Last time Patriots won a playoff game: Revisiting New England’s 2019 Super Bowl win over Rams and drought that followed originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Patriots may not be the NFL’s winningest franchise, but they’re arguably its most successful, filling their shelves with silver during the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick era.
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Playoff wins have been harder to come by in recent years, with New England’s latest postseason runs ending prematurely. But there was a time when the sight of the Patriots on the playoff calendar struck fear into opposing teams.
With half a dozen titles in their collection, New England’s dominance is etched across its trophy cabinet. Here’s a look at the last time the Patriots won a playoff game.
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The last time Patriots won a playoff game
The Patriots’ last postseason win came on Feb. 3, 2019, when New England bested the Rams, 13-3, to capture its sixth Super Bowl — the final of Brady’s illustrious Patriots career.
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New England had long found playoff success during its dynasty, hoisting five Lombardi Trophies under Brady and Bill Belichick. The Patriots also became the first team since the early-1990s Bills to reach three consecutive Super Bowls.
Brady’s performances had dipped slightly compared to his peak. His 88.0 passer rating was his lowest in seven seasons, and he failed to surpass 25 passing touchdowns for the first time since 2006.
The veteran quarterback struggled in the playoffs, recording two touchdowns against two interceptions heading into New England’s final game. Nevertheless, the Patriots boasted a well-rounded roster, anchored by one of the league’s top defenses. New England surrendered just 20.3 points per game, the seventh-best mark in the NFL, with a rearguard led by first-team All-Pro and future Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore.
The Patriots won shootouts against the Chargers and Chiefs before holding Los Angeles’ vaunted offense to a single field goal in the Super Bowl. Brady was kept from the end zone for the only time in his Super Bowl career, though he formed a productive connection with Julian Edelman. The diminutive receiver was named Super Bowl 53 MVP after hauling in 10 catches for 141 yards.
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Brady spent one more season in Foxborough before signing with the Buccaneers, where he would win his seventh and final Lombardi Trophy. He retired from football in 2023.
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Patriots’ Super Bowl record
The Patriots are 6-5 in the Super Bowl all-time, with their latest win pushing them over .500 in American sports’ greatest spectacle. They have more Super Bowl appearances than any other franchise in history and are joint-top in terms of Super Bowl wins, sharing the title with the Steelers. All of New England’s titles came during Brady and Belichick’s spell; the Patriots are 0-2 in Super Bowl appearances that did not feature the famous tandem.
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With that, here’s a look at New England’s Super Bowl victories, the winning head coach.
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2001: Won Super Bowl 36 over the St. Louis Rams 20-17, Bill Belichick
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2003: Won Super Bowl 38 over the Carolina Panthers 32-29, Bill Belichick
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2004: Won Super Bowl 39 over the Philadelphia Eagles 24-11, Bill Belichick
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2014: Won Super Bowl 49 over the Seattle Seahawks 28-24, Bill Belichick
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2016: Won Super Bowl 51 over the Atlanta Falcons 34-28, Bill Belichick
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2019: Won Super Bowl 54 over the Los Angeles Rams 13-3, Bill Belichick
Patriots playoff record
New England sports a 37-22 record in postseason play. The Patriots are 0-2 since the the conclusion of the 2019 playoffs, falling to the Titans and Bills in the first round of the 2020 and 2022 playoffs, respectively.
