2016 New England Patriots season

2016 New England Patriots season
Head coach Bill Belichick
Owner Robert Kraft
Home field Gillette Stadium
Results
Record 9–2
Division place 1st AFC East
Uniform

The 2016 New England Patriots season is the franchise's 47th season in the National Football League, the 57th overall and the 17th under head coach Bill Belichick. The Patriots will attempt to win their 8th consecutive AFC East title as well as a fifth Super Bowl championship. The Patriots became the first team that originated from the American Football League to reach 500 franchise wins, regular-season and playoffs, with their Week 12 win over the New York Jets; they entered the season with 491 wins.[1]

Patriots starting quarterback Tom Brady was suspended for the first four games of the season due to his alleged role in the Deflategate scandal.[2] Under backup quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett, the team went 3–1 during Brady's suspension. Bill Belichick achieved the record of 4th-most wins as a head coach during the season.[3]

Roster changes

Two-time Pro Bowl linebacker and 2008 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Jerod Mayo announced his retirement in February 2016.[4] Linebacker Dane Fletcher also retired.[5] In March, the Patriots released wide receiver Brandon LaFell and tight end Scott Chandler.[6] The Patriots subsequently traded Pro Bowl defensive end Chandler Jones to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for guard Jonathan Cooper and a 2016 second-round draft pick.[7] Days later the Patriots acquired tight end Martellus Bennett from the Chicago Bears via trade.[8]

Free agency

Draft

Main article: 2016 NFL draft
2016 New England Patriots Draft
Round Selection Player Position College
2 60 Cyrus Jones CB Alabama
3 78 Joe Thuney G N.C. State
3 91 Jacoby Brissett QB N.C. State
3 96 Vincent Valentine DT Nebraska
4 112 Malcolm Mitchell WR Georgia
6 208 Kamu Grugier-Hill SS/OLB Eastern Illinois
6 214 Elandon Roberts MLB Houston
6 221 Ted Karras G Illinois
7 225 Devin Lucien WR Arizona State
Compensatory selection
Notes

Staff

New England Patriots staff
Front office
  • Chairman/CEO – Robert Kraft
  • President – Jonathan Kraft
  • Director of Player Personnel – Nick Caserio
  • Director of College Scouting – Monti Ossenfort
  • Director of Scouting Administration – Nancy Meier
  • Director of Pro Personnel – Dave Ziegler
  • Football Research Director – Ernie Adams
  • Director of Football/Head Coach Administration - Berj Najarian
Head coaches
Offensive Coaches
 
Defensive Coaches
Special Teams Coaches
Strength and Conditioning
  • Strength and Conditioning – Moses Cabrera
  • Assistant Strength and Conditioning – James Hardy

Coaching staff
Management
More NFL staffs

AFC East
BUF
MIA
NE
NYJ
North
BAL
CIN
CLE
PIT
South
HOU
IND
JAX
TEN
West
DEN
KC
OAK
SD
NFC East
DAL
NYG
PHI
WAS
North
CHI
DET
GB
MIN
South
ATL
CAR
NO
TB
West
ARI
LA
SF
SEA

Current roster

New England Patriots roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists

Practice squad

Rookies in italics
Roster updated December 3, 2016
Depth ChartTransactions

53 Active, 6 Inactive, 9 Practice Squad

AFC rostersNFC rosters

Schedule

Preseason

Week Date Opponent Result Record Game site NFL.com
recap
1 August 11 New Orleans Saints W 34–22 1–0 Gillette Stadium Recap
2 August 18 Chicago Bears W 23–22 2–0 Gillette Stadium Recap
3 August 26 at Carolina Panthers W 19–17 3–0 Bank of America Stadium Recap
4 September 1 at New York Giants L 9–17 3–1 MetLife Stadium Recap

Regular season

Week Date Kickoff Opponent Result Record Game site TV NFL.com
recap
1 September 11 8:30 p.m. EDT at Arizona Cardinals W 23–21 1–0 University of Phoenix Stadium NBC Recap
2 September 18 1:00 p.m. EDT Miami Dolphins W 31–24 2–0 Gillette Stadium CBS Recap
3 September 22 8:25 p.m. EDT Houston Texans W 27–0 3–0 Gillette Stadium CBS/NFLN/Twitter Recap
4 October 2 1:00 p.m. EDT Buffalo Bills L 0–16 3–1 Gillette Stadium CBS Recap
5 October 9 1:00 p.m. EDT at Cleveland Browns W 33–13 4–1 FirstEnergy Stadium CBS Recap
6 October 16 1:00 p.m. EDT Cincinnati Bengals W 35–17 5–1 Gillette Stadium CBS Recap
7 October 23 4:25 p.m. EDT at Pittsburgh Steelers W 27–16 6–1 Heinz Field CBS Recap
8 October 30 1:00 p.m. EDT at Buffalo Bills W 41–25 7–1 New Era Field CBS Recap
9 Bye
10 November 13 8:30 p.m. EST Seattle Seahawks L 24–31 7–2 Gillette Stadium NBC Recap
11 November 20 4:25 p.m. EST at San Francisco 49ers W 30–17 8–2 Levi's Stadium CBS Recap
12 November 27 4:25 p.m. EST at New York Jets W 22–17 9–2 MetLife Stadium CBS Recap
13 December 4 1:00 p.m. EST Los Angeles Rams Gillette Stadium Fox
14 December 12 8:30 p.m. EST Baltimore Ravens Gillette Stadium ESPN
15 December 18 4:25 p.m. EST at Denver Broncos Sports Authority Field at Mile High CBS
16 December 24 1:00 p.m. EST New York Jets Gillette Stadium CBS
17 January 1 1:00 p.m. EST at Miami Dolphins Hard Rock Stadium CBS
Notes

Game summaries

Week 1: at Arizona Cardinals

Week One: New England Patriots at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Patriots 10 0 7623
Cardinals 0 7 7721

at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

First quarter
  • NE – Chris Hogan 37-yard pass from Jimmy Garoppolo (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 7:34. Patriots 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 74 yards, 4:13.
  • NE – Stephen Gostkowski 47-yard field goal, 1:00. Patriots 10–0. Drive: 12 plays, 63 yards, 5:12.
Second quarter
Third quarter
  • NE – LeGarrette Blount 8-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 10:00. Patriots 17–7. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 5:00.
  • ARI – David Johnson 1-yard run (Chandler Catanzaro kick), 4:29. Patriots 17–14. Drive: 5 plays, 33 yards, 1:51.
Fourth quarter
  • NE – Stephen Gostkowski 53-yard field goal, 12:35. Patriots 20–14. Drive: 11 plays, 40 yards, 6:54.
  • ARI – Larry Fitzgerald 1-yard pass from Carson Palmer (Chandler Catanzaro kick), 9:46. Cardinals 20–21. Drive: 7 plays, 79 yards, 2:49.
  • NE – Stephen Gostkowski 32-yard field goal, 3:44. Patriots 23–21. Drive: 13 plays, 61 yards, 6:02.

Top passers
  • NE – Jimmy Garoppolo – 24/33, 264 yards, TD
  • ARI – Carson Palmer – 24/37, 271 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
  • NE – LeGarrette Blount – 22 rushes, 70 yards, TD
  • ARI – David Johnson – 16 rushes, 89 yards, TD
Top receivers
  • NE – Julian Edelman – 7 receptions, 66 yards
  • ARI – Larry Fitzgerald – 8 receptions, 81 yards, 2 TD

The New England Patriots enter their first game of the 2016 NFL season against the Arizona Cardinals with starting QB Jimmy Garoppolo replacing Tom Brady who was currently serving his four-game suspension. The match finished with a score of 23–21 giving the Patriots their first win of the season.

Week 2: vs. Miami Dolphins

Week Two: Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Dolphins 0 3 71424
Patriots 14 10 7031

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Game information

First quarter
Second quarter
  • NE – Danny Amendola 10-yard pass from Jimmy Garoppolo (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 13:10. Patriots 21–0. Drive: 12 plays, 76 yards, 6:21.
  • NE – Stephen Gostkowski 34-yard field goal, 2:48. Patriots 24–0. Drive 9 plays, 36 yards, 3:01.
  • MIA – Andrew Franks 27-yard field goal, 0:00. Patriots 24–3. Drive 9 plays, 77 yards, 0:58.
Third quarter
  • NE – LeGarrette Blount 9-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 8:44. Patriots 31–3. Drive: 5 plays, 68 yards, 2:51
  • MIA – Kenny Stills 24-yard pass from Ryan Tannehill (Andrew Franks kick), 5:45. Patriots 31–10. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:59.
Fourth quarter
  • MIA – Jordan Cameron 12-yard pass from Ryan Tannehill (Andrew Franks kick), 14:51. Patriots 31–17. Drive: 5 plays, 88 yards, 4:43.
  • MIA – Kenyan Drake 7-yard run (Andrew Franks kick), 6:06. Patriots 31–24. Drive: 9 plays, 74 yards, 4:43

Top passers
  • MIA – Ryan Tannehill – 32/45, 387 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
  • NE – Jimmy Garoppolo – 18/26, 232 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
  • MIA – Ryan Tannehill – 6 rushes, 35 yards
  • NE – LeGarrette Blount – 29 rushes, 123 yards, TD
Top receivers
  • MIA – Jarvis Landry – 10 receptions, 135 yards
  • NE – Martellus Bennett – 5 receptions, 114 yards, TD

The Patriots home opener began as they surged to a 24–0 lead behind three touchdowns by Jimmy Garoppolo, but with 4:57 to go in the second quarter Garoppolo was driven to the ground by Kiko Alonso on a completion to Malcolm Mitchell and Garoppolo suffered a shoulder injury that required transportation to Massachusetts General Hospital; he finished with 232 yards and three touchdowns. Rookie Jacoby Brissett finished the game, completing six of nine passes for 92 yards while LeGarrette Blount rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown. Despite trailing 31–3 Ryan Tannehill stormed back with 387 yards and two touchdowns. The Patriots drove forward in the final six minutes but Stephen Gostkowski missed a 39-yard field goal attempt with one minute to go. The Dolphins raced to the Patriots 20, but Tannehill was intercepted in the endzone by Duron Harmon. The game finished with a score of 31–24 with the Patriots adding another victory to improve to a record of 2–0.

Week 3: vs. Houston Texans

Week Three: Houston Texans at New England Patriots – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Texans 0 0 000
Patriots 10 0 10727

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Game information

First quarter
  • NE – Stephen Gostkowski 24-yard field goal, 2:07. Patriots 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 74 yards, 4:52.
  • NE – Jacoby Brissett 27-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 1:54. Patriots 10–0. Drive: 1 play, 22 yards, 0:07.
Second quarter

No Scoring

Third quarter
  • NE – Stephen Gostkowski 25-yard field goal, 8:19. Patriots 13–0. Drive: 13 plays, 71 yards, 6:41.
  • NE – LeGarrette Blount 1-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 5:41. Patriots 20–0. Drive: 6 plays, 21 yards, 2:31.
Fourth quarter
  • NE – LeGarrette Blount 41-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 11:00. Patriots 27–0. Drive: 2 plays, 47 yards, 0:40.

Top passers
  • HOU – Brock Osweiler – 24/41, 196 yards, INT
  • NE – Jacoby Brissett – 11/19, 103 yards
Top rushers
  • HOU – Lamar Miller – 21 rushes, 80 yards
  • NE – LeGarrette Blount – 24 rushes, 105 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers

During the match, the Patriots wore Color Rush uniforms that have their traditional colors on them. With Tom Brady still in his third game of suspension and Jimmy Garoppolo injured, the Patriots started their backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett. The Patriots defense manage to prevent the Houston Texans from scoring a single point throughout the match. However, unlike the Texans, the Patriots scored 27 points, with three rushing touchdowns and two field goals. The Patriots improved to a record of 3–0.

Week 4: vs. Buffalo Bills

Week Four: Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Bills 7 6 3016
Patriots 0 0 000

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Game information

First quarter
Second quarter
  • BUF – Dan Carpenter 34-yard field goal, 14:49. Bills 10–0. Drive: 10 plays, 52 yards, 3:58.
  • BUF – Dan Carpenter 43-yard field goal, 7:46. Bills 13–0. Drive: 12 plays, 74 yards, 4:40.
Third quarter
  • BUF – Dan Carpenter 44-yard field goal, 0:28. Bills 16–0. Drive: 11 plays, 44 yards, 4:27.
Fourth quarter

No Scoring

Top passers
  • BUF – Tyrod Taylor – 27/39, 246 yards, TD
  • NE – Jacoby Brissett – 17/27, 205 yards
Top rushers
  • BUF – LeSean McCoy – 19 rushes, 70 yards
  • NE – LeGarrette Blount – 13 rushes, 54 yards
Top receivers

The Patriots stay at home for a matchup against the Tyrod Taylor-led Bills. The Patriots however could not find the end zone nor field goals dropping the Pats to a record of 3–1. This was the first shutout for the Patriots at home since 1993, as well as their first shutout loss since 2006. This was also the team's first shut out loss to the Bills since 2003.

Week 5: at Cleveland Browns

Week Five: New England Patriots at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Patriots 16 7 7333
Browns 7 0 0613

at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

  • Date: October 9
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 67,431
  • Referee: Bill Vinovich
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green and Jamie Erdahl
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

First quarter
Second quarter
  • NE – Martellus Bennett 5 -yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 12:10. Patriots 23–7. Drive: 8 plays, 64 yards, 4:10.
Third quarter
  • NE – Martellus Bennett 37-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stpehen Gostkowski kick), 12:24. Patriots 30–7. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 2:36.
Fourth quarter
  • CLE – Connor Hamlett 17-yard pass from Charlie Whitehurst (pass failed), 14:05. Patriots 30–13. Drive 7 plays, 80 yards, 3:22.
  • NE – Stephen Gostkowski 31-yard field goal, 7:42. Patriots 33–13. Drive 11 plays, 72 yards, 6:23.

Top passers
  • NE – Tom Brady – 28/40, 406 yards, 3 TD
  • CLE – Charlie Whitehurst – 14/24, 182 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
  • NE – LeGarrette Blount – 18 rushes, 37 yards, TD
  • CLE – Isaiah Crowell – 13 rushes, 22 yards
Top receivers

With the four-game suspension of Tom Brady over, the Patriots started Brady against the Cleveland Browns. Once the match was finished with a score of 33–13, the Patriots improved to a record of 4–1. Tom Brady also obtained his 8th 400+ passing yard game of his career.

Week 6: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Week Six: Cincinnati Bengals at New England Patriots – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Bengals 0 7 7317
Patriots 3 7 151035

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

  • Date: October 16
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 66,829
  • Referee: Ronald Torbert
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts and Evan Washburn
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

First quarter
  • NE – Stephen Gostkowski 46-yard field goal, 12:06. Patriots 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 47 yards, 2:54.
Second quarter
  • CIN – Andy Dalton 2-yard run (Mike Nugent kick), 3:10. Bengals 7–3. Drive: 7 plays, 60 yards, 3:26.
  • NE – James White 15-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 1:01. Patriots 10–7. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 2:09.
Third quarter
  • CIN – Brandon LaFell 5-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Mike Nugent kick), 11:14. Bengals 14–10. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 3:46.
  • NE – Andy Dalton sacked by Dont'a Hightower for a safety, 7:05. Bengals 14–12.
  • NE – Rob Gronkowski 4-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 5:00. Patriots 19–14. Drive 5 plays, 68 yards, 2:05.
  • NE – James White 4-yard pass from Tom Brady (kick failed, wide left), 2:58. Patriots 25–14. Drive 4 plays, 53 yards, 1:35.
Fourth quarter
  • CIN – Mike Nugent 25-yard field goal, 12:34. Patriots 25–17. Drive 12 plays, 68 yards, 5:24.
  • NE – Stephen Gostkowski 31-yard field goal, 6:04. Patriots 28–17. Drive 12 plays, 62 yards, 6:30.
  • NE – LeGarrette Blount 1-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 0:57. Patriots 35–17. Drive 9 plays, 50 yards, 2:35.

Top passers
  • CIN – Andy Dalton – 21/31, 254 yards, TD
  • NE – Tom Brady – 29/35, 376 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
  • CIN – Giovani Bernard – 15 rushes, 49 yards
  • NE – LeGarrette Blount – 13 rushes, 50 yards, TD
Top receivers
  • CIN – A.J. Green – 6 receptions, 88 yards
  • NE – Rob Gronkowski – 7 receptions, 162 yards, TD

The Patriots faced the Bengals at home, their first meeting with Cincinnati since the "We're on to Cincinnati" game that marked their turning point in an eventual Super Bowl-winning season two years earlier. During the match, Tom Brady completed his 5,000th pass on a Rob Gronkowski catch for 38 yards; 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. Down 14–10 in the third quarter, the Patriots got a safety when Dont'a Hightower sacked Andy Dalton in his own endzone; for the rest of the game, the Patriots outscored the Bengals 23–3, to finish the game with a 35–17 score. The Patriots improved to 5–1.

The win was the 496th in Patriots history.

Week 7: at Pittsburgh Steelers

Week Seven: New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Patriots 7 7 6727
Steelers 0 10 3316

at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: October 23
  • Game time: 4:25 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: 63 °F (17 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 66,009
  • Referee: Craig Wrolstad
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms and Tracy Wolfson
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

First quarter
Second quarter
  • NE – LeGarrette Blount 3-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 10:58. Patriots 14–0. Drive: 11 plays, 84 yards, 4:46.
  • PIT – Darrius Heyward-Bey 14-yard pass from Landry Jones (Chris Boswell kick), 9:02. Patriots 14–7. Drive: 5 plays, 71 yards, 1:56.
  • PIT – Chris Boswell 32-yard field goal, 0:02. Patriots 14–10. Drive: 10 plays, 66 yards, 1:45.
Third quarter
  • PIT – Chris Boswell 46-yard field goal, 8:44. Patriots 14–13. Drive: 9 plays, 48 yards, 4:49.
  • NE – Rob Gronkowski 32-yard pass from Tom Brady (kick failed, wide right), 6:19. Patriots 20–13. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:25.
Fourth quarter
  • PIT – Chris Boswell 44-yard field goal, 14:44. Patriots 20–16. Drive: 12 plays, 42 yards, 6:35.
  • NE – LeGarrette Blount 5-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 11:44. Patriots 27–16. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:00.

Top passers
  • NE – Tom Brady – 19/26, 222 yards, 2 TD
  • PIT – Landry Jones – 29/47, 281 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
  • NE – LeGarrette Blount – 24 rushes, 127 yards, 2 TD
  • PIT – Le'Veon Bell – 21 rushes, 81 yards
Top receivers
  • NE – Rob Gronkowski – 4 receptions, 93 yards, TD
  • PIT – Antonio Brown – 7 rections, 106 yards

In the match at Heinz Field, the Patriots face off against the Pittsburgh Steelers who started their backup QB Landry Jones as Ben Roethlisberger the starter for the Steelers was out with a knee injury. The Patriots were able to win the coin toss and they elected to receive in the second half. No points were scored during the first drives on either team. However, during the first drive of the Patriots, wide receiver Chris Hogan fumbled on a reception from Tom Brady. The Steelers tried to take advantage of the turnover but Landry Jones was intercepted in the end zone by Malcolm Butler who was defending Antonio Brown. With this turnover, the pats managed to score a touchdown in a 19 yard pass from Brady to James White. During the next Steelers possession, they did not score any points as they were forced to punt. During the start of the second quarter, the patriots scored another touchdown. Additionally, Stephen Gostkowski missed his second extra point of the season in the third quarter. After the second and third quarters, the 4th quarter began. During this time, the Patriots scored 7 points while the Seelers scored 3. The game ended with a score of 27–16 in the Patriots' favor; the Pats improved to 6–1.

Week 8: at Buffalo Bills

Week Eight: New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Patriots 14 10 14341
Bills 3 7 7825

at New Era Field, Orchard Park, New York

  • Date: October 30
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: 49 °F (9 °C), rain
  • Game attendance: 70,442
  • Referee: John Parry
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts and Evan Washburn
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

First quarter
  • BUF – Dan Carpenter 23-yard field goal, 11:07. Bills 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 70 yards, 3:55.
  • NE – Danny Amendola 9-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 4:35. Patriots 7–3. Drive 14 plays, 70 yards, 6:30.
  • NE – Chris Hogan 53-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 1:41. Patriots 14–3. Drive: 3 plays, 45 yards, 2:08.
Second quarter
  • BUF – Mike Gillislee 3-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 6:26. Patriots 14–10. Drive: 5 plays, 59 yards, 2:14.
  • NE – Rob Gronkowski 53-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 4:18. Patriots 21–10. Drive: 4 plays, 79 yards, 2:08.
  • NE – Stephen Gostkowski 51-yard field goal, 0:03. Patriots 24–10. Drive: 5 plays, 28 yards, 0:27.
Third quarter
  • NE – Julian Edelman 12-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 14:00. Patriots 31–10. Drive: 2 plays, 24 yards, 1:00.
  • BUF – Tyrod Taylor 26-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 7:57. Patriots 31–17. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 6:03.
  • NE – LeGarrette Blount 1-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 7:10. Patriots 38–17. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 4:52.
Fourth quarter
  • NE – Stephen Gostkowski 32-yard field goal, 7:10. Patriots 41–17. Drive: 13 plays, 76 yards, 4:52.
  • BUF – Jonathan Williams (EJ ManuelNick O'Leary pass), 0:33. Patriots 41–25. Drive: 6 plays, 66 yards, 1:56.

Top passers
  • NE – Tom Brady – 22/33, 315 yards, 4 TD
  • BUF – Tyrod Taylor – 19/38, 183 yards
Top rushers
  • NE – LeGarrette Blount – 18 rushes, 43 yards, TD
  • BUF – Mike Gillislee – 12 rushes, 85 yards, TD
Top receivers
  • NE – Rob Gronkowski – 5 receptions, 109 yards, TD
  • BUF – Walt Powell – 3 receptions, 59 yards

In a rematch of their only loss so far this season, the Patriots faced the Buffalo Bills in a road game. The Bills scored a field goal on their first drive, but New England responded with two straight scoring drives to run up the score to 14–3, and never lost the lead. Tom Brady had 4 touchdown passes to 4 receivers (Danny Amendola, Chris Hogan, Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman) and LeGarette Blount added a running touchdown and Stephen Gostkowski a field goal for a final score of 41 to the Bills' 25. Heading into their bye week, the Patriots improved to 7–1, the best record in the AFC and the league.

Week 10: vs. Seattle Seahawks

Week Ten: Seattle Seahawks at New England Patriots – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Seahawks 6 13 3931
Patriots 7 7 7324

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

  • Date: November 13
  • Game time: 8:30 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 43 °F (6 °C), clear and cool
  • Game attendance: 66,829
  • Referee: Gene Steratore
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

First quarter
  • NE – LeGarrette Blount 1-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 10:19. Patriots 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:41.
  • SEA – Steven Hauschka 27-yard field goal, 7:10. Patriots 7–3. Drive: 8 plays, 52 yards, 3:09.
  • SEA – Steven Hauschka 31-yard field goal, 1:33. Patriots 7–6. Drive: 10 plays, 66 yards, 4:13.
Second quarter
  • SEA – Doug Baldwin 6-yard pass from Russell Wilson (kick blocked), 10:52. Seahawks 12–7. Drive: 10 plays, 65 yards, 4:10.
  • NE – LeGarrette Blount 1-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 1:05. Patriots 14–12. Drive: 11 plays, 81 yards, 4:59.
  • SEA – Doug baldwin 18-yard pass from Russell Wilson (Steven Hauschka kick), 0:06. Seahawks 19–14. Drive: 7 plays, 75, 0:50.
Third quarter
  • NE – LeGarrette Blount 13-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 7:52. Patriots 21–19. Drive: 10 plays, 91 yards, 5:34.
  • SEA – Steven Hauschka 41-yard field goal, 2:52. Seahawks 22–21. Drive: 9 plays, 52 yards, 5:00.
Fourth quarter
  • NE – Stephen Gostkowski 30-yard field goal, 13:00. Patriots 24–22. Drive: 10 plays, 63 yards, 4:52.
  • SEA – Steven Hauschka 23-yard field goal, 8:56. Seahawks 25–24. Drive: 8 plays, 58 yards, 4:04.
  • SEA – Doug Baldwin 15-yard pass from Russell Wilson (pass failed), 4:24. Seahawks 31–24. Drive: 8 plays, 48 yards, 4:05.

Top passers
  • SEA – Russell Wilson – 25/37, 348 yards, 3 TD
  • NE – Tom Brady – 23/32, 316 yards, INT
Top rushers
  • SEA – C. J. Prosise – 17 rushes, 66 yards
  • NE – LeGarrette Blount – 21 rushes, 69 yards, 3 TD
Top receivers
  • SEA – C. J. Prosise – 7 receptions, 87 yards
  • NE – Martellus Bennett – 7 receptions, 102 yards

Coming off of their Week 9 bye, the Patriots hosted the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football in a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX. In the final drive of the Patriots, they were just stopped short at the 1 yard line by the Seahawks. This caused the Patriots to lose the game. At the end of the match, the Seahawks beat the Patriots with a score of 31–24. The Pats dropped to a record of 7–2, still first in the AFC as of week 10 in the 2016 NFL season. The Seahawks improved to a record of 6–2–1.

Week 11: at San Francisco 49ers

Week Eleven: New England Patriots at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Patriots 6 7 01730
49ers 3 7 0717

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

  • Date: November 20
  • Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST/1:25 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C), cloudy with rain and fog
  • Game attendance: 70,178
  • Referee: Jeff Triplette
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green and Jamie Erdahl
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

First quarter
  • NE – Julian Edelman 4-yard pass from Tom Brady (kick failed, wide right), 10:10. Patriots 6–0. Drive: 6 plays, 27 yards, 2:53.
  • SF – Phil Dawson 33-yard field goal, 2:40. Patriots 6–3. Drive: 12 plays, 60 yards, 7:30.
Second quarter
Third quarter

No Scoring

Fourth quarter
  • NE – Danny Amendola 5-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 14:55. Patriots 20–10. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 4:21.
  • NE – Malcolm Mitchell 56-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 10:06. Patriots 27–10. Drive: 5 plays, 70 yards, 1:55.
  • NE – Stephen Gostkowski 38-yard field goal, 6:11. Patriots 30–10. Drive: 8 plays, 50 yards, 3:04.
  • SF – Shaun Draughn 13-yard pass from Colin Kaepernick (Phil Dawson kick), 2:06. Patriots 30–17. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 4:05.

Top passers
  • NE – Tom Brady – 24/40, 280 yards, 4 TD
  • SF – Colin Kaepernick – 16/30, 206 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
Top receivers
  • NE – Malcolm Mitchell – 4 receptions, 98 yards, TD
  • SF – Vance McDonald – 3 receptions, 46 yards, TD

After a disappointing loss to Seattle the Patriots traveled to Santa Clara, CA 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.

The Patriots improved to 8–2. This was also Brady's 199th career win (regular season and postseason combined), tied with Brett Favre for second place. It was also the 499th win in franchise history.

Week 12: at New York Jets

Week Twelve: New England Patriots at New York Jets – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Patriots 0 10 3922
Jets 3 7 0717

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: November 27
  • Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 45 °F (7 °C), partly cloudy
  • Game attendance: 78,160
  • Referee: Brad Allen
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green and Jamie Erdahl
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

First quarter
  • NYJ – Nick Folk 51-yard field goal, 10:29. Jets 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 41 yards, 3:14.
Second quarter
Third quarter
  • NE – Stephen Gostkowski 29-yard field goal, 7:34. Patriots 13–10. Drive: 12 plays, 58 yard, 5:21.
Fourth quarter
  • NYJ – Quincy Enunwa 22-yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick (Nick Folk kick), 10:11. Jets 17–13. Drive: 8 plays, 73 yards, 4:32.
  • NE – Stephen Gostkowski 41-yard field goal, 7:02. Jets 17–16. Drive: 8 plays, 53 yards, 3:15.
  • NE – Malcolm Mitchell 8-yard pass from Tom Brady (pass failed), 1:56. Patriots 22–17. Drive: 9 plays, 83 yards, 3:08.

Top passers
  • NE – Tom Brady – 30/50, 286 yards, 2 TD
  • NYJ – Ryan Fitzpatrick – 22/32, 269 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
Top receivers
  • NE – Julian Edelman – 8 receptions, 83 yards
  • NYJ – Quincy Enunwa – 5 receptions, 109 yards, TD

With the win, the Patriots improved to 9-2. 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 yards passing mark.

Week 13: vs. Los Angeles Rams

Week Thirteen: Los Angeles Rams at New England Patriots – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Rams 0 0 000
Patriots 0 0 000

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

The Patriots will host the Los Angles Rams, making this the fourth regular season meeting between the two teams since Super Bowl XXXVI. The Pats will not have Rob Gronkowski, who was placed on Injured Reserve the day before the game.

Standings

Division

AFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
New England Patriots 9 2 0 .818 3–1 7–1 293 197 W2
Miami Dolphins 7 4 0 .636 2–1 5–3 249 240 W6
Buffalo Bills 6 5 0 .545 1–3 3–4 281 236 W2
New York Jets 3 8 0 .273 1–2 3–5 196 265 L3

Conference

# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division leaders
1[lower-alpha 1] New England Patriots East 9 2 0 .818 3–1 7–1 .414 .370 W2
2[lower-alpha 1] Oakland Raiders West 9 2 0 .818 2–1 6–1 .508 .470 W5
3[lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 3] Baltimore Ravens North 6 5 0 .545 4–0 6–2 .439 .257 W1
4[lower-alpha 2] Houston Texans South 6 5 0 .545 3–0 4–3 .541 .448 L1
Wild Cards
5 Kansas City Chiefs West 8 3 0 .727 3–0 6–2 .479 .455 W1
6[lower-alpha 4] Miami Dolphins East 7 4 0 .636 2–1 5–3 .415 .321 W6
In the Hunt
7[lower-alpha 4] Denver Broncos West 7 4 0 .636 1–3 4–3 .525 .448 L1
8[lower-alpha 3][lower-alpha 5] Pittsburgh Steelers North 6 5 0 .545 2–1 5–3 .521 .388 W2
9[lower-alpha 5] Buffalo Bills East 6 5 0 .545 1–3 3–4 .467 .364 W2
10 Tennessee Titans South 6 6 0 .500 1–3 3–5 .439 .333 W1
11[lower-alpha 6] Indianapolis Colts South 5 6 0 .455 2–2 3–5 .484 .411 L1
12[lower-alpha 6] San Diego Chargers West 5 6 0 .455 1–3 4–5 .566 .500 W1
13 Cincinnati Bengals North 3 7 1 .350 1–2 3–5 .561 .294 L2
14 New York Jets East 3 8 0 .273 1–2 3–5 .504 .353 L3
15 Jacksonville Jaguars South 2 9 0 .182 1–2 1–7 .529 .318 L6
Eliminated from postseason contention
16 Cleveland Browns North 0 12 0 .000 0–4 0–8 .576 .000 L12
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 7]
  1. 1 2 New England wins tie break over Oakland based on best win percentage in conference games.
  2. 1 2 Baltimore wins tie break over Houston based on best win percentage in conference games.
  3. 1 2 Baltimore wins tie break over Pittsburgh based on head-to-head win percentage.
  4. 1 2 Miami wins tie break over Denver based on best win percentage in conference games.
  5. 1 2 Pittsburgh wins tie break over Buffalo based on best win percentage in conference games.
  6. 1 2 Indianapolis wins tie break over San Diego based on head-to-head win percentage.
  7. 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.
Legend
w — Clinched wild card
x — Clinched playoff berth
y — Clinched division
z — Clinched first-round bye
* — Clinched home-field advantage

References

External links

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