It was clear at that point the Patriots were legitimate contenders in the AFC and Brady wasn’t some interim replacement as a former sixth-round pick. They finished the year on a high note, beating the 9-4 Dolphins in Week 15 and then steamrolling the Panthers by a score of 38-6 in the finale to clinch the No. Adam Vinatieri hit a game-winning field goal in overtime against the 2-10 Bills the next week, pushing the Patriots to 9-5 with two games remaining. They snuck by the Jets with a 1-point win in Week 12 before beating Belichick’s former team, the Browns, 27-16 in Week 13. The following week, they crushed the Saints, 34-17. That loss to the Rams was the last time the Patriots lost that season, ripping off a nine-game winning streak the rest of the way. It spurred an incredible streak by New England. It served as a measuring-stick game against the best team in football. This loss didn’t crush the Patriots’ Super Bowl chances. It was impressive that the Patriots were able to hang with the Rams, who were blowing out teams left and right that year, but Belichick and Brady certainly weren’t satisfied with the result. The Patriots lost 24-17, allowing 17 unanswered points from the end of the first half to the beginning of the fourth quarter after taking a 10-7 lead. 18 and it proved to be a turning point in the Patriots’ season. 18, they ran into a 7-1 Rams team that won the Super Bowl two years prior and was leading the NFL in scoring thanks to the “Greatest Show on Turf” offense that was led by Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce. He led the Patriots to a 5-2 record in his first seven starts, helping right the ship after the team lost its first two games of the year.īut then on Nov. That’s when Tom Brady stepped into the spotlight and took over as the starter, remaining in that role the rest of the year. To make matters worse, two weeks into the season, Drew Bledsoe suffered a serious chest injury that landed him in the hospital. They were coming off a 5-11 season, Bill Belichick was in his second season with the team and the roster as a whole didn’t resemble a championship-caliber group. Before the season began, they were 60-1 to win it all, with their projected win total being set at 6.5 by sportsbooks. No one expected the New England Patriots to win the Super Bowl in 2001.
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