New England Patriots: Rise and fall of the Brady-Belichick dynasty

The New England Patriots saw unprecedented success beginning in 2001 that lasted nearly 20 years prior to Tom Brady’s departure following the 2019 season, an unprecedented NFL dynasty.

The New England Patriots are a team that consists of not one but two separate dynasties all led by quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick. From 2001-18, the pair accumulated six Super Bowl victories while appearing in nine with 19 consecutive winning seasons with nine straight AFC Championship appearances.

Success in New England began when 23-year Patriots season-ticket holder Robert Kraft purchased the football team on Jan. 21, 1994, after the previous owner had aspirations to move the organization to Florida.

Heading into the 1999 season, the New England Patriots had two Super Bowl appearances in which they left the field in a sea of confetti — just not theirs. The team finished with an 8-8 record, missed out on a chance to pursue a third Super Bowl appearance and Kraft elected to fire third-year head coach Pete Carroll and pursue former Patriots defensive backs coach Bill Belichick.

During the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, the Patriots held the 199th pick in the draft; they chose to draft Michigan quarterback Tom Brady. In Belichick’s first season, the team won just five games and it would be the last time that the team finished with a losing record until the 2020 season.

Tom Brady’s on-field arrival signaled the true beginning of the New England Patriots dynasty.

The birth of the historic championship run began during Week 2 of the 2001 season. In a matchup against the AFC East rival New York Jets, starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe suffered a sheared blood vessel in his chest, sending Brady, a second-year quarterback at the time, onto the field.

Brady started the remaining 14 games of the season, leading the team to an 11-5 record and back to the Super Bowl for the first time since their loss to the Green Bay Packers in 1998. The team defeated the St. Louis Rams at Super Bowl XXXVI, giving the franchise their first Super Bowl victory. And the Brady-Belichick championship era in the NFL.

After the defending champs finished the 2002 season with a 9-7 record and missed out on a chance to pursue a second straight championship, Belichick and his new quarterback opened up the 2003 season by getting shut out 31-0 by the Buffalo Bills. By Week 4, they were sitting at 2-2 and an uncertain aura began to coat the franchise. The future of the duo was unknown.

That cloud of doubt dissolved as the team went on without losing a single game for the remainder of the season, winning their next 12 games and reversing the fortunes from Week 1, beating the Bills 31-0 this time.

Victories over the Titans and Colts led the team to their second Super Bowl appearance in three years to face the Carolina Panthers led by John Fox and Jake Delhomme. Mirroring their Super Bowl win two years prior, a late game-winning field goal by Adam Vinatieri gave Brady and Belichick their second championship ring in Foxborough.

Following their second championship victory, the Patriots matched their 2003 season with a 14-2 record and a trip to Super Bowl XXXIX. Taking on the Philadelphia Eagles, Brady finished the season with back-to-back Super Bowl victories and a third Lombardy Trophy in four years.

This would be the last time the team paraded through the streets of downtown Boston as champions for the next decade.

A gap between New England Patriots Super Bowl wins and a missed shot at perfection.

The Patriots wouldn’t make it back to the big game until 2007, a year that saw the team do something that has never been done in the history of the NFL — finish the regular season with a 16-0 record.

They defeated the Jaguars and Chargers to make it back to the Super Bowl for the first time since winning in 2004. Even then, Brady was looking to cement his legacy as the greatest of all-time.  However, their opponents — Eli Manning and the New York Giants — derailed the Patriots’ perfect season, defeating them 17-14 in the Big Game.

Following their stunning upset loss to the Giants, the Patriots began the 2008 season with high expectations after finishing the previous regular season without a single loss.

Unfortunately, during a Week 1 matchup against the Chiefs, the defending NFL MVP suffered a season-ending knee injury. With backup Matt Cassel in for the injured Brady, the team managed to finish the season with an 11-5 record but weren’t able to qualify for the playoffs.

The 2011 season marked the Patriots next return to the final Sunday of the season. Their opponent in Super Bowl XLV was the team that handed the Patriots their only loss during the 2007 season, the New York Giants.

Led by the only quarterback and coach pairing who had defeated Brady in the Big Game, Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin. The outcome of the Super Bowl rematch was another Giants victory sending the team back to Boston and questioning whether or not they would ever win another championship after their early success.

Return to the mountaintop for the New England Patriots

During Belichick’s 15th season as head coach and 10 years since the Patriots had won their most recent Super Bowl, he and the team finished the regular season with a 12-4 record for the third straight year, winning their sixth straight AFC East title.

With a first-round bye for the fifth year in a row, Brady, and Rob Gronkowski defeated the Ravens and Colts to represent the AFC in Super Bowl XLIX for the sixth-time under the hoodie-clad coach. With less than a minute remaining in the game, the Seahawks found themselves on the 1-yard line looking to take the lead and hand Brady and Belichick their third straight Super Bowl loss.

With 20 seconds left, Russell Wilson looked for Ricardo Lockette in the end zone but was intercepted by rookie Malcolm Butler, promoting Brady to jump up and down on the sidelines. A decade since their last, the Patriots were awarded a fourth ring and Tom Brady’s third Super Bowl MVP further cementing their place as the greatest quarterback-coach duo in history and sparking the second phase of their championship dynasty.

After Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos ended the Patriots season in the AFC Championship Game the following year, the Patriots finished the 2016 season with a league-best 14-2 record, even without Brady through the first four games due his DeflateGate suspension.

The Patriots ended the season winning their last seven games and earned their eighth division title. After finding their way back to the AFC Championship Game for the sixth straight year, the Patriots were in search of ring No. 5. The Falcons held a commanding 28-3 lead at the end of the third quarter as Falcons owner Arthur Blank was already celebrating on the sidelines.

Things were looking bleak as Brady sat on the sidelines looking down at the ground. Little did we know, the Patriots were about to execute the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. With 58 seconds left in the fourth quarter, a James White touchdown run paired with a 2-point conversion tied the game, leading to the first overtime period in Super Bowl history.

New England won the toss, drove down the field and White caught the game-winning touchdown to complete the unprecedented comeback. The quarterback-coach duo surpassed several records following their historic victory in Houston, including most Super Bowl appearances, wins and passing yards, in addition to overcoming the largest deficit to win in history and solidifying that businesses in Atlanta would never serve them again.

Securing their 15th AFC East Championship, the defending champions made it to the Super Bowl in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2004. The Patriots entered their 10th championship game looking to capture their third title in four years, mirroring their 2001-04 success.

They were going up against the Philadelphia Eagles, the team which Brady defeated to capture his third title. Taking on a backup quarterback who led the Eagles to Super Bowl LII, Nick Foles and Brady faced off in one of the highest-scoring Super Bowl matchups in history, combining for over 1,000 yards.

With nine seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Patriots were staring at a 41-33 deficit and, similar to their previous championship game, needed a touchdown paired with a 2-point conversion to send the game into overtime.

Heaving a pass that spanned half of the field, Brady’s Hail Mary attempt soared through the skies at U.S. Bank Stadium before falling into a sea of Patriots and Eagles players and tumbling onto the turf, shattering the Patriots’ aspirations of securing a sixth championship.

One last hurrah for the New England Patriots dynasty

Entering the 2018 season following their loss to the Eagles in Super Bowl LII, New England Patriots started the season 1-2 and were missing star wide receiver Julian Edelman for the first four games. After their Week 3 loss to the Jaguars, the team went on a six-game winning streak and finished the season at 11-5 to capture their 10th straight division title.

Entering the AFC Championship Game for the eighth straight year, Brady was face-to-face with 2018 NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes and veteran head coach Andy Reid. Defeating the Chiefs in overtime, the Patriots were back in the Super Bowl for the third straight year and aiming for their sixth title.

In another Super Bowl rematch, the Patriots met a Rams team led by 33-year-old head coach Sean McVay. After 45 minutes, the game was tied 3-3 heading into the final quarter of the season. After forcing a Rams punt, the Patriots had a chance to retake the lead. Conducting the longest drive of the game, the Patriots moved the ball down the field and into the end zone to score the game’s first touchdown and take a 10-3 lead with seven minutes remaining.

A late Stephon Gilmore interception paired with a Stephen Gostkowski field goal sealed the win and gave the New England Patriots their record-tying sixth Lombardi Trophy and Brady’s last championship under Bill Belichick.

Tom Brady’s final season and departure from the New England Patriots

Entering his 20th season as head coach, Belichick and Brady were coming off of their historic Super Bowl LIII victory over the Rams. The now Gronk-less Patriots offense opened up the season at 9-0, led by Stephon Gilmore and the team’s nearly unstoppable defense. The season ended with New England sitting at 12-4, however, and the club had to play in their first Wild Card Game in 10 years.

Standing across the field was head coach Mike Vrabel, who aided the Patriots on the field during their first three Super Bowls titles. And across the line from New England was NFL rushing leader Derrick Henry, who had accumulated over 1,500 yards on the ground and 16 touchdowns.

Down by one with 15 seconds to go in the fourth quarter, Brady’s pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by another former Patriot, Logan Ryan. The Tennessee Titans rode Henry to a 20-13 upset over the Patriots at Gillette Stadium in what would be Brady’s final game for the franchise

On March 17, 2020, the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft and six-time Super Bowl champion announced that he was leaving the Patriots organization and would enter free agency for the first time in his career.

Now, Brady, joined by former Patriots Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Brown, have led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the NFC Championship for the first time since 2003. Meanwhile in the AFC, Belichick and the 2015 NFL MVP Cam Newton finished the season with a 7-9 record and missed the playoffs for the first time in 12 years.

Over the years, there have been teams attempt to replicate the historic reign of New England only to crumble within three years; the Philadelphia Eagles come to mind with the recent firing of Super Bowl-winning head coach Doug Pederson. The defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs look to be the next team groomed for long-term success behind Mahomes and Reid.

Even with that, though, it’s tough to imagine that we will ever see another team dominate a 20-year period again that began during a Week 2 game on Sept. 23, 2001 when an unforeseen injury thrust an unlikely legend into action.