – Brian Smith Director of scouting administration – Nancy Meier Football research director – Ernie Adams Director of football/head coach administration – Berj Najarian Head coaches Head coach – Bill Belichick Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks – Josh McDaniels Assistant quarterbacks – Jerry Schuplinski Running backs – Ivan Fears Wide receivers – Chad O'Shea Tight ends – Nick Caley Offensive line – Dante Scarnecchia

Defensive coaches Defensive line – Brendan Daly Linebackers – Brian Flores Cornerbacks – Josh Boyer Safeties – Steve Belichick Special teams coaches Special teams – Joe Judge Assistant special teams – Cameron Achord Coaching assistants Consultant to the head coach – Bret Bielema Coaching assistant – Atif Austin Coaching assistant – Brian Belichick Coaching assistant – DeMarcus Covington Coaching assistant – Mike Pellegrino Coaching assistant – Cole Popovich Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning – Moses Cabrera Assistant strength and conditioning – James Hardy Assistant strength and conditioning – Deron Mayo

Final roster

2018 New England Patriots roster

Quarterbacks (QB) 12 Tom Brady  2 Brian Hoyer Running backs (RB) 34 Rex Burkhead 46 James Develin FB 26 Sony Michel 28 James White Wide receivers (WR) 13 Phillip Dorsett 11 Julian Edelman PR 15 Chris Hogan 84 Cordarrelle Patterson KR 18 Matthew Slater Tight ends (TE) 83 Dwayne Allen 87 Rob Gronkowski 47 Jacob Hollister

Offensive linemen (OL) 60 David Andrews C 77 Trent Brown T 61 Marcus Cannon T 66 James Ferentz C 75 Ted Karras G 69 Shaq Mason G 62 Joe Thuney G 68 LaAdrian Waddle T Defensive linemen (DL) 90 Malcom Brown DT 70 Adam Butler DT 94 Adrian Clayborn DE 58 Keionta Davis DE 98 Trey Flowers DE 93 Lawrence Guy DT 97 Ufomba Kamalu DT 95 Derek Rivers DE 71 Danny Shelton DT 55 John Simon DE 91 Deatrich Wise DE

Linebackers (LB) 54 Dont'a Hightower OLB 50 Ramon Humber OLB 36 Brandon King OLB 59 Albert McClellan MLB 52 Elandon Roberts MLB 53 Kyle Van Noy OLB Defensive backs (DB) 23 Patrick Chung SS 35 Keion Crossen CB 29 Duke Dawson CB 43 Nate Ebner FS 24 Stephon Gilmore CB 21 Duron Harmon SS 27 J. C. Jackson CB 31 Jonathan Jones CB 32 Devin McCourty FS 30 Jason McCourty CB 22 Obi Melifonwu CB Special teams  6 Ryan Allen P 49 Joe Cardona LS  3 Stephen Gostkowski K

Practice squad 64 Tony Adams T 80 Stephen Anderson TE 74 Cole Croston G  5 Danny Etling QB 45 Trent Harris DE 92 Frank Herron DT 19 Riley McCarron WR (IR) 48 Calvin Munson OLB 17 Damoun Patterson WR 42 Jomal Wiltz CB Reserve 16 Darren Andrews WR (NF-Inj.) 51 Ja'Whaun Bentley MLB (IR) 14 Braxton Berrios WR (IR) 10 Josh Gordon WR (Susp.) 33 Jeremy Hill RB (IR) 81 Cody Hollister WR (NF-Inj.) 85 Ryan Izzo TE (IR) 67 Ulrick John T (IR) 25 Eric Rowe CB (IR) 44 Christian Sam MLB (IR) 63 Brian Schwenke G (IR) 76 Isaiah Wynn T (IR) Rookies in italics 53 active, 13 reserve, 9 practice squad

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	August 9	Washington Redskins	W 26–17	1–0	Gillette Stadium	Recap
2	August 16	Philadelphia Eagles	W 37–20	2–0	Gillette Stadium	Recap
3	August 24	at Carolina Panthers	L 14–25	2–1	Bank of America Stadium	Recap
4	August 30	at New York Giants	W 17–12	3–1	MetLife Stadium	Recap

Regular season

Schedule

The Patriots' schedule was announced on April 19.^[102]

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	September 9	Houston Texans	W 27–20	1–0	Gillette Stadium	Recap
2	September 16	at Jacksonville Jaguars	L 20–31	1–1	TIAA Bank Field	Recap
3	September 23	at Detroit Lions	L 10–26	1–2	Ford Field	Recap
4	September 30	Miami Dolphins	W 38–7	2–2	Gillette Stadium	Recap
5	October 4	Indianapolis Colts	W 38–24	3–2	Gillette Stadium	Recap
6	October 14	Kansas City Chiefs	W 43–40	4–2	Gillette Stadium	Recap
7	October 21	at Chicago Bears	W 38–31	5–2	Soldier Field	Recap
8	October 29	at Buffalo Bills	W 25–6	6–2	New Era Field	Recap
9	November 4	Green Bay Packers	W 31–17	7–2	Gillette Stadium	Recap
10	November 11	at Tennessee Titans	L 10–34	7–3	Nissan Stadium	Recap
11	Bye
12	November 25	at New York Jets	W 27–13	8–3	MetLife Stadium	Recap
13	December 2	Minnesota Vikings	W 24–10	9–3	Gillette Stadium	Recap
14	December 9	at Miami Dolphins	L 33–34	9–4	Hard Rock Stadium	Recap
15	December 16	at Pittsburgh Steelers	L 10–17	9–5	Heinz Field	Recap
16	December 23	Buffalo Bills	W 24–12	10–5	Gillette Stadium	Recap
17	December 30	New York Jets	W 38–3	11–5	Gillette Stadium	Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Houston Texans

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Texans	3	3	7	7	20
Patriots	7	14	3	3	27

Game information

First quarter NE – Rob Gronkowski 21-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 11:50. Patriots 7–0. Drive: 3 plays, 19 yards, 1:08. HOU – Ka'imi Fairbairn 42-yard field goal, 2:33. Patriots 7–3. Drive: 4 plays, −7 yards, 1:33. Second quarter NE – James White 12-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 12:38. Patriots 14–3. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:55. HOU – Ka'imi Fairbairn 36-yard field goal, 9:01. Patriots 14–6. Drive: 9 plays, 44 yards, 3:37. NE – Phillip Dorsett 4-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 0:14. Patriots 21–6. Drive: 8 plays, 78 yards, 1:14. Third quarter NE – Stephen Gostkowski 39-yard field goal, 6:02. Patriots 24–6. Drive: 10 plays, 63 yards, 3:50. HOU – Alfred Blue 1-yard run (Ka'imi Fairbairn kick), 1:52. Patriots 24–13. Drive: 10 plays, 68 yards, 4:10. Fourth quarter NE – Stephen Gostkowski 35-yard field goal, 9:48. Patriots 27–13. Drive: 13 plays, 58 yards, 7:04. HOU – Bruce Ellington 5-yard pass from Deshaun Watson (Ka'imi Fairbairn kick), 2:08. Patriots 27–20. Drive: 6 plays, 16 yards, 2:24. Top passers HOU – Deshaun Watson – 17/34, 176 yards, TD, INT NE – Tom Brady – 26/39, 277 yards, 3 TD, INT Top rushers HOU – Lamar Miller – 20 carries, 98 yards NE – Rex Burkhead – 18 carries, 64 yards Top receivers HOU – DeAndre Hopkins – 8 receptions, 78 yards NE – Rob Gronkowski – 7 receptions, 123 yards, TD

Week One: Houston Texans at New England Patriots – Game summary

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

• Date: September 9
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C), cloudy and cool
• Game attendance: 65,878
• Referee: Tony Corrente
• TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson
• Recap, Gamebook

With the win, the Patriots started 1–0.

Week 2: at Jacksonville Jaguars

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Patriots	0	3	7	10	20
Jaguars	14	7	3	7	31

Game information

First quarter JAX – Donte Moncrief 4-yard pass from Blake Bortles (Josh Lambo kick), 7:46. Jaguars 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 56 yards, 3:52. JAX – Keelan Cole 24-yard pass from Blake Bortles (Josh Lambo kick), 2:10. Jaguars 14–0. Drive: 7 plays, 84 yards, 3:52. Second quarter NE – Stephen Gostkowski 29-yard field goal, 2:45. Jaguars 14–3. Drive: 16 plays, 83 yards, 8:20. JAX – Austin Seferian-Jenkins 4-yard pass from Blake Bortles (Josh Lambo kick), 0:09. Jaguars 21–3. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 2:36. Third quarter JAX – Josh Lambo 28-yard field goal, 7:50. Jaguars 24–3. Drive: 15 plays, 71 yards, 7:10. NE – Chris Hogan 7-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 1:42. Jaguars 24–10. Drive: 8 plays, 48 yards, 4:06. Fourth quarter NE – Stephen Gostkowski 46-yard field goal, 14:10. Jaguars 24–13. Drive: 5 plays, 31 yards, 1:27. JAX – Dede Westbrook 61-yard pass from Blake Bortles (Josh Lambo kick), 7:35. Jaguars 31–13. Drive: 1 play, 61 yards, 10:13. NE – Chris Hogan 29-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 3:40. Jaguars 31–20. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:55. Top passers NE – Tom Brady – 24/35, 234 yards, 2 TD JAX – Blake Bortles – 29/45, 377 yards, 4 TD, INT Top rushers NE – Sony Michel – 10 rushes, 34 yards JAX – T.J. Yeldon – 10 rushes, 58 yards Top receivers NE – James White – 7 receptions, 73 yards JAX – Keelan Cole – 7 receptions, 116 yards, TD

Week Two: New England Patriots at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary

at TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Florida

• Date: September 16
• Game time: 4:25 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 97 °F (36 °C)
• Game attendance: 68,527
• Referee: Carl Cheffers
• TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson
• Recap, Gamebook

The Patriots faced the Jaguars in a rematch of the previous season's AFC Championship game. The Patriots started off well, reaching Jaguars territory in just four plays, but the drive stalled, and Stephen Gostkowski missed a 54-yard field goal attempt. With great field position, the Jaguars raced 56 yards in 9 plays, scoring on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Blake Bortles to Donte Moncrief for the early lead. After a three-and-out, Patriots' punter Ryan Allen pinned the Jaguars back at their own 16-yard line. The Jaguars took the ball and cashed in, marching 84 yards on just 7 plays, with Bortles hitting Keelan Cole on a 24-yard touchdown pass, extending the Jags lead to 14–0. After stopping the Jaguars early in the second quarter, the Patriots drove 83 yards in over 8 minutes, but were forced to settle for a 29-yard field goal, trimming the deficit to 14–3. However, the Patriots defense was gashed again, with the Jags racing 75 yards, concluding with Bortles 4-yard touchdown pass to Austin Seferian-Jenkins and a 21–3 Jaguars lead with 0:09 seconds remaining in the half. The Jags started right where they left off, taking the opening drive of the second half all the way to the Patriots 10, but were held to a 28-yard field goal by Josh Lambo. After another Patriots punt, Bottles hit D. J. Chark for a 13-yard gain to the Jaguars 49, but Stephon Gilmore forced him to fumble with Duron Harmon recovering at the Jags 46. With the excellent field position, the Patriots finally reached the endzone with Brady finding Chris Hogan for a 7-yard touchdown pass to cap off the 46-yard drive, trimming the deficit to 24–10. After a Jaguars three-and-out, the Patriots drove all the way to the Jags 28, but settled for a 46-yard field goal, making the score just 24–13. Bortles made his only real mistake on the next drive, throwing an interception to Kyle Van Noy at the Jags 25 early in the fourth quarter. The Patriots were set up perfectly, it appeared to be a vintage Brady comeback, but on 3rd down, Dante Fowler stripped Brady and recovered the resultant fumble at the Jags 32. The Patriots forced a Jaguars punt and had another shot, but went three-and-out. On the next play from scrimmage for Jacksonville, Bottles hit Dede Westbrook for a 61-yard touchdown pass, extending the lead to 31–13. The Patriots marched 75 yards in 8 plays on their next drive with Brady connecting with Hogan again for a 29-yard touchdown pass, making the score 31–20; however, by now less than 4 minutes remained in the game. The Jags ran out the rest of the clock to win the game, their first ever regular season victory over the Pats, while the Patriots fell to 1–1.

Week 3: at Detroit Lions

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Patriots	0	3	7	0	10
Lions	3	10	7	6	26

Game information

First quarter DET – Matt Prater 38-yard field goal, 5:55. Lions 3–0. Drive: 12 plays, 65 yards, 7:37. Second quarter DET – Kenny Golladay 4-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (Matt Prater kick), 14:12. Lions 10–0. Drive: 9 plays, 60 yards, 5:41. DET – Matt Prater 25-yard field goal, 4:58. Lions 13–0. Drive: 14 plays, 71 yards, 7:28. NE – Stephen Gostkowski 36-yard field goal, 0:40. Lions 13–3. Drive: 11 plays, 57 yards, 4:18. Third quarter NE – James White 10-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 10:03. Lions 13–10. Drive: 7 plays, 52 yards, 3:31. DET – Marvin Jones 33-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (Matt Prater kick), 3:45. Lions 20–10. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 6:18. Fourth quarter DET – Matt Prater 32-yard field goal, 12:44. Lions 23–10. Drive: 8 plays, 61 yards, 4:14. DET – Matt Prater 30-yard field goal, 1:56. Lions 26–10. Drive: 4 plays, 1 yard, 1:20. Top passers NE – Tom Brady – 14/26, 133 yards, TD, INT DET – Matthew Stafford – 27/36, 262 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers NE – Sony Michel – 14 carries, 50 yards DET – Kerryon Johnson – 16 carries, 101 yards Top receivers NE – Rob Gronkowski – 4 receptions, 51 yards DET – Marvin Jones – 4 receptions, 69 yards, TD

Week Three: New England Patriots at Detroit Lions – Game summary

at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

• Date: September 23
• Game time: 8:20 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
• Game attendance: 61,769
• Referee: Clete Blakeman
• TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya and Terry McAulay
• Recap, Gamebook

After a Patriots three-and-out opened the game, the Lions marched 65 yards in 12 plays, taking over 7 minutes off the clock and facing only one 3rd down before settling for a 38-yard field goal by Matt Prater. After another Patriots three-and-out and set up with good field position, the Lions marched 60 yards in over 5 minutes to score on a 4-yard pass from Matthew Stafford to Kenny Golladay. Stafford completed all 5 pass attempts on the drive for 44 yards and the Lions didn't even face a 3rd down. The Patriots offense continued to appear lifeless with another three-and-out. Meanwhile, the Lions' efficiency shined again by slowly moving 71 yards, converting three 3rd downs and eating over seven more minutes off the clock, before settling for a 25-yard field goal, upping the Lions lead to 13–0. After 9 plays for 13 yards on their first three drives combined, the Patriots marched 57 yards to the Lions' 18, settling for a 36-yard field goal and trailed 13–3 at halftime. On 3rd down, just over a minute into the third quarter, Stafford was intercepted by linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley at the Patriots 48. The Patriots look excellent on their next drive, racing 52 yards in just 7 plays with Brady hitting James White for a 10-yard touchdown, trimming the deficit to 13–10. The Lions continued their clock-draining game plan on their next drive, tracking 75 yards in over six minutes and converting three 3rd downs before Stafford bombed Marvin Jones Jr. for a 33-yard touchdown, pushing the score to 20–10 late in the 3rd quarter. After a Patriots' punt, the Lions drove all the way to the Patriots' 14, but settled for a 32-yard field goal, increasing their lead to 23–10 a few minutes into the fourth quarter. Two possessions later, from the Patriots' 43, Brady heaved a desperation pass that was intercepted by Darius Slay, who returned it 34 yards to the Lions' 49, but an illegal block penalty sent the ball back to the 19. After a Lions' punt, the Patriots turned the ball over on downs. The Lions closed out the scoring with a 30-yard field goal, making the final score 26–10. The Patriots drove to the Lions' 40, but the clock expired.

With the loss (their first to Detroit since the 2000 season), the Patriots fell to 1–2 for the first time since the 2012 season. The Lions were able to blanket the Patriots' receivers, stifling the Patriots' offense. The Lions had an excellent balanced attack with 159 yards rushing to go along with 255 yards passing from Stafford. The Patriots newest acquisition, superstar wide receiver Josh Gordon, was inactive for the game. Ironically, the Patriots' last loss to the Lions in 2000 was also Tom Brady's first ever NFL game, where he only appeared in the final seconds and completed one-of-three passes for 6 yards in a 34–9 loss.

Week 4: vs. Miami Dolphins

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Dolphins	0	0	0	7	7
Patriots	3	21	7	7	38

Game information

First quarter NE – Stephen Gostkowski 20-yard field goal, 5:28. Patriots 3–0. Drive: 13 plays, 74 yards, 6:37. Second quarter NE – Cordarrelle Patterson 55-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 12:10. Patriots 10–0. Drive: 5 plays, 67 yards, 2:08. NE – James White 22-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 7:29. Patriots 17–0. Drive: 1 plays, 22 yards, 0:07. NE – Phillip Dorsett 9-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 0:18. Patriots 24–0. Drive: 15 plays, 85 yards, 5:31. Third quarter NE – James White 14-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 6:49. Patriots 31–0. Drive: 9 plays, 59 yards, 5:01. Fourth quarter NE – Sony Michel 10-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 13:43. Patriots 38–0. Drive: 12 plays, 90 yards, 6:30. MIA – Frank Gore 6-yard pass from Brock Osweiler (Jason Sanders kick), 2:42. Patriots 38–7. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 7:10. Top passers MIA – Ryan Tannehill – 11/20, 100 yards, INT NE – Tom Brady – 23/35, 274 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT Top rushers MIA – Frank Gore – 11 carries, 41 yards NE – Sony Michel – 25 carries, 112 yards, TD Top receivers MIA – Albert Wilson – 4 receptions, 19 yards NE – James White – 8 receptions, 68 yards, TD

Week Four: Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots – Game summary

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

• Date: September 30
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C), sunny and warm
• Game attendance: 65,878
• Referee: Alex Kemp
• TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon and Steve Tasker
• Recap, Gamebook

After taking the opening kickoff, a 22-yard pass from Ryan Tannehill to Kenny Stills helped the Dolphins reach midfield. On 2nd-and-7 from midfield, Dolphins offensive lineman Daniel Kilgore was flagged for holding, killing the drive, and the Dolphins punted. Starting at their own 24, the Patriots reached as far as the Dolphins 1-yard line, but were forced to settle for a 20-yard field goal and a 3–0 lead. After a Dolphins punt, the Patriots gave it right back when Brady was intercepted at the Dolphins 36 by Bobby McCain. The Dolphins went three-and-out, but the Patriots drove 67 yards to score on Brady's 55-yard touchdown pass to Cordarrelle Patterson, extending the Patriots lead to 10–0. Both teams punted on their next drive, but midway through the 2nd quarter, Tannehill fumbled the snap with Kyle Van Noy recovering for the Patriots at the Dolphins 22. On the very next play, James White scampered to the end zone on a 22-yard run, giving the Patriots a 17–0 lead which was their largest of the season to this point. The Dolphins offense continued to go in reverse on another three-and-out. The Patriots responded by converting four 3rd downs on a 15-play, 85-yard drive, scoring with Brady's 9-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Phillip Dorsett to go up 24–0 with 0:17 seconds remaining in the first half. After both teams punted on their initial second-half possession, the Patriots marched 59 yards in just over five minutes, with Brady capping off another touchdown drive with his 14-yard touchdown pass to White, blowing the game open with a 31–0 lead. The Dolphins reached the Patriots 45 on their next possession, but Tannehill's desperation pass was intercepted at the 10-yard line by J. C. Jackson. The Patriots hot streak continued with a 12 play, 90-yard drive, scoring on a 12-yard touchdown run from rookie running back Sony Michel, his first career rushing touchdown. After yet another three-and-out from the Dolphins, the Patriots drove to the Dolphins 32, but Brady was intercepted at the Dolphins 14 by Minkah Fitzpatrick who returned it 11 yards to the Dolphins 25. With Tannehill pulled from the game, old Patriots' nemesis Brock Osweiler led the Dolphins 75 yards in 7:30, scoring on his 6-yard touchdown pass to Frank Gore, making the score 38–7 with less than three minutes remaining in the game. The Patriots ran the rest of the clock out to end the game. With the exception of the two turnovers, the Patriots dominated the Dolphins in every aspect of the game, outgaining them 446–172 and holding the ball for 14 minutes longer. Tom Brady threw for 274 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Michel had his best game of the season to date with 25 carries for 112 yards and a touchdown. White had the best day overall with 16 touches for 112 total yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. The Patriots avoided a 3-game losing streak for the first time since 2002 or a 1–3 start for the first time since their 2001 Super Bowl-winning season.

Week 5: vs. Indianapolis Colts

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	0	3	7	14	24
Patriots	7	17	0	14	38

Game information

First quarter NE – Cordarrelle Patterson 1-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 8:58. Patriots 7–0. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 6:02. Second quarter NE – Tom Brady 1-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 12:14. Patriots 14–0. Drive: 8 plays, 72 yards, 3:44. IND – Adam Vinatieri 54-yard field goal, 8:49. Patriots 14–3. Drive: 9 plays, 39 yards, 3:25. NE – James White 6-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 1:34. Patriots 21–3. Drive: 11 plays, 68 yards, 3:49. NE – Stephen Gostkowski 45-yard field goal, 0:13. Patriots 24–3. Drive: 5 plays, 22 yards, 0:25. Third quarter IND – Eric Ebron 14-yard pass from Andrew Luck (Adam Vinatieri kick), 9:48. Patriots 24–10. Drive: 4 plays, 35 yards, 1:56. Fourth quarter IND – Erik Swoope 13-yard pass from Andrew Luck (Adam Vinatieri kick), 12:48. Patriots 24–17. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 4:38. NE – Josh Gordon 34-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 9:19. Patriots 31–17. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:29. NE – Sony Michel 34-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 7:08. Patriots 38–17. Drive: 1 plays, 34 yards, 0:07. IND – Eric Ebron 1-yard pass from Andrew Luck (Adam Vinatieri kick), 1:11. Patriots 38–24. Drive: 6 plays, 60 yards, 1:52. Top passers IND – Andrew Luck – 38/59, 365 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT NE – Tom Brady – 34/44, 341 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT Top rushers IND – Nyheim Hines – 15 carries, 45 yards NE – Sony Michel – 18 carries, 98 yards, TD Top receivers IND – Eric Ebron – 9 receptions, 105 yards, 2 TD NE – James White – 10 receptions, 77 yards, TD

Week Five: Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots – Game summary

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

• Date: October 4
• Game time: 8:20 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C), mostly cloudy
• Game attendance: 65,878
• Referee: Shawn Hochuli
• TV announcers (Fox/NFLN): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Kristina Pink; Amazon Video: Hannah Storm and Andrea Kremer
• Recap, Gamebook

The Patriots faced the Colts on Thursday Night Football, with Brady hoping to remain undefeated against Andrew Luck.

The Patriots took the opening kickoff and marched 75 yards in over 6 minutes, scoring on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady to Cordarrelle Patterson for the early lead. The next possession ended in a punt for both teams, but on the Colts' second possession, they drove from their own 6 to the Patriots 20, but ageless wonder Adam Vinatieri missed a 38-yard field goal attempt off the left upright. The Patriots took advantage off the missed opportunity and raced 72 yards to score on Brady's 1-yard touchdown run, extending the Patriots' lead to 14–0 early in the second quarter. The Colts drove to the Patriots 36 on their next drive and Vinatieri redeemed himself with a 54-yard field goal. After both teams punted on their resultant drive, the Patriots raced 68 yards to score on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Brady to James White for a 21–3 lead. Following this, Luck was intercepted at the Patriots 49 by Patrick Chung who returned it 2 yards to the 49 of the Colts with less than a minute remaining in the first half. With the excellent field position, the Patriots reached the Colts' 27 and took a commanding 24–3 lead into halftime after a 45-yard field goal from placekicker Stephen Gostkowski. Early in the third quarter, Chester Rogers returned a punt from Ryan Allen 33 yards to Patriots 35. It took the Colts just 4 plays to score on a 14-yard pass from Luck to Eric Ebron, trimming the deficit to 24–10. The Patriots drove to the Colts 30 on their next drive, but Matthias Farley intercepted Brady's pass at the 23 and returned it 7 yards to the Colts' 30. But four plays later, Jordan Wilkins fumbled after a 9-yard catch with Devin McCourty recovering for the Patriots at midfield. The Patriots drove to the Colts' 25, but the turnover streak continued when Brady was intercepted at the Colts' 4 by Najee Goode who returned it 16 yards to the Colts' 20. The Colts proceeded to drive 80 yards in 10 plays with Luck finding Erik Swoope for a 13-yard touchdown pass, trimming the Patriots' lead to a thin 24–17 early in the fourth quarter. However, any hope for a Colts comeback died when the Patriots marched 75 yards to score on a 34-yard touchdown bomb from Brady to Josh Gordon, widening the Patriots lead to 31–17. Any chance of a miraculous comeback died on the Colts' next drive when Luck was intercepted at the Patriots 38 by Jonathan Jones who returned it 28 yards to the Colts' 34. On the very next play, Sony Michel scored on a 34-yard touchdown burst, putting the game out of reach with a 38–17 Patriots lead. The Colts turned the ball over on downs on their next drive, but after forcing the Patriots to punt, marched 60 yards to score on Luck's 1-yard touchdown pass to Ebron. The Patriots ran out the rest of the clock to win the game 38–24.

Tom Brady completed 34/44 passes for 341 yards and 3 TDs but threw 2 interceptions while Michel ran the ball 18 times for 98 yards and a touchdown. Andrew Luck threw for 365 yards and 3 TDs but threw 2 costly interceptions.

Week 6: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chiefs	6	3	17	14	40
Patriots	10	14	3	16	43

Game information

First quarter KC – Harrison Butker 42-yard field goal, 9:05. Chiefs 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 35 yards, 3:26. NE – Stephen Gostkowski 48-yard field goal, 5:18. Tied 3–3. Drive: 8 plays, 45 yards, 3:47. NE – Sony Michel 4-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 4:57. Patriots 10–3. Drive: 1 play, 4 yards, 0:04. KC – Harrison Butker 43-yard field goal, 3:25. Patriots 10–6. Drive: 5 plays, 31 yards, 1:32. Second quarter NE – Julian Edelman 17-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 12:52. Patriots 17–6. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 5:33. KC – Harrison Butker 24-yard field goal, 6:21. Patriots 17–9. Drive: 11 plays, 69 yards, 6:31. NE – Sony Michel 1-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 1:57. Patriots 24–9. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 4:24. Third quarter KC – Kareem Hunt 67-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes (Harrison Butker kick), 13:27. Patriots 24–16. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:33. NE – Stephen Gostkowski 24-yard field goal, 7:17. Patriots 27–16. Drive: 12 plays, 65 yards, 6:10. KC – Harrison Butker 30-yard field goal, 3:36. Patriots 27–19. Drive: 9 plays, 51 yards, 3:41. KC – Tyreek Hill 14-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes (Harrison Butker kick), 0:56. Patriots 27–26. Drive: 4 plays, 29 yards, 1:27. Fourth quarter NE – Stephen Gostkowski 39-yard field goal, 10:22. Patriots 30–26. Drive: 11 plays, 54 yards, 5:34. KC – Tyreek Hill 1-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes (Harrison Butker kick), 8:38. Chiefs 33–30. Drive: 3 plays, 3 yards, 1:44. NE – Tom Brady 4-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 5:25. Patriots 37–33. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:13. NE – Stephen Gostkowski 50-yard field goal, 3:15. Patriots 40–33. Drive: 5 plays, 47 yards, 0:35. KC – Tyreek Hill 75-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes (Harrison Butker kick), 3:03. Tied 40–40. Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:12. NE – Stephen Gostkowski 28-yard field goal, 0:00. Patriots 43–40. Drive: 7 plays, 65 yards, 3:03. Top passers KC – Patrick Mahomes – 23/36, 352 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT NE – Tom Brady – 24/35, 340 yards, TD Top rushers KC – Kareem Hunt – 10 carries, 80 yards NE – Sony Michel – 24 carries, 106 yards, 2 TD Top receivers KC – Tyreek Hill – 7 receptions, 142 yards, 3 TD NE – Rob Gronkowski – 3 receptions, 97 yards

Week Six: Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots – Game summary

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

• Date: October 14
• Game time: 8:20 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 45 °F (7 °C), cloudy
• Game attendance: 65,878
• Referee: John Hussey
• TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya and Terry McAulay
• Recap, Gamebook

With the win, the Patriots improved to 4–2.

Week 7: at Chicago Bears

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Patriots	7	14	10	7	38
Bears	10	7	7	7	31

Game information

First quarter NE – Julian Edelman 9-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 11:00. Patriots 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:00. CHI – Cody Parkey 46-yard field goal, 3:50. Patriots 7–3. Drive: 8 plays, 35 yards, 3:44. CHI – Mitchell Trubisky 8-yard run (Cody Parkey kick), 0:59. Bears 10–7. Drive: 5 plays, 24 yards, 2:45. Second quarter CHI – Jordan Howard 2-yard run (Cody Parkey kick), 11:05. Bears 17–7. Drive: 9 plays, 36 yards, 3:46. NE – Cordarrelle Patterson 95-yard kickoff return (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 10:48. Bears 17–14. Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards, 0:17. NE – James White 5-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 3:58. Patriots 21–17. Drive: 12 plays, 64 yards, 5:48. Third quarter CHI – Tarik Cohen 6-yard pass from Mitchell Trubisky (Cody Parkey kick), 12:04. Bears 24–21. Drive: 6 plays, 58 yards, 2:56. NE – Stephen Gostkowski 29-yard field goal, 7:48. Tied 24–24. Drive: 9 plays, 64 yards, 4:16. NE – Kyle Van Noy 29-yard return of block punt (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 5:53. Patriots 31–24. Fourth quarter NE – James White 2-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 8:40. Patriots 38–24. Drive: 9 plays, 96 yards, 4:25. CHI – Trey Burton 11-yard pass from Mitchell Trubisky (Cody Parkey kick), 4:13. Patriots 38–31. Drive: 6 plays, 63 yards, 2:11. Top passers NE – Tom Brady – 25/36, 277 yards, 3 TD, INT CHI – Mitchell Trubisky – 26/50, 333 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT Top rushers NE – James White – 11 carries, 40 yards CHI – Mitchell Trubisky – 6 carries, 81 yards, TD Top receivers NE – James White – 8 receptions, 57 yards, 2 TD CHI – Trey Burton – 9 receptions, 126 yards, TD

Week Seven: New England Patriots at Chicago Bears – Game summary

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

• Date: October 21
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: 44 °F (7 °C), sunny
• Game attendance: 62,389
• Referee: Clay Martin
• TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts and Evan Washburn
• Recap, Gamebook

With the win, the Patriots improved to 5–2.

Week 8: at Buffalo Bills

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Patriots	3	6	3	13	25
Bills	0	3	3	0	6

Game information

First quarter NE – Stephen Gostkowski 25-yard field goal, 4:46. Patriots 3–0. Drive: 15 plays, 73 yards, 5:15. Second quarter NE – Stephen Gostkowski 40-yard field goal, 11:47. Patriots 6–0. Drive: 11 plays, 63 yards, 4:53. NE – Stephen Gostkowski 38-yard field goal, 5:42. Patriots 9–0. Drive: 8 plays, 37 yards, 4:27. BUF – Stephen Hauschka 47-yard field goal, 1:39. Patriots 9–3. Drive: 10 plays, 46 yards, 4:03. Third quarter BUF – Stephen Hauschka 51-yard field goal, 7:39. Patriots 9–6. Drive: 4 plays, 2 yards, 1:37. NE – Stephen Gostkowski 25-yard field goal, 2:03. Patriots 12–6. Drive: 5 plays, 22 yards, 0:52. Fourth quarter NE – James White 1-yard run (pass failed), 9:58. Patriots 18–6. Drive: 10 plays, 94 yards, 4:50. NE – Devin McCourty 84-yard interception return (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 5:54. Patriots 25–6. Top passers NE – Tom Brady – 29/45, 324 yards BUF – Derek Anderson – 22/39, 290 yards, INT Top rushers NE – Cordarrelle Patterson – 10 carries, 38 yards BUF – Chris Ivory – 6 carries, 34 yards Top receivers NE – Julian Edelman – 9 receptions, 104 yards BUF – LeSean McCoy – 5 receptions, 73 yards

Week Eight: New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills – Game summary

at New Era Field, Orchard Park, New York

• Date: October 29
• Game time: 8:15 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 46 °F (8 °C), partly cloudy
• Game attendance: 70,109
• Referee: Jerome Boger
• TV announcers (ESPN): Joe Tessitore, Jason Witten, Booger McFarland and Lisa Salters
• Recap, Gamebook

With the win, the Patriots improved to 6–2. Devin McCourty's interception return marked the first defensive touchdown for the Patriots since the 2015 season, breaking a league-leading 40-game drought.

Week 9: vs. Green Bay Packers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Packers	3	7	7	0	17
Patriots	7	10	0	14	31

Game information

First quarter NE – James White 8-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 11:40. Patriots 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 59 yards, 3:20. GB – Mason Crosby 29-yard field goal, 5:05. Patriots 7–3. Drive: 14 plays, 62 yards, 6:35. Second quarter NE – Stephen Gostkowski 28-yard field goal, 13:30. Patriots 10–3. Drive: 7 plays, 78 yards, 1:44. GB – Davante Adams 2-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Mason Crosby kick), 4:49. Tied 10–10. Drive: 13 plays, 79 yards, 6:48. NE – Cordarrelle Patterson 5-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 1:57. Patriots 17–10. Drive: 7 plays, 69 yards, 3:52. Third quarter GB – Jimmy Graham 15-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Mason Crosby kick), 11:18. Tied 17–17. Drive: 7 plays, 76 yards, 3:42. Fourth quarter NE – James White 1-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 10:06. Patriots 24–17. Drive: 10 plays, 76 yards, 4:46. NE – Josh Gordon 55-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 7:20. Patriots 31–17. Drive: 3 plays, 72 yards, 1:10. Top passers GB – Aaron Rodgers – 24/43, 259 yards, 2 TD NE – Tom Brady – 22/35, 294 yards, TD Top rushers GB – Aaron Jones – 14 carries, 76 yards NE – Cordarrelle Patterson – 11 carries, 61 yards, TD Top receivers GB – Marquez Valdes-Scantling – 3 receptions, 101 yards NE – Josh Gordon – 5 receptions, 130 yards, TD

Week Nine: Green Bay Packers at New England Patriots – Game summary

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

• Date: November 4
• Game time: 8:20 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 40 °F (4 °C), clear and cool
• Game attendance: 65,878
• Referee: Brad Allen
• TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya and Terry McAulay
• Recap, Gamebook

Rematch between Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. With the win, the Patriots improved to 7–2. This was the first game of the season where the Patriots defense did not record an interception, after recording at least one in each of their first eight games.

Week 10: at Tennessee Titans

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Patriots	3	7	0	0	10
Titans	17	7	3	7	34

Game information

First quarter TEN – Jonnu Smith 4-yard pass from Marcus Mariota (Ryan Succop kick), 11:29. Titans 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 40 yards, 3:31. NE – Stephen Gostkowski 52-yard field goal, 9:19. Titans 7–3. Drive: 7 plays, 41 yards, 2:10. TEN – Corey Davis 23-yard pass from Marcus Mariota (Ryan Succop kick), 5:58. Titans 14–3. Drive: 9 plays, 78 yards, 3:21. TEN – Ryan Succop 33-yard field goal, 2:35. Titans 17–3. Drive: 5 plays, 34 yards, 1:36. Second quarter NE – James Develin 1-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 12:49. Titans 17–10. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:46. TEN – Derrick Henry 1-yard run (Ryan Succop kick), 1:08. Titans 24–10. Drive: 8 plays, 37 yards, 4:17. Third quarter TEN – Ryan Succop 31-yard field goal, 4:15. Titans 27–10. Drive: 10 plays, 78 yards, 4:51. Fourth quarter TEN – Derrick Henry 10-yard run (Ryan Succop kick), 7:13. Titans 34–10. Drive: 6 plays, 58 yards, 3:35. Top passers NE – Tom Brady – 21/41, 254 yards TEN – Marcus Mariota – 16/24, 228 yards, 2 TD Top rushers NE – Sony Michel – 11 carries, 31 yards TEN – Derrick Henry – 11 carries, 58 yards, 2 TD Top receivers NE – Julian Edelman – 9 receptions, 104 yards TEN – Corey Davis – 7 receptions, 125 yards, TD

Week Ten: New England Patriots at Tennessee Titans – Game summary

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

• Date: November 11
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 46 °F (8 °C), sunny
• Game attendance: 69,363
• Referee: Bill Vinovich
• TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts and Evan Washburn
• Recap, Gamebook

This was the Pats' first loss to Tennessee in 16 years; coincidentally, it was also at Nissan Stadium (then known as Adelphia Coliseum). The blowout loss ended the Pats' six-game winning streak as they fell to 7–3. It was also the Pats’ first time meeting with former players Malcolm Butler and Dion Lewis since leaving the Pats to join the Titans in free agency.

Week 12: at New York Jets

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Patriots	7	3	10	7	27
Jets	7	3	3	0	13

Game information

First quarter NYJ – Jermaine Kearse 16-yard pass from Josh McCown (Jason Myers kick), 4:02. Jets 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 4:05. NE – Rob Gronkowski 34-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 1:11. Tied 7–7. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:51. Second quarter NE – Stephen Gostkowski 34-yard field goal, 2:27. Patriots 10–7. Drive: 11 plays, 54 yards, 4:58. NYJ – Jason Myers 55-yard field goal, 0:03. Tied 10–10. Drive: 5 plays, 20 yards, 0:48. Third quarter NE – Stephen Gostkowski 32-yard field goal, 8:34. Patriots 13–10. Drive: 15 plays, 61 yards, 6:26. NYJ – Jason Myers 38-yard field goal, 4:00. Tied 13–13. Drive: 12 plays, 55 yards, 4:34. NE – Julian Edelman 21-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 1:52. Patriots 20–13. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 2:08. Fourth quarter NE – Sony Michel 1-yard rush (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 8:54. Patriots 27–13. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 4:29. Top passers NE – Tom Brady – 20/31, 283 yards, 2 TD NYJ – Josh McCown – 26/45, 276 yards, TD, INT Top rushers NE – Sony Michel – 21 carries, 133 yards, TD NYJ – Isaiah Crowell – 6 carries, 30 yards Top receivers NE – Julian Edelman – 4 receptions, 84 yards, TD NYJ – Jermaine Kearse – 6 receptions, 66 yards, TD

Week Twelve: New England Patriots at New York Jets – Game summary

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

• Date: November 25
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C), partly cloudy
• Game attendance: 77,982
• Referee: Shawn Hochuli
• TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts and Evan Washburn
• Recap, Gamebook

With the win, the Patriots improved to 8–3.

Week 13: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	0	7	3	0	10
Patriots	7	3	7	7	24

Game information

First quarter NE – James Develin 1-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 9:33. Patriots 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 81 yards, 3:52. Second quarter NE – Stephen Gostkowski 20-yard field goal, 5:45. Patriots 10–0. Drive: 15 plays, 68 yards, 8:16. MIN – Adam Thielen 5-yard pass from Kirk Cousins (Dan Bailey kick), 0:15. Patriots 10–7. Drive: 7 plays, 74 yards, 1:37. Third quarter MIN – Dan Bailey 39-yard field goal, 2:20. Tied 10–10. Drive: 12 plays, 41 yards, 4:01. NE – Josh Gordon 24-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick, 0:35. Patriots 17–10. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:45. Fourth quarter NE – James Develin 1-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 10:54. Patriots 24–10. Drive: 6 plays, 50 yards, 3:12. Top passers MIN – Kirk Cousins – 32/44, 201 yards, TD, 2 INT NE – Tom Brady – 24/32, 311 yards, TD, INT Top rushers MIN – Dalvin Cook – 9 rushes, 84 yards NE – Sony Michel – 17 rushes, 63 yards Top receivers MIN – Stefon Diggs – 5 receptions, 49 yards NE – James White – 9 receptions, 92 yards

Week Thirteen: Minnesota Vikings at New England Patriots – Game summary

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

• Date: December 2
• Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 53 °F (12 °C), cloudy
• Game attendance: 65,878
• Referee: Craig Wrolstad
• TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
• Recap, Gamebook

With the win, the Patriots improved to 9–3.

Week 14: at Miami Dolphins

See also: Miracle in Miami

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Patriots	6	21	0	6	33
Dolphins	7	14	7	6	34

Game information

First quarter NE – James Develin 2-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski missed PAT), 8:13. Patriots 6–0. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 6:47 MIA – Kenny Stills 7-yard pass from Ryan Tannehill (Jason Sanders kick), 2:41. Dolphins 7–6. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:41 Second quarter NE – Julian Edelman 2-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 14:14. Patriots 13–7. Drive: 5 plays, 18 yards, 2:04 MIA – Brandon Bolden 54-yard run (Jason Sanders kick), 13:26. Dolphins 14–13. Drive: 2 plays, 75 yards, 0:48 NE – Cordarrelle Patterson 37-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 10:32. Patriots 20–14. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:54 MIA – Brandon Bolden 6-yard run (Jason Sanders kick), 7:28. Dolphins 21–20. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:04 NE – Rob Gronkowski 16-yard pass from Tom Brady, 3:49. Patriots 27–21. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:39 Third quarter MIA – Brice Butler 23-yard pass from Ryan Tannehill (Jason Sanders kick), 3:58. Dolphins 28–27. Drive: 4 plays, 68 yards, 2:23 Fourth quarter NE – Stephen Gostkowski 32-yard field goal, 6:50. Patriots 30–28. Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, 3:43 NE – Stephen Gostkowski 22-yard field goal, 0:21. Patriots 33–28. Drive: 10 plays, 69 yards, 4:10 MIA – Kenyan Drake 69-yard pass play by Ryan Tannehill. Dolphins 34–33. Drive: 1 play, 69 yards, 0:16 Top passers NE – Tom Brady – 27/43, 358 yards, 3 TD MIA – Ryan Tannehill – 14/19, 265 yards, 3 TD Top rushers NE – Sony Michel – 20 carries, 57 yards MIA – Frank Gore – 12 carries, 92 yards Top receivers NE – Rob Gronkowski – 8 receptions, 107 yards, TD MIA – Kenny Stills – 8 receptions, 135 yards, TD

Week Fourteen: New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins – Game summary

at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

• Date: December 9
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 84 °F (29 °C), mostly cloudy
• Game attendance: 66,087
• Referee: Pete Morelli
• TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts and Evan Washburn
• Recap, Gamebook

The Patriots lost to the Dolphins on a last second lateral at the end of regulation. With the heartbreaking loss, the Patriots fell to 9–4 for the first time since 2006.

Week 15: at Pittsburgh Steelers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Patriots	7	0	3	0	10
Steelers	7	7	0	3	17

Game information

First quarter PIT – Vance McDonald 5-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Chris Boswell kick), 8:45. Steelers 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 6:20. NE – Chris Hogan 63-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 6:58. Tied 7–7. Drive: 3 plays, 77 yards, 1:52. Second quarter PIT – Antonio Brown 17-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Chris Boswell kick), 12:07. Steelers 14–7. Drive: 8 plays, 92 yards, 4:17. Third quarter NE – Stephen Gostkowski 33-yard field goal, 0:20. Steelers 14–10. Drive: 13 plays, 63 yards, 8:15. Fourth quarter PIT – Chris Boswell 48-yard field goal, 2:34. Steelers 17–10. Drive: 13 plays, 66 yards, 5:13. Top passers NE – Tom Brady – 25/36, 279 yards, TD, INT PIT – Ben Roethlisberger – 22/34, 235 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT Top rushers NE – Sony Michel – 13 rushes, 59 yards PIT – Jaylen Samuels – 19 rushes, 142 yards Top receivers NE – Julian Edelman – 7 receptions, 90 yards PIT – James Washington – 3 receptions, 65 yards

Week Fifteen: New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary

at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Date: December 16
• Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 42 °F (6 °C), cloudy
• Game attendance: 65,280
• Referee: John Parry
• TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson
• Recap, Gamebook

This was the Pats' first loss to Pittsburgh since 2011 with a final score of 10–17. With the loss, the Patriots fell to 9–5 for the first time since 2008.

Week 16: vs. Buffalo Bills

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	0	0	6	6	12
Patriots	7	7	7	3	24

Game information

First quarter NE – Sony Michel 4-yard rush (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 7:32. Patriots 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 55 yards, 3:22. Second quarter NE – James White 27-yard rush (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 9:59. Patriots 14–0. Drive: 5 plays, 56 yards, 2:20. Third quarter BUF – Steven Hauschka 35-yard field goal, 13:29. Patriots 14–3. Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 1:19. BUF – Steven Hauschka 41-yard field goal, 10:06. Patriots 14–6. Drive: 5 plays, 36 yards, 1:10. NE – Julian Edelman 32-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 5:05. Patriots 21–6. Drive: 10 plays, 88 yards, 5:01. Fourth quarter NE – Stephen Gostkowski 24-yard field goal, 7:44. Patriots 24–6. Drive: 6 plays, 19 yards, 3:11. BUF – Zay Jones 31-yard pass from Josh Allen (pass failed), 1:08. Patriots 24–12. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 1:51. Top passers BUF – Josh Allen – 20/41, 217 yards, TD, 2 INT NE – Tom Brady – 13/24, 126 yards, TD, 2 INT Top rushers BUF – Keith Ford – 7 carries, 33 yards NE – Sony Michel – 18 carries, 116 yards, TD Top receivers BUF – Zay Jones – 5 receptions, 67 yards, TD NE – Julian Edelman – 6 receptions, 70 yards, TD

Week Sixteen: Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots – Game summary

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

• Date: December 23
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 40 °F (4 °C), clear and cold
• Game attendance: 65,878
• Referee: Shawn Smith
• TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green, Bruce Arians and Melanie Collins
• Recap, Gamebook

After receiver Josh Gordon left the team and was later suspended, the Patriots relied on their run game and defense against Buffalo. The Pats clinched their 10th straight AFC East title with the win (though in the event of a loss to Buffalo, Miami's loss to Jacksonville also would've clinched the division for New England), improving their record to 10–5, and for the second time this season, denied a 3-game losing streak for the first time since 2002. With the Houston Texans' loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Patriots moved to the #2 seed in the AFC, and would have the chance to secure a playoff bye with a win in the following week's game. Tom Brady eclipsed 4,000 yards at the same time as Philip Rivers, becoming the third and fourth quarterback in NFL history to reach 4,000 yards in 10 seasons or more, joining Peyton Manning & Drew Brees.^[103]

Week 17: vs. New York Jets

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Jets	3	0	0	0	3
Patriots	7	14	7	10	38

Game information

First quarter NE – James White 17-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 5:16. Patriots 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 59 yards, 5:00. NYJ – Jason Myers 40-yard field goal, 0:54. Patriots 7–3. Drive: 10 plays, 56 yards, 4:22. Second quarter NE – Rex Burkhead 18-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 12:53. Patriots 14–3. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:01. NE – Phillip Dorsett 9-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 11:03. Patriots 21–3. Drive: 5 plays, 8 yards, 1:40. Third quarter NE – Kyle Van Noy 46-yard fumble return (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 10:48. Patriots 28–3. Fourth quarter NE – Stephen Gostkowski 38-yard field goal, 9:40. Patriots 31–3. Drive: 6 plays, 45 yards, 2:53. NE – Julian Edelman 5-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 3:26. Patriots 38–3. Drive: 10 plays, 64 yards, 5:06. Top passers NYJ – Sam Darnold – 16/28, 167 yards NE – Tom Brady – 24/33, 250 yards, 4 TD Top rushers NYJ – Elijah McGuire – 18 carries, 41 yards NE – Sony Michel – 14 carries, 50 yards Top receivers NYJ – Deontay Burnett – 5 receptions, 73 yards NE – Julian Edelman – 5 receptions, 69 yards, TD

Week Seventeen: New York Jets at New England Patriots – Game summary

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

• Date: December 30
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 33 °F (1 °C), sunny and cold
• Game attendance: 65,878
• Referee: Walt Coleman
• TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts and Evan Washburn
• Recap, Gamebook

The Pats finish the 2018 season undefeated at home, and an 11–5 record overall, their first in 10 years and with the win, the Patriots clinched a 1st round bye for the 9th straight year.

Standings

Division

AFC East
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
(2) New England Patriots	11	5	0	.688	5–1	8–4	436	325	W2
Miami Dolphins	7	9	0	.438	4–2	6–6	319	433	L3
Buffalo Bills	6	10	0	.375	2–4	4–8	269	374	W1
New York Jets	4	12	0	.250	1–5	3–9	333	441	L3

Conference

AFC v t e
#	Team	Division	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	SOS	SOV	STK
Division leaders
1[lower-alpha 1]	Kansas City Chiefs	West	12	4	0	.750	5–1	10–2	.480	.401	W1
2[lower-alpha 2]	New England Patriots	East	11	5	0	.688	5–1	8–4	.482	.494	W2
3[lower-alpha 2]	Houston Texans	South	11	5	0	.688	4–2	9–3	.471	.435	W1
4	Baltimore Ravens	North	10	6	0	.625	3–3	8–4	.496	.450	W3
Wild Cards
5[lower-alpha 1]	Los Angeles Chargers	West	12	4	0	.750	4–2	9–3	.477	.422	W1
6	Indianapolis Colts	South	10	6	0	.625	4–2	7–5	.465	.456	W4
Did not qualify for the postseason
7	Pittsburgh Steelers	North	9	6	1	.594	4–1–1	6–5–1	.504	.448	W1
8	Tennessee Titans	South	9	7	0	.563	3–3	5–7	.520	.465	L1
9	Cleveland Browns	North	7	8	1	.469	3–2–1	5–6–1	.516	.411	L1
10	Miami Dolphins	East	7	9	0	.438	4–2	6–6	.469	.446	L3
11[lower-alpha 3]	Denver Broncos	West	6	10	0	.375	2–4	4–8	.523	.464	L4
12[lower-alpha 3]	Cincinnati Bengals	North	6	10	0	.375	1–5	4–8	.535	.448	L2
13[lower-alpha 3]	Buffalo Bills	East	6	10	0	.375	2–4	4–8	.523	.411	W1
14	Jacksonville Jaguars	South	5	11	0	.313	1–5	4–8	.549	.463	L1
15[lower-alpha 4]	New York Jets	East	4	12	0	.250	1–5	3–9	.506	.438	L3
16[lower-alpha 4]	Oakland Raiders	West	4	12	0	.250	1–5	3–9	.547	.406	L1
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 5]
Kansas City finished ahead of LA Chargers based on division record. New England finished ahead of Houston based on head-to-head victory. Denver finished ahead of Cincinnati and Buffalo based on strength of victory. Cincinnati finished ahead of Buffalo based on record vs. common opponents. Cincinnati's cumulative record against Baltimore, Indianapolis, the Los Angeles Chargers and Miami was 3–2, compared to Buffalo's 1–4 cumulative record against the same four teams. NY Jets finished ahead of Oakland based on strength of victory. When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.

Postseason

See also: 2018–19 NFL playoffs

Schedule

Playoff round	Date	Opponent (seed)	Result	Record	Venue	NFL.com recap
Wild Card	First-round bye
Divisional	January 13, 2019	Los Angeles Chargers (5)	W 41–28	1–0	Gillette Stadium	Recap
AFC Championship	January 20, 2019	at Kansas City Chiefs (1)	W 37–31 (OT)	2–0	Arrowhead Stadium	Recap
Super Bowl LIII	February 3, 2019	vs. Los Angeles Rams (N2)	W 13–3	3–0	Mercedes-Benz Stadium	Recap

Game summaries

AFC Divisional Playoffs: vs. (5) Los Angeles Chargers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers	7	0	7	14	28
Patriots	14	21	3	3	41

Game information

First quarter NE – Sony Michel 1-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 7:49. Patriots 7–0. Drive: 14 plays, 83 yards, 7:11. LAC – Keenan Allen 43-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Michael Badgley kick), 4:56. Tied 7–7. Drive: 6 plays, 67 yards, 2:53. NE – Sony Michel 14-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 1:35. Patriots 14–7. Drive: 7 plays, 67 yards, 3:21. Second quarter NE – Phillip Dorsett 15-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 12:17. Patriots 21–7. Drive: 8 plays, 58 yards, 3:07. NE – Rex Burkhead 6-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 6:04. Patriots 28–7. Drive: 6 plays, 87 yards, 3:08. NE – Sony Michel 5-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 1:43. Patriots 35–7. Drive: 4 plays, 35 yards, 1:40. Third quarter NE – Stephen Gostkowski 28-yard field goal, 6:31. Patriots 38–7. Drive: 14 plays, 57 yards, 7:22. LAC – Melvin Gordon 1-yard run (Michael Badgley kick), 1:16. Patriots 38–14. Drive: 10 plays, 72 yards, 5:15. Fourth quarter NE – Stephen Gostkowski 30-yard field goal, 12:23. Patriots 41–14. Drive: 8 plays, 63 yards, 3:53. LAC – Virgil Green 1-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Philip Rivers–Keenan Allen pass), 7:38. Patriots 41–22. Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 2:01. LAC – Antonio Gates 8-yard pass from Philip Rivers (pass failed), 0:59. Patriots 41–28. Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards, 2:00. Top passers LAC – Philip Rivers – 25/51, 331 yards, 3 TD, INT NE – Tom Brady – 34/44, 343 yards, TD Top rushers LAC – Melvin Gordon – 9 rushes, 15 yards, TD NE – Sony Michel – 24 rushes, 129 yards, 3 TD Top receivers LAC – Tyrell Williams – 5 receptions, 94 yards NE – Julian Edelman – 9 receptions, 151 yards

AFC Divisional Playoffs: (5) Los Angeles Chargers at (2) New England Patriots – Game summary

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

• Date: January 13, 2019
• Game time: 1:05 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 26 °F (−3 °C), sunny and cold
• Game attendance: 65,878
• Referee: Ronald Torbert
• TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson and Jay Feely
• Recap, Gamebook

AFC Championship: at (1) Kansas City Chiefs

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Patriots	7	7	3	14	6	37
Chiefs	0	0	7	24	0	31

Game information

First Quarter NE — Sony Michel 6-yard run, (Stephen Gostkowski kick) 6:55. Patriots 7–0. Drive: 15 plays, 80 yards, 8:05 Second Quarter NE — Phillip Dorsett 29-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostowski kick), 0:27. Patriots 14–0. Drive: 8 plays, 90 yards, 2:41 Third Quarter KC — Travis Kelce 12-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes (Harrison Butker kick), 12:56. Patriots 14–7. Drive: 4 plays, 74 yards, 2:04 NE — Stephen Gostowski 47-yard field goal, 4:07. Patriots 17–7. Drive: 6 plays, 8 yards, 3:36. Fourth Quarter KC — Damien Williams 1-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes (Harrison Butker kick), 14:51. Patriots 17–14 . Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:11 KC – Damien Williams 23-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes (Harrison Butker kick), 7:45. Chiefs 21–17. Drive: 2 plays, 23 yards, 0:10. NE – Sony Michel 10-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 3:32. Patriots 24–21. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:13. KC – Damien Williams 2-yard run (Harrison Butker kick), 2:03. Chiefs 28–24. Drive: 5 plays, 68 yards, 1:29. NE – Rex Burkhead 4-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 0:39. Patriots 31–28. Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards, 1:24. KC – Harrison Butker 39-yard field goal, 0:11. Tied 31–31. Drive: 4 plays, 48 yards, 0:31. Overtime NE – Rex Burkhead 2-yard run, 10:10. Patriots 37–31. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 4:52. Top passers NE – Tom Brady – 30/46, 348 yards, TD, 2 INT KC – Patrick Mahomes – 16/31, 295 yards, 3 TD Top rushers NE – Sony Michel – 29 rushes, 113 yards, 2 TD KC – Damien Williams – 10 rushes, 30 yards, TD Top receivers NE – Julian Edelman – 7 receptions, 96 yards KC – Sammy Watkins – 4 receptions, 114 yards

AFC Championship: (2) New England Patriots at (1) Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

• Date: January 20, 2019
• Game time: 6:40 p.m. EST/5:40 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 19 °F (−7 °C), cloudy
• Game attendance: 77,034
• Referee: Clete Blakeman
• TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson, Evan Washburn and Jay Feely
• Recap, Gamebook

Super Bowl LIII: vs. (N2) Los Angeles Rams

Main article: Super Bowl LIII

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Patriots	0	3	0	10	13
Rams	0	0	3	0	3

Game information

First quarter No scoring plays. Second quarter NE — Stephen Gostkowski 42-yard field goal, 10:29. Patriots 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 39 yards, 3:29. Third quarter LAR — Greg Zuerlein 53-yard field goal, 2:11. Tied 3–3. Drive: 10 plays, 42 yards, 4:22. Fourth quarter NE — Sony Michel 2-yard run, (Stephen Gostkowski kick) 7:00. Patriots 10–3. Drive: 5 plays, 69 yards, 2:49. NE — Stephen Gostowski 41-yard field goal, 1:12. Patriots 13–3. Drive: 9 plays, 72 yards, 3:05. Top passers NE – Tom Brady – 21/35, 262 yards, INT LAR – Jared Goff – 19/38, 229 yards, INT Top rushers NE – Sony Michel – 18 rushes, 94 yards, TD LAR – Todd Gurley – 10 rushes, 35 yards Top receivers NE – Julian Edelman – 10 receptions, 141 yards LAR – Brandin Cooks – 8 receptions, 120 yards

Super Bowl LIII: (A2) New England Patriots vs. (N2) Los Angeles Rams – Game summary

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: February 3, 2019
• Game time: 6:30 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
• Game attendance: 70,081
• Referee: John Parry
• TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson, Evan Washburn and Jay Feely
• Recap, Gamebook

References

1. "How bad is the Patriots' start? Statistics paint a bleak picture". ESPN.com. September 24, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
2. Sullivan, Tyler (December 31, 2018). "Patriots went undefeated against playoff teams in 2018". 247 Sports. 247 Sports. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
3. Luciano, Mike. "Patriots Being Undefeated Against Teams in the Playoffs This Year is Kind of a Farce". 12 Up. 12 Up. Archived from the original on September 11, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
4. Buchmasser, Bernd (January 3, 2019). "2019 NFL playoffs: Only one team is undefeated against the playoff field this season". Pats Pulpit. Pats Pulpit. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
5. "Brady, Fitzgerald, Gore and Rodgers set NFL records". SI.com. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
6. "Super Bowl 2019: New England Patriots beat Los Angeles Rams 13-3 – as it happened". Guardian. February 3, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
7. Dubin, Jared. "Lions hire former Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia as new coach". CBS Sports. CBS. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
8. Brinson, Will. "Colts announce Josh McDaniels hired as new coach, Patriots purge underway". CBSSports. CBS. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
9. Schefter, Adam (February 7, 2018). "Josh McDaniels changes mind, jilting Colts to stay with Pats". ESPN. ESPN. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
10. "Josh McDaniels' agent quits after being stunned by decision". ESPN.com. ESPN. February 7, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
11. "Miami Dolphins Make Roster Moves". Miami Dolphins. March 15, 2018. Archived from the original on April 19, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
12. Cox, Zack (March 13, 2018). "NFL Rumors: Danny Amendola Expected To Leave Patriots, Sign With Dolphins". NESN. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
13. "Patriots special teamer Johnson Bademosi signs huge deal with Texans". Patriots Wire. March 16, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
14. "Johnson Bademosi signs two-year, $6.25 million contract with Texans". Pats Pulpit. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
15. "Patriots re-sign core special teamer Brandon Bolden to one-year contract". Pats Pulpit. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
16. "Patriots Acquire CB Jason McCourty in a Trade with Cleveland;Re-Sign RB Rex Burkhead". Patriots.com. March 15, 2018. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
17. Phillips, Brian (March 15, 2018). "2018 NFL free agency:Details released on Rex Burkhead's new deal with the Patriots". PatsPulpit. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
18. Wyatt, Jim (March 15, 2018). "Titans Reach Deal with Former Patriots CB Malcolm Butler". TitansOnline. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
19. "Titans to sign Malcolm Butler to five-year, $61M deal". NFL.com. March 13, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
20. "Patriots re-sign special teams ace Nate Ebner to two-year contract". Pats Pulpit. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
21. "Patriots free agency tracker: Rumors, news, signings, instant analysis". Pats Pulpit. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
22. "Cowboys expected to sign Cameron Fleming". ProFootballTalk. March 24, 2018. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
23. "Dallas Cowboys officially sign former Patriots OT Cameron Fleming". Pats Pulpit. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
24. "Patriots reportedly re-sign linebacker Marquis Flowers to a one year deal". Boston.com. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
25. Spotrac.com. "Ricky Jean Francois". Spotrac.com. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
26. "Titans Reach Deal with Former Patriots RB Dion Lewis". TitansOnline. March 15, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
27. Wesseling, Chris (March 13, 2018). "Titans expected to sign RB Dion Lewis to 4-year deal". NFL.com. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
28. "Patriots re-sign special teams ace Matthew Slater to two-year deal". Pats Pulpit. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
29. "New York Giants sign OT Nate Solder". Giants.com. March 15, 2018. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
30. Patra, Kevin (March 14, 2018). "Nate Solder signs four-year, $62M Giants contract". NFL.com. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
31. "Patriots re-signing left tackle LaAdrian Waddle". NFL.com. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
32. "Patriots sign Brandon King to two-year, $2.6 million contract". Pats Pulpit. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
33. Schefter, Adam (March 16, 2018). "Patriots reached agreement with former Falcons' DE Adrian Clayborn, per source". @AdamSchefter. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
34. Rapoport, Ian (March 16, 2018). "The #Patriots are signing #Falcons free agent DE Adrian Clayborn to a 2-year deal worth $12M, source said". @RapSheet. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
35. Yates, Field (March 16, 2018). "Source: the Patriots are signing former Bengals RB Jeremy Hill". @FieldYates. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
36. "Jeremy Hill's One-Year Deal With Patriots: Details Released". 98.5 The Sports Hub – Boston's Home For Sports – WBZ FM. March 19, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
37. Reiss, Mike (March 16, 2018). "Patriots are signing OT Matt Tobin to a 1-year deal, per source". @MikeReiss. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
38. "Patriots sign former Eagles and Seahawks offensive lineman Matt Tobin to a 1-year deal". Pats Pulpit. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
39. "Ian Rapoport on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
40. "Patriots: Contract Details On Most Recent Signings Troy Niklas and Luke Bowanko". 98.5 The Sports Hub – Boston's Home For Sports. April 6, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
41. "Field Yates on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
42. "Sources: Patriots to sign ex-Bills WR Matthews". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
43. Cox, Zack (April 9, 2018). "Jordan Matthews' Patriots Contract Is Big-Time Bargain For New England". NESN.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
44. "Patriots sign former Packers, Cardinals offensive tackle Ulrick John". Pats Pulpit. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
45. Spotrac.com. "Ulrick John". Spotrac.com. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
46. "Patriots Re-Sign OL Jason King". Patriots.com. May 18, 2018. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
47. Overthecap.com. "Jason King Contract Details, Salary Cap Charges, Bonus Money | Over The Cap". Over the Cap. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
48. "Patriots sign receiver Devin Lucien". ProFootballTalk. July 23, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
49. Spotrac.com. "Devin Lucien". Spotrac.com. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
50. "Patriots Sign DB Eddie Pleasant and G Nate Theaker; Release WR Cody Hollister". patriots.com. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
51. Spotrac.com. "Eddie Pleasant". Spotrac.com. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
52. Spotrac.com. "Nate Theaker". Spotrac.com. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
53. "Field Yates on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
54. Spotrac.com. "Paul Turner". Spotrac.com. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
55. "Patriots sign veteran OL Brian Schwenke; release rookie TE Shane Wimann". patriots.com. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
56. Spotrac.com. "Brian Schwenke". Spotrac.com. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
57. "Doug Kyed on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
58. Spotrac.com. "Henry Poggi". Spotrac.com. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
59. "Pats add Eric Decker on a one-year deal". ProFootballTalk. August 2, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
60. "Here are the reported terms for Eric Decker's contract". Patriots Wire. August 4, 2018. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
61. "Patriots sign three players". patriots.com. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
62. Overthecap.com. "Kj Maye Contract Details, Salary Cap Charges, Bonus Money, and Contract History". Over the Cap. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
63. Overthecap.com. "Kenneth Farrow Contract Details, Salary Cap Charges, Bonus Money, and Contract History | Over The Cap". Over the Cap. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
64. Overthecap.com. "Khalfani Muhammad Contract Details, Salary Cap Charges, Bonus Money, and Contract History | Over The Cap". Over the Cap. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
65. "Patriots claim two players". Patriots.com. September 2, 2018.
66. "Patriots Make Roster Moves". Patriots.com. September 4, 2018.
67. Spotrac.com. "Brian Schwenke". Spotrac.com. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
68. Reiss, Mike (September 11, 2018). "Patriots agree to terms with WRs Corey Coleman, Bennie Fowler". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
69. Spotrac.com. "Corey Coleman". Spotrac.com. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
70. Slagter, Josh (September 11, 2018). "Bennie Fowler signs with Patriots, who keep going through WRs". MLive.com. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
71. Overthecap.com. "Bennie Fowler Contract Details, Salary Cap Charges, Bonus Money, and Contract History | Over The Cap". Over the Cap. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
72. Guregian, Karen (September 11, 2018). "Patriots fill out roster spots, RB Kenjon Barner joins pair of receivers". Boston Herald. Archived from the original on September 12, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
73. Spotrac.com. "Kenjon Barner". Spotrac.com. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
74. Hill, Rich (September 19, 2018). "Patriots sign former second round pick Cyrus Jones off the Ravens practice squad, release Kenjon Barner". PatsPulpit.com.
75. Spotrac.com. "Cyrus Jones". Spotrac.com. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
76. "Patriots Place RB Rex Burkhead and LB Ja'Whaun Bentley on injured reserve; Announce Additional Roster Moves". Patriots.com. October 5, 2018.
77. "New England Patriots Transactions". rostermon.com. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
78. "TRANSACTIONS". New England Patriots. September 11, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
79. "Patriots release linebacker Shea McClellin". Retrieved March 21, 2018.
80. "Patriots cut Jason King". ProFootballTalk. May 10, 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
81. "Patriots sign six of nine 2018 NFL Draft selections; Sign nine rookie free agents; Release OL Tony Garcia". New England Patriots. May 11, 2018. Archived from the original on May 12, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
82. "Patriots Sign P Corey Bojorquez; Release Rookie WR Darren Andrews". New England Patriots. May 14, 2018. Archived from the original on May 15, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
83. "NFL Rumors: Patriots Cut Safety David Jones, Open Second Roster Spot". NESN.com. July 23, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
84. "Patriots Release G Nate Theaker". patriots.com. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
85. "Patriots release WR Malcolm Mitchell". Patriots.com. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
86. "Malcolm Mitchell a free agent after going unclaimed; Patriots release Jordan Matthews off IR". Pats Pulpit. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
87. "Patriots release Kenny Britt, depth thinning at wide receiver". Archived from the original on August 23, 2018. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
88. "Patriots release WR Eric Decker and DB Eddie Pleasant". patriots.com. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
89. "Patriots release five players". patriots.com. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
90. "Patriots Announce Roster Cutdown". patriots.com. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
91. "Patriots release WRs Chad Hansen and Riley McCarron; place RB Jeremy Hill on injured reserve". patriots.com. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
92. "Patriots Sign OL Cole Croston to the 53-Man Roster; Release WR Bennie Fowler; Sign WR Riley McCarron to the Practice Squad". Patriots.com. September 15, 2018.
93. "Patriots Acquire WR Josh Gordon in a Trade with Cleveland; Release WR Corey Coleman". patriots.com. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
94. "2018 NFL Transactions February Retired: Free Agency, Trades & more". foxsports.com. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
95. Bergman, Jeremy (March 23, 2018). "Martellus Bennett retiring from NFL after 10 seasons". NFL.com. Archived from the original on March 24, 2018.
96. "Steelers great James Harrison announces retirement". NFL.com. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
97. "Andrew Jelks retires from the NFL". New England Patriots. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
98. "Pats' Decker announces retirement from NFL". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
99. "Patriots roster cuts: New England trades Jordan Richards to Falcons". Pats Pulpit. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
100. Bergman, Jeremy (July 3, 2018). "Julian Edelman's appeal of 4-game suspension denied". ESPN. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
101. "Patriots' Josh Gordon suspended indefinitely by NFL". NFL.com. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
102. "New England Patriots 2018 Regular Season Schedule". NFL.com. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
103. "Single seasons - Passing Yds >= 4000". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 17, 2019.

External links

• Official website