| 1985 New England Patriots season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Billy Sullivan |
| General manager | Patrick Sullivan |
| Head coach | Raymond Berry |
| Home field | Sullivan Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 11–5 |
| Division place | 3rd AFC East |
| Playoff finish | Won Wild Card Playoffs (at Jets) 26–14 Won Divisional Playoffs (at Raiders) 27–20 Won AFC Championship (at Dolphins) 31–14 Lost Super Bowl XX (vs. Bears) 10–46 |
| Pro Bowlers | |
| AP All-Pros | 4[2]
|
The 1985 New England Patriots season was the franchise's 16th season in the National Football League (NFL) and 26th overall. The Patriots had a record of eleven wins and five losses and finished third in the AFC East Division. They then became the first team in NFL history ever to advance to the Super Bowl by winning three playoff games on the road, defeating the New York Jets 26–14 in the AFC Wild Card Game, the Los Angeles Raiders 27–20 in the AFC Divisional Game and the Miami Dolphins 31–14 in the AFC Championship Game. The Patriots' win in Miami was their first victory at the Miami Orange Bowl since 1966.[a] The win over the Dolphins in the game has gone down as one of the greatest upsets in NFL history, as the Dolphins (the only team to defeat the Chicago Bears that year) were heavily favored.[3]
But despite the Patriots' success in the playoffs, they proved unable to compete with the acclaimed 15–1 Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX, losing 46–10 in what was at the time the most lopsided defeat in Super Bowl history. The Patriots were held to a Super Bowl record of just 7 rushing yards and their quarterbacks, Tony Eason and Steve Grogan, were sacked a combined 7 times by the powerful Bears defense.
"We couldn't protect the quarterback and that was my fault. I couldn't come up with a system to handle the Bears' pass rush," head coach Raymond Berry acknowledged.[4]
- ^ "1985 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ "1985 NFL All-Pros". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ "Patriots Run Down Dolphins, 31-14 : Miami Can't Overcome Six Turnovers in Losing AFC Title". Los Angeles Times. January 13, 1986. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
- ^ Tales From The Patriots Sideline (Illinois:Sports Publishing LLC, 2006) by Michael Felger, p. 80
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