Week 1: at Arizona Cardinals In a battle of the two conference runners-up from the
2015 season, the
New England Patriots entered their first game of the
2016 NFL season against the
Arizona Cardinals with starting quarterback
Jimmy Garoppolo replacing
Tom Brady, who was serving his four-game suspension, also the first time since
2008 that Brady did not start a game. Following a Cardinals punt on the first possession of the game, the Patriots took their first possession of the season for a touchdown. Garoppolo completed 4 of 5 passes for 75 yards on a 10-play drive, ending with a 37-yard touchdown pass to
wide receiver Chris Hogan. On the Cardinals' next drive, aided by a 39-yard completion from quarterback
Carson Palmer to wide receiver
John Brown, the Cardinals reached Patriots territory, but were forced to
punt. Starting from their own 8-yard line, the Patriots cashed in again. Despite only reaching the Cardinals' 29-yard line,
placekicker Stephen Gostkowski nailed a 47-yard field goal for a 10–0 Patriots lead. The Cardinals drove to the Patriots' 31, but on 3rd-and-2, Palmer was
sacked for an 8-yard loss. Rather than attempt a 57-yard field goal, the Cardinals punted. On 2nd-and-8, Garoppolo was sacked by
linebacker Markus Golden and
fumbled, with ex-Patriot
Chandler Jones recovering at the Patriots' 39, but a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct
penalty sent the Cardinals to their own 46. The field position did not hurt Arizona, as they drove 54 yards in 11 plays, scoring on Palmer's 1-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Larry Fitzgerald, trimming the deficit to 10–7. Neither team got a first down for the rest of the half. The Patriots kicked off the second half by storming 75 yards in 9 plays, with Garoppolo converting a 3rd-and-6 with a 10-yard run and a 3rd-and-7 with a 28-yard completion to wide receiver
Malcolm Mitchell, before
running back LeGarrette Blount finished the drive with an 8-yard
touchdown run, extending the lead to 17–7. The Cardinals punted on their next drive, but on the first play of the Patriots' next drive, Blount fumbled, with
defensive end Calais Campbell recovering for Arizona at the Patriots' 33. With the good field position, Arizona marched 33 yards in just five plays and running back
David Johnson scored on a 1-yard touchdown run, trimming the score to 17–14. The Patriots countered with a 50-yard drive to the Cardinals 25. On 3rd-and-4, Garoppolo hit wide receiver
Julian Edelman for a first down, but the play was nullified for a holding penalty on
tight end Martellus Bennett and the Patriots settled for 53-yard field goal two plays later.
Andre Ellington returned the ensuing kickoff 16 yards to the Cardinals 16. This sparked a 79-yard, 7-play drive, aided by a 45-yard run by Johnson, with Palmer finding Fitzgerald on another 1-yard touchdown pass, giving the Cardinals their first lead at 21–20. Marching 61 yards, Garoppolo converted a 3rd-and-15 with a 32-yard pass to wide receiver
Danny Amendola for a first down. "That's the play I remember", he later told
Sports Illustrated. He completed a 3rd-and-3 7-yard pass to running back
James White, Blount ran for 13 yards on 3rd-and-11 and the Patriots kicked a 32-yard field goal with 3:44 remaining to retake the lead, 23–21. Starting at their own 8, the Cardinals reached the Patriots' 33 where two costly mistakes occurred.
Offensive guard Earl Watford was flagged for holding, moving the ball back to the 43. On the next play, Palmer attempted a
screen pass to
Andre Ellington, for a four-yard loss, but on 3rd-and-23 at the Patriots 47, Palmer threw a clutch 18-yard pass to Brown to the Patriots' 29-yard line, setting up a game-winning 47-yard field-goal attempt by placekicker
Chandler Catanzaro with 36 seconds left. However, rookie long snapper
Kameron Canaday delivered a low snap, causing Catanzaro to miss wide left. Garoppolo took a knee and the Patriots got their first win of the season.
Week 2: vs. Miami Dolphins After taking the opening kickoff, the Patriots stormed 75 yards in just 8 plays, scoring on Jimmy Garoppolo's 12-yard touchdown pass to
wide receiver Danny Amendola for an early 7–0 lead. After a Dolphins three-and-out, the Patriots raced 75 yards in just 7 plays, on a nearly identical drive, and Garoppolo found Martellus Bennett on a 20-yard touchdown pass for a 14–0 lead. After the Dolphins failed to move the ball again, the Patriots marched 76 yards in over six minutes, with another Amendola touchdown catch extending the Patriots' lead to 21–0 a few plays into the second quarter. After a series of punts, the Patriots reached their 43, but Amendola fumbled at the Dolphins' 42 after a 15-yard reception, and
linebacker Kiko Alonso recovered at the Dolphins' 42. However, two plays later wide receiver
Jarvis Landry lost a
fumble, with
defensive end Chris Long recovering at the Patriots' 48. On the fifth play of the drive, Garoppolo was driven to the ground by Alonso on a completion to wide receiver
Malcolm Mitchell and suffered a shoulder injury that required transportation to
Massachusetts General Hospital; he finished with 232 yards and three touchdowns. Rookie quarterback
Jacoby Brissett took over, and running back LeGarrette Blount drove the Patriots to the Dolphins' 16. Kicker
Stephen Gostkowski finished the drive with a 34-yard field goal for a 24–0 lead. Four plays into the Dolphins' next possession,
Jamie Collins intercepted quarterback
Ryan Tannehill and returned the ball 13 yards to the Dolphins' 49. However, the Dolphins' defense forced the Patriots to go three-and-out and the Dolphins finally got on the board following a quick 77-yard drive that ended with kicker
Andrew Franks' 27-yard field goal just before halftime, trimming the deficit to 24–3. The Dolphins stormed out of the gate in the second half, reaching the Patriots' 34, but running back
Jay Ajayi fumbled and linebacker
Jonathan Freeny recovered for the Patriots. The Patriots then raced 68 yards in just five plays to score on a 9-yard touchdown run by Blount, increasing their lead to 31-3 and seemingly put the game away. The Dolphins responded with a 7-play, 75-yard drive capped off by Tannehill's 24-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Kenny Stills, trimming the deficit to 31–10. After a Patriots three-and-out, the Dolphins stormed 88 yards in just five plays, aided by a pass interference penalty on
Logan Ryan, and scored on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Tannehill to
Jordan Cameron, trimming the deficit to just 31–17 early in the fourth quarter. The Patriots drove to the Dolphins' 35 on their next possession, but a penalty and nearly lost fumble forced the Patriots to
punt. The Dolphins then went 74 yards and scored on a 7-yard touchdown run by rookie running back
Kenyan Drake, reducing a 28-point third-quarter deficit to just seven with 6:06 remaining in the game. The Patriots drove all the way to the Dolphins' 21 on their next drive, but Gostkowski missed a 39-yard field goal wide right that would have put the game away with 1:04 remaining. The Dolphins drove to the Patriots' 29 in the final moments, but Tannehill was intercepted by safety
Duron Harmon in the end zone with 0:02 left to seal the win for the Patriots. With the win, the Patriots improved to 2–0. Tannehill threw for 387 yards, but his two interceptions and Ajayi's fumble proved to be costly. Brissett completed 6 of 9 passes for 92 yards. LeGarrette Blount ran for 123 yards and a touchdown. After the game, it was announced that Garoppolo would miss four to six weeks and that Brissett would start the next two games.
Week 3: vs. Houston Texans With Tom Brady in his third game of suspension and Jimmy Garoppolo injured, the Patriots, wearing
Color Rush uniforms, started backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett. The
Houston Texans drove 36 yards to their own 47 on their second drive, but were forced to
punt. The Patriots responded by driving 74 yards to 6-yard line, but the drive stalled, and the Patriots settled for a 24-yard field goal by Gostkowski and an early 3–0 lead. On the ensuing kickoff,
Charles James II returned the ball 18 yards to the Texans' 17 and fumbled, but was ruled down by contact. The Patriots
challenged and the ruling was changed, with the Patriots in possession at the Houston 22-yard line. After a false start penalty on offensive tackle
Marcus Cannon, Brissett ran for a 27-yard touchdown, increasing the lead to 10–0. The Texans managed to reach midfield on their next drive, but after an illegal formation penalty moved them 5 yards back, linebacker
Jamie Collins intercepted quarterback
Brock Osweiler and returned the ball 18 yards to the Texans' 43. The Texans forced a punt and moved the ball on their next drive, but were forced to punt. Late in the half, the Texans once again drove to midfield, but were once again forced to punt. The Patriots then ran out the clock and took a 10–0 lead to the locker room. The Patriots marched 71 yards in 13 plays to the Texans' 7-yard line on the opening drive of the second half, but the Houston defense kept them out of the end zone and Gostkowski kicked a 25-yard field goal for a 13–0 lead. Once again, the Texans lost a fumble on the kickoff; this time,
Tyler Ervin was stripped by
Nate Ebner with
Jordan Richards recovering at the Patriots' 21. Six plays later, Blount scored on a 1-yard touchdown run, extending the lead to 20–0 late in the third quarter. Ervin returned the kick 21 yards to the Texans' 23. The Texans drove 44 yards to the Patriots' 36-yard line but turned the ball over on downs early in the fourth quarter when Osweiler threw incomplete on 4th-and-4.
Danny Amendola returned a punt 10 yards to the Patriots' 47. Two plays later, Blount burst through for a 41-yard touchdown run, extending the lead to 27–0. The Texans turned the ball over on downs two more times before running out the clock to end the game. The Patriots forced three turnovers and allowed zero points, improving to a record of 3–0.
Week 4: vs. Buffalo Bills The Patriots stayed at home for a matchup against the
Tyrod Taylor-led Bills. On the first play of scrimmage, Brissett hit Edelman on a 90-yard catch-and-run to the Bills' 1, but the play was nullified by a holding penalty on former Bill Chris Hogan. The Patriots didn't get a first down and punted. Starting from their own 35, the Bills marched 65 yards in over 7 minutes, scoring on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Taylor to
LeSean McCoy. After a Patriots three-and-out, the Bills moved to the Patriots' 16, but settled for
Dan Carpenter's 34-yard field goal on the second play of the second quarter, making the score 10–0. After forcing the Patriots to punt, the Bills drove 71 yards and Carpenter ended the drive with a 43-yard field goal, extending the lead to 13–0. The Patriots drove all the way to the Bills' 18 on their ensuing possession, but Brissett was strip-sacked by
Zach Brown, with
Preston Brown recovering for the Bills. Starting at their own 9, the Bills drove to their own 42, but punted. The Patriots punted as well, and the Bills led 13–0 at halftime. After forcing the Bills to punt on the opening drive, the Patriots drove to the Bills 30, but Gostkowski missed a 48-yard field goal. The Bills countered, reaching the Patriots 29, but Carpenter missed a 47-yard field goal. After yet another Patriots punt,
Ben Tate returned the punt 18 yards to the Bills' 30. The Bills reached the Patriots' 26 and Carpenter nailed a 44-yard field goal, stretching the score to 16–0. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Patriots drove all the way to the Bills' 21, but turned the ball over on downs. After a Bills punt, the Patriots reached the Bills' 44, but the clock ran out. With the loss, the Patriots fell to 3–1. This was the first time ever that the Patriots had been shut out at home with
Bill Belichick as their head coach, their first shut out at home overall
since 1993, and was their first shutout loss
since December 10, 2006. This was also the team's first shutout loss to the Bills since their
2003 Super Bowl-winning season.
Week 5: at Cleveland Browns Tom Brady returned from his four-game suspension against the
Cleveland Browns. After forcing the Browns to a quick three-and-out on their opening drive, Brady led the Patriots on an 8-play, 80-yard drive, scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run by Blount to take an early 7–0 lead. The Browns countered on their next drive, marching 75 yards to score on an 11-yard touchdown pass from rookie
Cody Kessler to
Andrew Hawkins. The Patriots answered right back, aided by a 36-yard dump-off pass to
James White, in a 75-yard drive ending with Brady's 7-yard touchdown pass to Bennett, retaking the lead 14–7. On the second play of the Browns' next drive, Kessler fumbled the snap and kicked the ball out of the end zone for a safety, extending the Patriots' lead to 16–7. Edelman returned the ensuing free kick 9 yards to the Patriots' 36. Aided by a 43-yard pass to Hogan, Brady found Bennett again, capping off the 8-play, 64-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass, widening the lead to 23–7.
Charlie Whitehurst took over for an injured Kessler on the next drive, but the Browns went nowhere and punted. The Patriots seemed poised to widen their lead on their next drive, racing all the way to the Browns' 1-yard line, but Blount couldn't get in on 3rd or 4th down, and the Patriots turned the ball over on downs. Three possessions later, the Patriots reached the Browns' 32, but Gostkowski missed a 50-yard field goal attempt wide right. The Browns ran out the rest of the clock, and the Patriots held their 23–7 lead going into halftime. The Patriots started the second half like the first, racing 75 yards in 8 plays, with Brady hitting Bennett for a 37-yard touchdown, Bennett's third touchdown catch of the game, increasing the lead to 30–7. The Browns drove to the Patriots' 39 on their ensuing possession, but Whitehurst was intercepted by
Patrick Chung, who returned it 4 yards to the Patriots' 34. Three possessions later, the Browns raced 80 yards in just 7 plays, with Whitehurst throwing a 17-yard touchdown pass to
Connor Hamlett, trimming the deficit to 30–13, but the two-point conversion attempt failed, keeping the deficit at three scores. The Patriots answered right back, advancing to the Browns 13, but had to settle for a 31-yard Gostkowski field goal, extending the lead to 33–13.
Terrelle Pryor took over for Whitehurst midway through the Browns' next possession, but the Browns turned the ball over on downs. Both teams took turns running out the rest of the clock, and the Patriots went to 4–1. In the win, Tom Brady collected the eighth 400+-passing-yard game of his career.
Week 6: vs. Cincinnati Bengals The Patriots faced the
Bengals at home, their first meeting with Cincinnati since the "We're on to Cincinnati" game that marked the turning point in a
Super Bowl-winning season
two years earlier. The Patriots took the opening kickoff and marched 47 yards in 8 plays, with
placekicker Stephen Gostkowski hitting a 46-yard field goal for an early 3–0 lead. The Bengals moved the ball well, reaching midfield, but couldn't get any further and punted. The Patriots once again drove into Cincinnati territory on their next drive, but were forced to punt. The Bengals then gained 89 yards in just under 9 minutes, but the Patriots' defense made a goal-line stand to keep the Bengals scoreless. On 3rd-and-8 from the Patriots 38,
Andy Dalton connected with running back
Giovani Bernard for a 32-yard gain to the Patriots' 6. On 1st-and-goal, Bernard gained 5 yards to the Patriots' 1. On 2nd-and-goal, Bernard was stuffed on for no gain. On 3rd-and-goal, Dalton threw an incomplete pass, bringing up 4th-and-goal at the 1. The Patriots stuffed Bernard for no gain, causing a turnover on downs. The Patriots couldn't capitalize and were forced to punt. The Bengals raced 60 yards in just 7 plays, scoring on a 2-yard touchdown run by Dalton. The Patriots countered, charging 75 yards in just 8 plays, culminating with Brady's 15-yard touchdown pass to running back
James White. The Patriots led 10–7 at the halfway point. The Bengals took the opening possession of the second half and rushed 80 yards in 9 plays, ending with Dalton throwing a five-yard touchdown pass to former Patriot
Brandon LaFell, giving Cincinnati a 14–10 lead. The Patriots punted on their next drive, but three plays after penning the Bengals at their own 16,
Dont'a Hightower burst through the middle on a
blitz and
sacked Dalton for a
safety. Now trailing 14–12, the Patriots embarked on a 68-yard drive, with Brady throwing for every yard, that ended in a 4-yard touchdown reception by Rob Gronkowski, putting the Patriots ahead 19–14 late in the third quarter. After a Bengals three-and-out, the Patriots began to take over. Starting at their own 47, the Patriots went on a quick four-play, 53-yard drive, with Brady finding White again on a 4-yard touchdown pass. Gostkowski missed the extra point for the second consecutive game, but the Patriots led 25–14. With a 38-yard completion to Gronkowski on that drive, Brady completed his 5,000th pass; the completion put Brady
fourth in all-time quarterback completions while Gronkowski also reached the 22nd game with at least 100 receiving yards in his career, tying
Jackie Smith for third all-time by a tight end. The Bengals responded by driving 68 yards to the Patriots' 7, but settled for a 25-yard field goal by
Mike Nugent, shrinking the deficit to just one score at 25-17 early in the fourth quarter. The Patriots countered again by slowly advancing 62 yards in over six minutes with a 31-yard Gostkowski field goal, widening the lead to 28–17. The Patriots' defense forced the Bengals to punt again on their next drive, with Julian Edelman returning 23 yards to midfield. The Patriots put the game away with a 9-play, 50-yard drive, scoring on running back LeGarrette Blount's three-yard touchdown run. Two plays later the game was over. The Patriots improved to 5–1.
Week 7: at Pittsburgh Steelers In the game at
Heinz Field, the Patriots faced off against the
Pittsburgh Steelers, who started backup quarterback
Landry Jones in place of
Ben Roethlisberger, was out with a knee injury. On the Patriots' first offensive play following a Steelers three-and-out, Tom Brady hit
Chris Hogan for a 12-yard gain, but Hogan was stripped by
Jarvis Jones, who recovered the ball at the Patriots' 45. The Steelers drove to the Patriots' 16, but on 3rd-and-6, Jones was intercepted in the end zone by
Malcolm Butler on a pass intended for
Antonio Brown. Taking over at their own 20, the Patriots went on an 80-yard, 13-play drive, with Brady finding
James White on a 19-yard touchdown pass. After the Steelers went three-and-out again, the Patriots marched 84 more yards, scoring on LeGarrette Blount's 3-yard touchdown four minutes into the second quarter, increasing the Patriots' lead to 14–0. On the Steelers' next drive, Brown's 51-yard catch was the key play leading up to a 14-yard touchdown catch by
Darrius Heyward-Bey. With the score 14–7, a bad punt by
Ryan Allen gave the Steelers the ball at their 47. Six plays later, Jones hit Heyward-Bey for a 14-yard touchdown, but the play was nullified by a holding penalty on
Chris Hubbard. On the next play, Jones threw an incompletion and then
Chris Boswell missed a 42-yard field goal. The Patriots reached midfield on their next drive, but were forced to punt. Allen seemingly pinned the Steelers at their own 6, but Pittsburgh challenged that the ball had entered the end zone. The ruling was reversed, giving the Steelers the ball at the 20. With the better field position, the Steelers drove 66 yards to the Patriots' 14, where Boswell kicked a 32-yard field goal to close the score to 14–10 at halftime. In the second half, following a Patriots three-and-out, the Steelers drove to the Patriots' 28 and Boswell made a 46-yard field goal, trimming the score to 14–13. The Patriots countered with a 75-yard, 5-play drive ending with a 36-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Rob Gronkowski, increasing the lead to 20–13, but Stephen Gostkowski missed his second extra point of the season.
Justin Gilbert returned the ensuing kickoff 32 yards to the Steelers' 42. Aided by the good field position, Pittsburgh drove 42 yards to the Patriots' 26, and Boswell kicked a 44-yard field goal that trimmed the score to 20–16 on the third play of the fourth quarter. The Patriots countered again with a 75-yard drive and 5-yard touchdown run by Blount, increasing the lead to 27–16. The Steelers were forced to punt on their next drive, but Edelman fumbled and the Steelers recovered at the Patriots' 43. The Steelers reached the 36, but Boswell missed a 54-yard field goal, keeping the Patriots ahead 27–16. Later in the fourth quarter, the Steelers drove to the Patriots' 45 but turned the ball over on downs after Jones threw an incomplete pass on 4th-and-11. Brady took a knee and the Patriots won the game. With the win, the Patriots improved to 6–1 and 3-0 under Brady.
Week 8: at Buffalo Bills In a rematch of their only loss so far this season, the Patriots faced the Buffalo Bills in a road game. After taking the opening kick, the Bills raced 70 yards all the way to the Patriots 5, but the Patriots defense kept Buffalo out of the end zone, forcing them to kick a 23-yard field goal. On the ensuing kickoff,
Walt Powell forced
Matthew Slater to fumble, but
Shea McClellin recovered for the Patriots at their own 30. The Patriots drained over half of the remainder of the first quarter, going 70 yards to score on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Amendola. After a Bills three-and-out, the Patriots were given good field at the Bills 45. An offensive pass interference penalty on Amendola moved the ball back to the Patriots 45, but a holding penalty on
Robert Blanton of the Bills moved the ball to mid field. A two-yard run by Blount and incomplete pass brought up a 3rd-and-8 from the Bills 48, and Brady hit Edelman with a 47-yard bomb to the 1-yard line, but the gain was nullified on an ineligible man downfield penalty on
Marcus Cannon moving the ball back to the Patriots 47. Then Brady hit Hogan on a 53-yard touchdown bomb, increasing the lead to 14–3. Four possessions later, the Bills raced 59 yards in just 5 plays, scoring on a
Mike Gillislee 3-yard touchdown rush. After Amendola returned the ball 24 yards to the Patriots 21, the Patriots countered, using just four plays and Brady found Gronkowski on a 53-yard touchdown, increasing the lead to 21–10. The Bills raced 44 yards in 11 plays to the Patriots 31 on their ensuing possession, but Carpenter missed a 49-yard field goal after it hit the upright. Taking over at their own 39, a 6-yard pass to White, a 15-yard pass to Amendola, and a 7-yard pass to Edelman led the Patriot to Bills 33 and Gostkowski kicked a 51-yard field goal, giving the Patriots a 24–10 lead at halftime. Amendola kicked off the second half with fireworks, returning the kick 73 yards to the Bills 24. Two plays later, Brady hit Edelman for a 12-yard touchdown pass, extending the lead to 31–10. The Bills didn't quit, though, using a marathon 75-yard, six minute drive, concluding with Taylor splitting the defense for a 26-yard touchdown run, making it a game again with a 31–17 score. The Patriots countered right back, engineering an 11-play, 75-yard drive with LeGarrette Blount chalking up a 1-yard touchdown run, increasing the lead to 38-17 late in the third quarter. Using
Reggie Bush 35-yard kick return, the Bills drove 50 yards to the Patriots 10 in just 4 plays, but on the first play of the fourth quarter, a Taylor pass bounced off the fingertips of
Charles Clay and the Bills turned the ball over on downs. The Patriots put the game away on their next drive, marching 76-yards in 13 plays, taking 7:49 off the clock, with Gostkowski adding a 32-yard field goal, giving the Patriots a 41–17 lead with just 7:06 remaining in the game. The Bills drove 52 yards to the Patriots 32 on their next drive, but turned the ball over on downs when
Robert Woods was tackled 1-yard short of the first down by Malcolm Butler. The Bills forced a Patriots punt and raced 66 yards in 6 plays, scoring a touchdown on a 1-yard touchdown run by
Jonathan Williams with a two-point conversion on a two-yard pass from backup quarterback
EJ Manuel to
Nick O'Leary trimming the score to 41–25, but only 0:30 remained. After recovering the onside kick, the Patriots took a knee to win the game. Brady was 22/33 for 315 yards and had four touchdown passes to four different receivers (Danny Amendola, Chris Hogan, Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman); LeGarrette Blount added a running touchdown and Stephen Gostkowski a field goal. Heading into their bye week, the Patriots improved to 7–1, the best record in the league.
Week 10: vs. Seattle Seahawks Coming off of their Week 9 bye, the Patriots hosted the
Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football in a rematch of
Super Bowl XLIX. The Patriots marched 75 yards in 9 plays on their first drive of the game, with
LeGarrette Blount scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run.
Placekicker Stephen Gostkowski's kick went out of bounds, giving Seattle the ball at their own 40. The Seahawks reached the Patriots 8-yard line, but the Patriots
red zone defense held them to a 26-yard field goal by placekicker
Steven Hauschka and the score was 7–3. After a Patriots three-and-out, the Seahawks drove 66 yards in 10 plays, reaching the Patriots 13, but once again the Patriots kept them out of the
end zone, and Hauschka kicked a 31-yard field goal, trimming the deficit to 7–6. After another Patriots three-and-out, the Seahawks 65 yards in 10 plays, this time reaching the end zone on
quarterback Russell Wilson's 6-yard touchdown pass to
wide receiver Doug Baldwin, but the PAT was blocked, keeping the score 12–7. On the second play of the Patriots next drive, Gronkowski seemed to
fumble after being hit hard by
safety Earl Thomas, but replay overturned it. Two plays later,
cornerback DeShawn Shead intercepted quarterback
Tom Brady at the Seattle 22 and returned it 2 yards to the Seahawks 24. The Patriots forced Seattle to punt, then marched 81 yards in 11 plays, scoring on Blount's 1-yard touchdown run with 1:05 remaining in the first half. However, 1:05 was too much time for Seattle as they raced 75 yards in under a minute, with Wilson finding Baldwin wide open in the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown, giving Seattle a 19–14 lead at halftime. After a Seahawks three-and-out, the Patriots had their way with Seattle on 10 play, 91-yard drive, scoring on Blount's 13-yard touchdown run, re-taking the lead, 21–19. Seattle countered with a long drive of their own, advancing 52 yards in 9 plays, taking a 22–21 lead on Hauschka's 41-yard field goal. The Patriots countered Seattle's field goal with one of their own, marching 63 yards in 10 plays, reaching the Seattle, but the Seahawks clamped down, and drove the Patriots back to the 12 and forced them to settle for Gostkowski's 30-yard field goal, retaking the lead 24–22. Seattle countered as well, racing 58 yards in 8 plays, reaching the New England 5, but the Patriots red zone defense once more kept them out of the end zone, and Hauschka was good from 23 yards away, his fourth, retaking the lead for Seattle, 25–24.
Kickoff returner Cyrus Jones fumbled the kick return, but safety
Nate Ebner recovered, but two plays later, after a 5-yard gain, safety
Kam Chancellor forced
wide receiver Julian Edelman to
fumble, with
Richard Sherman returning the ball 14-yards to the Patriots 48. Eight plays later, Wilson capped off the 48-yard drive with his touchdown pass to Baldwin, with a failed two point conversion, keeping the Patriots in the game 31–24. Facing a 3rd-and-10 at their own 46, Brady hit Edelman on a 30-yard bomb to the Seahawks 24. After a 4-yard loss by Blount, Brady hit Gronkowski on a 26-yard bomb to the Seahawks 2. Very close to the end zone, Brady gained 1-yard on the
sneak attempt. But on the very next play, Blount was stuffed for no gain, bringing up 3rd-and-Goal at the 1. Brady tried to sneak again, but fumbled and recovered at the Seahawks 2. On 4th-and-Goal Gronkowski couldn't catch a pass from Brady and the Patriots turned it over on downs. The Seahawks ran out the final seconds and won the game. The Patriots dropped to a record of 7–2, but still maintained first place in the
AFC East. This was their last loss of the season. The Seahawks improved to a record of 6–2–1. This was the final Patriots game to air on then-NBC affiliate
WHDH-TV in Boston, as the station would become independent in 2017.
Week 11: at San Francisco 49ers After a disappointing loss to Seattle the Patriots traveled to Santa Clara, California to face
Tom Brady's childhood team, the
San Francisco 49ers, who were on an eight-game losing streak. This was also the first time Brady played the 49ers in San Francisco, as he missed the Patriots' trip to
Candlestick Park in
2008 as a result of an injury. After a 49ers three-and-out, Amendola returned the
punt 30 yards to the 49ers 27. Six plays later, Brady hit Edelman on a 7-yard touchdown pass, but Gostkowski missed the extra point. The 49ers drove all the way to the Patriots 6 on their next drive, but Hightower sacked
Colin Kaepernick for a 9-yard loss on 3rd-down and they were forced to settle for a 33-yard field goal by
Phil Dawson. The Patriots countered on their next drive, racing 77 yards in just 6 plays, scoring on Brady's 9-yard touchdown pass to James White, increasing the lead to 13–3. Two possessions later, the 49ers raced 92 yards in just over four minutes, scoring on an 18-yard touchdown catch by
Vance McDonald, trimming the deficit to 13–10. After both teams punted, the Patriots drove to the 49ers 41, but White couldn't get out of bounds in time after a 25-yard catch, and the Patriots led 13–10 at halftime. After the first four possessions of the second half ended in punts, the Patriots marched 80 yards in 10 plays, scoring on Brady's 5-yard connection to Amendola, increasing the lead to 20–10. Three possessions later, Brady found Mitchell for a 56-yard touchdown pass as Brady was falling down, capping off a 70-yard drive, upping the lead to 27–10. After a 49ers three-and-out, the Patriots kept pouring it on, driving all the way to the 49ers 20, and Gostkowski added a 38-yard field goal, widening the lead to 30–10. The Niners marched 75 yards on their next drive, scoring on Kaepernick's 13-yard touchdown pass to
Shaun Draughn, trimming the deficit to 30–17. Amendola recovered the ensuing onside kick and the Patriots ran out the rest of the clock to end the game. The Patriots improved to 8–2.
Running back LeGarrette Blount had a big day as he rushed for a total of 125 yards on 19 carries. In addition, Tom Brady also had a big day passing for a total of 4 touchdowns against the 49ers. This was also Brady's 199th career win (regular season and postseason combined), tied with
Brett Favre for second place.
Week 12: at New York Jets After forcing a three-and-out, the Jets marched 41 yards to the Patriots 33, finishing the drive with a 51-yard field goal by
Nick Folk. On the Patriots third possession of the game, Gronkowski came to the sideline injured. He went to the locker room and didn't play another game that season. Later in the first quarter, the Jets marched 79 yards, converting a 3rd-and-9, with
Ryan Fitzpatrick finding
Brandon Marshall for a 1-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the second quarter, increasing the lead to 10–0. The Patriots responded on their next drive, reaching the Jets 8, but after a 2-yard sack and an incompletion, Gostkowski kicked a 28-yard field goal, trimming the deficit to 10–3. On the second play of the Jets ensuing possession, Fitzpatrick connected with
Robby Anderson for a 25-yard gain, but Anderson was stripped by Malcolm Butler, who recovered at midfield. The Patriots drove 50 yards, only facing one third-down, and scored on a 4-yard touchdown catch by Malcolm Mitchell. The Jets drove to the Patriots 36 on their next drive, but Folk missed a 54-yard field goal attempt. With great field position at their own 46, the Patriots drove 33 yards to the Jets 21, but Gostkowski missed a 39-yarder, sending the game to halftime tied 10-10. After a Jets three-and-out, the Patriots marched all the way to the Jets 11, but the Jets clamped down and forced a 29-yard field goal by Gostkowski, giving the Patriots their first lead, 13–10. After swapping punts, the Jets covered 73 yards, not facing a single third down, regaining the lead with Fitzpatrick throwing a 22-yard pass to
Quincy Enunwa with 10:17 remaining in the fourth quarter. Down 17–13, the Patriots advanced to the Jets 22, but decided to kick a 40-yard field goal, trimming the deficit to 17–16. The Jets reached their own 27, but an intentional grounding penalty pushed them back, and they punted two plays later. A holding penalty on McCourty negated Amendola's 15-yard return which would have set the Patriots up at their own 42. Starting at their own 17, Brady led a clutch, 9 play, 83-yard drive. Facing a 4th-and-4 at the Jets 37, Brady completed three consecutive passes: a 4-yard completion to White, a 25-yard completion to Hogan, and then an 8-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell, with a missed two-point conversion, giving the Patriots a 22–17 lead with just 1:56 remaining. After a five-yard completion to
Jalin Marshall, Fitzpatrick was strip-sacked by Long with
Trey Flowers recovering at the Jets 34. A 3-yard run by Blount on 3rd-and-2 sealed the win for the Patriots. With the win, the Patriots improved to 9–2 and clinched their 16th consecutive winning season. This was also the Patriots' 500th franchise win, as well as
Tom Brady's 200th career win, tying him with
Peyton Manning and surpassing
Brett Favre, who had 199 wins. In addition to this, Tom Brady also surpassed the 60,000-yard career passing mark.
Week 13: vs. Los Angeles Rams Tom Brady was making his 231st career start, tying
John Elway for the 5th-most all-time. The Patriots marched 80 yards right down the field on their opening possession, scoring on a 43-yard burst by Blount. The next four possessions of the game were punts, but Butler intercepted
Jared Goff on the last play of the first quarter and returned it 7 yards to the Rams 30. It only took four plays from Brady to find Chris Hogan on a 14-yard touchdown pass, increasing the Patriots lead to 14–0. After the next three drives ended in punts, the Patriots marched 48 yards to the Rams 10, but as a sign of the Patriots soon-to-come red zone struggles,
Stephen Gostkowski kicked a field goal with 0:11 remaining in the first half. The Rams took a knee and the Patriots led 17–0 at halftime. The first two possessions of the second half were punts, but the Rams finally got on board late in the 3rd quarter. After
Pharoh Cooper returned a punt 6 yards to the Rams 45, the Rams drove to the Patriots 26-yard line and
Greg Zuerlein got the Rams on the scoreboard with a 44-yard field goal. The Patriots countered by driving to the Rams 30 with Gostkowski adding a 48-yard field goal, increasing the lead to 20–3.
Kyle Van Noy intercepted Goff on the first play of the Rams next possession. The Patriots only managed to reach the Rams 27, but Gostkowski added a 44-yard field goal. Down 23–3, the Rams were still unable to move the ball and punted. Once again the Patriots drove to the Rams 27 and another 45-yard Gostkowski field goal increased the Patriots lead to 26–3. a few plays into the fourth quarter. Late in the game, Goff hit
Kenny Britt for a 66-yard gain to the Patriots 1-yard line. Four plays later, they connected again on a 1-yard touchdown pass, trimming the score to 26–10, but only 1:15 remained. The Patriots recovered the Rams onside kick attempt and ran out the clock to end the game. With the win, the Patriots improved to 10–2, clinching their 14th consecutive 10-win season and finishing 3-1 against the NFC West. The defense dominated, holding the Rams to a paltry 162 yards and just 10 points while forcing two turnovers. Additionally, Tom Brady won his 201st career game, surpassing
Peyton Manning for the most combined regular season and postseason victories by a quarterback in NFL history.
Week 14: vs. Baltimore Ravens The defenses dominated the first three drives of the game, all ending in punts. But midway through the first quarter,
Malcom Brown and
Patrick Chung shared a tackle of
Kenneth Dixon in the end zone for a safety(the third by the Patriots' defense on the season). The Ravens forced the Patriots to punt, and, aided by a 40-yard gain from
Joe Flacco to
Kyle Juszczyk and a 15-yard pass interference penalty on
Cyrus Jones, drove all the way to the Patriots 16, but
Shea McClellin blocked
Justin Tucker's field goal attempt. Following that, the Patriots covering 74 yards in 10 plays, scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run by Blount, his 14th, which tied him with
Curtis Martin who had 14 for the
1995 New England Patriots. The Ravens reached Patriot territory on their following possession, too, but punted again. Aided by a 61-yard completion to White, the Patriots raced 89 yards in just eight plays with Brady finding Mitchell on a 6-yard touchdown pass, extending the lead to 16–0. On the second plays of the Ravens next drive, McCourty intercepted Flacco at the Patriots 22 and returned it 40 yards to the Ravens 38, but official review ruled him down by contact at the Patriots 23. Despite this, the Patriots reached the Ravens 1-yard line, but
Eric Weddle intercepted Brady (only his second interception of the season) and returned it 14 yards to the Ravens 10. Two possessions later, after
Devin Hester returned a punt 12 yards to the Ravens 28, the Ravens reached the Patriots 28 and got on board with a 50-yard Tucker field goal with 0:11 seconds left in the half, making the score 16–3 at halftime. After forcing the Ravens to punt on the initial drive of the third quarter, the Patriots marched 65 yards to score on Brady's 19-yard pass to Bennett, increasing the lead to 23–3. A 6-yard run by Blount on the drive game him 1,005 yards for the season. However, the Ravens got back in the game with aide from the Patriots. While the Ravens offense continued its ineptitude, Cyrus Jones muffed a punt with
Chris Moore recovering at the Patriots 3. Two plays later, Flacco connected with
Darren Waller for a two-yard touchdown pass, trimming the deficit to 23–10. Things got better for the Ravens with
Matthew Slater fumbling the kick return and
Shareece Wright recovering at the Patriots 22-yard line. Four plays later, Dixon caught a swing pass for an 8-yard touchdown, and all of a sudden the score was 23–17. After three consecutive punts, the Ravens, aided by a 47-yard catch by
Breshad Perriman, reached the Patriots 12, but on 3rd-and-4 Flacco was sacked by Ninkovich for an 8-yard loss. Tucker finished the drive with a 38-yard field goal, trimming the deficit to 23–20 with 6:35 remaining in the game. On the first play of the Patriots next drive, Brady found
Chris Hogan wide open for a 79-yard touchdown, extending the Patriots lead to 30–20. That was Brady's 450th career touchdown pass and only Hogan's second career 100-yard receiving game. Yet, the Ravens were still in the game, driving to the Patriots 20-yard line, Tucker hit a 37-yard field goal, trimming the deficit to 30–23 and giving the Ravens a chance. On the Patriots next drive, the Ravens brought the game to a 4th-and-1 with 0:13 remaining. Instead of punting, the Patriots went for the kill shot and got it with Blount's 3-yard run enabling the Patriots to run out the clock and end the game. The Patriots improved to 11–2 (4-0 against the AFC North) and dropped 496 yards of total offense and 30 points on the Ravens' top-ranked defense, both the most allowed in the season by the Ravens. The Patriots posted their 10th all-time franchise victory against the Ravens. This was Brady's 100th career home win and his 9th 400+ yard passing game of his career and his second of the season. As of 2025, this remains the last time the Patriots had swept the AFC North.
Week 15: at Denver Broncos The Patriots faced the
Denver Broncos in a rematch of the
previous season's AFC Championship game. The Broncos won the coin toss and elected to kick. Beginning at their own 24, the Patriots went were unable to get a first down causing them to punt. Unluckily for the Broncos, during
Ryan Allen's punt
Jordan Norwood muffed the punt and the Patriots obtained it with a
Jonathan Jones recovery. The Patriots began at the Denver 31. Unfortunately for the Patriots, they were unable to get a first down and were forced to settle with a
Stephen Gostkowski 45-yard field goal for 3 points. The Broncos began the ball on their own 25 on the next possession. They started off well with a 13-yard run by
Justin Forsett. However, they were unable to get a first down. On the Patriots next drive, they began at their own 15. On the beginning of the first play, an illegal formation was called on the Patriots forcing them to move back 5-yards. Once again, they went three and out unable to acquire a first down. The Patriots punted and the Broncos began at their own 38. This time, they managed to get a field goal with
Brandon McManus's 33-yard kick. They traveled 47-yards in 8 plays and 2:55. The next Patriots drive again ended in a punt but this time traveling 31 yards on 6 plays. The Broncos received the punt at their own 7. This time, they managed to get to the Patriot's red zone nearly getting into the end zone. Nonetheless,
Trevor Siemian was intercepted by
Logan Ryan on a pass intended for
Emmanuel Sanders. Ryan ran the ball back all the way to the Denver' 46. This was the first play of the second quarter. This time the Patriots managed to get a touchdown in spite of the fact that they had to face a 1st & 20. The first play of the drive ending in a
Tom Brady fumble in which Patriot offensive lineman
Joe Thuney recovered. The Patriots reached the Broncos' 1 and scored a touchdown with
LeGarrette Blount's 1-yard run. The next 2 drives of both teams ended in punts. The Broncos received the ball once more and ended the first half with a run play. The Broncos began with first possession in the beginning of the second half. On their first drive, they went three and out having to punt. Similarly, the Patriots also went three and out. On the next Broncos' possession once again, they were unable to get a first down. The Patriots managed to score on their next drive with Gostkowski's 40-yard field goal. They went 11 plays for 61 yards in 5:12. The next 5 incoming drives all ended in punts. The next three points came on another Gostkowski 21-yard field goal. The next two drives ended in downs. McCourty stripped
Jordan Norwood with a few seconds left to seal the win. Despite just sixteen completions for 188 yards Brady defeated the Broncos for only the third time at
Denver and seventh time in his career With the win, the Patriots improved to 12–2, and they clinched a first round bye for the playoffs and the
AFC East title for the eighth straight season. Their eighth straight division title surpassed the
Rams franchise from 1973 to 1979 for the most consecutive division titles won by one team in NFL history. was intercepted by
Malcolm Butler at the Jets' 47 for no gain. The Patriots wasted no time, needing just 8 plays to score on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Bennett, extending the lead to 10–0. After both teams punted on their next possession,
Khiry Robinson lost a fumble while being tackled by
Elandon Roberts and Butler recovered for the Patriots. Petty was suffered a dislocated shoulder injury on the play and didn't return, being replaced by embattled veteran,
Ryan Fitzpatrick. Taking over at the Jets' 28, outstanding field position, the Patriots drove all the way to the Jets 4, but could only settle for a field goal. The Jets finally moved the ball on their ensuing possession, but
Nick Folk missed a 34-yard field goal wide right. Following a Patriots three-and-out, Fitzpatrick was intercepted by
Eric Rowe at the Patriots' 46 for no gain. It took the Patriots a mere four plays to score on Brady's 18-yard touchdown pass to third-string tight end
Matt Lengel, his first career catch, and the lead widened to 20–0. As the Jets anemic offense punted, a 47-yard pass interference penalty on
Doug Middleton moved the ball from the Patriots' 28 to the Jets' 25 and on the next play, Brady threw a touchdown pass to
James White with just 0:25 seconds left in the half to increase the margin to 27–0. The pass was just out of the reach of linebacker
David Harris, who was covering him. After the first two drives of the second half ended in punts, the Patriots marched 63 yards in 13, lasting nearly 8 minutes to further their lead to 34–0 on a 1-yard touchdown run by Blount. On the 5th play of the Jets next drive, Fitzpatrick was intercepted by Butler, his second, who returned the ball 21 yards to the Jets 47, plus a face mask penalty moving the ball to the Jets' 22. With Garoppolo replacing Brady, the Patriots continued rolling 8 plays later with another 1-yard touchdown run by Blount early in the fourth quarter. With that touchdown (his 17th of the season) the lead increased to 41–0. On their next drive, the Jets finally ended the shutout attempt with Folk's 29-yard field goal. After a Patriots punt, the Jets once again drove into Patriots territory, but turned the ball over on downs. The Patriots proceeded to run out the clock to end the game. The Patriots improved to 4-1 against the AFC East and they finished 6-2 at home, as their defense shut down Fitzpatrick, who had had a career day against the Patriots just four weeks earlier. The Patriots forced four turnovers from the Jets, including three interceptions; one being made by Eric Rowe and another two which were made by Malcolm Butler, who also recovered a fumble. Furthermore, head coach
Bill Belichick recorded his 200th regular season victory with the Patriots; he became the fifth coach in NFL history to accomplish this feat with a single franchise.
Week 17: at Miami Dolphins The Patriots took the opening kickoff right down the field, marching 75 yards in 13 plays, taking seven-and-a-half minutes off the clock, to score on a two-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Bennett. After a Dolphins three-and-out, starting at the Dolphins 45, the Patriots needed just five plays to score on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Brady to
Michael Floyd, who managed to get into the end zone while fighting through 4 defenders for his first touchdown as a Patriot. On the next Dolphins' possession,
Matt Moore was intercepted by
Logan Ryan. Beginning at their own 44 yard line, the Patriots managed to reach the Dolphins' 22, but were forced to settle for a 40-yard field goal, extending the lead to 17–0 on the first play of the second quarter. Once again, the Dolphins offense remained lifeless and they punted. The Patriots scored again, driving from their own 10 all the way to the Dolphins 8, but the Miami defense stiffened, and the Patriots settled for a 26-yard field goal by Gostkowski, increasing the Patriots lead to 20–0 with just over three minutes remaining in the first half. The Dolphins finally answered on their next drive, putting together a 10 play, 75-yard drive, with
Jarvis Landry scoring on an 8-yard touchdown pass in which he was knocked back by
Dont'a Hightower but still managed to reach the end zone pylon. Develin returned the ensuing squib kick 15 yards to the Patriots 43 with 0:23 seconds remaining. The Patriots drove to the Dolphins 34, but Gostkowski missed the 52-yard field goal attempt wide-right, keeping the score 20–7 at half time. The Dolphins struck again, taking the opening possession 75 yards in 12 plays, with Moore bombing a 24-yard touchdown pass to
Kenny Stills, trimming the deficit to just 20–14. The Patriots countered, facing a 3rd-and-7 from the Patriots 23, Brady connected with Edelman on a quick-screen, aided by a huge block by Floyd, 77-yards for a touchdown, widening the lead to 27–14. Neither team scored for the remainder of the quarter. Early in the fourth quarter, the Dolphins drove all the way to the Patriots 9, but on 2nd-and-goal
Damien Williams was stripped by McCourty with
Shea McClellin returning it 69 yards to the Dolphins 18. Six plays later, Blount scored on a 1-yard run with a successful two point conversion to give the Patriots a 35–14 lead. Neither team did anything for the remainder of the game and the Patriots won. With this win, the Patriots clinch
home field advantage throughout the entire
AFC playoffs. They also finished with a record of 14–2 (5-1 against the AFC East) for the first time since
2010. This was the Patriots first win in Miami since the
2012 season. The win also marked the first time since
2007 the Patriots finished 8-0 on the road. Julian Edelman had a huge day against the Dolphins as he had 151 yards of receiving in 9 receptions, 6 rushing yards, and 1 receiving touchdown. This would be the Pats last sweep over the Dolphins until 2025. ==Postseason==