| 2019 New England Patriots season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Robert Kraft |
| Head coach | Bill Belichick |
| Home field | Gillette Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–4 |
| Division place | 1st AFC East |
| Playoff finish | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Titans) 13–20 |
| Pro Bowlers | 3 |
| AP All-Pros | LG Joe Thuney (2nd team) CB Stephon Gilmore (1st team) ST Matthew Slater (1st team) |
| Uniform | |
 | |
The 2019 season was the New England Patriots' 50th in the National Football League (NFL), their 60th overall and their 20th under head coach Bill Belichick. They entered the season as the defending Super Bowl champions, after winning Super Bowl LIII, and as three-time defending AFC champions. The Patriots won the AFC East for the 11th straight season, and improved on their 11–5 record from the previous season, but they were upset by the Tennessee Titans in the Wild Card game, their first Wild Card game since the 2009 season. This marked the first time the Patriots lost a home postseason game since the 2012 AFC Championship game where they lost to the later Super Bowl champion Ravens 28–13, and the first time the Patriots failed to reach the AFC Championship game since 2010. The Patriots were also the only NFL team that made the playoffs, and had a winning season, in every year of the 2010s decade.
Catalyzed by their defense's historically dominant play, the Patriots started the season extremely well at 8–0 for the third time in franchise history, and early on there was conversation as to if they could repeat the undefeated 2007 regular season. However, their winning streak would soon end as a result of their Week 9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, which was also their first loss to the Ravens since the 2012 AFC Championship game. In Week 12, the Patriots set a new NFL record with their 17th consecutive 10-win season, surpassing the San Francisco 49ers, who set the original record of 16 consecutive 10-win seasons from 1983–1998.
For the first time since 2009, Rob Gronkowski, the team's former starting tight end, was not on the active roster as he announced his retirement on March 24, 2019.[1] Also, for the first time since 2010, the Patriots had a different kicker on the regular season roster as the struggling Stephen Gostkowski was placed on IR; he was replaced by midseason signings Mike Nugent,[2] Nick Folk,[3] and Kai Forbath. Long-time assistant Brian Flores was not part of the Patriots coaching staff for the first time since 2003, as he left to become the head coach of the Miami Dolphins on February 4, 2019.
With their win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 16, the Patriots clinched the AFC East for the 11th consecutive year. However, despite entering December with a 10–1 record, the Patriots failed to clinch a first-round bye for the first time since 2009 thanks to a late-season collapse that culminated in Week 17 with a 27–24 loss to the 4–11 Dolphins while the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Los Angeles Chargers. The Patriots' loss and the Chiefs' win gave the Chiefs the #2 seed in the playoffs. It was the Patriots' first home loss to the Dolphins since 2008 and their first since 2005 with Tom Brady as starting quarterback.
This was also Tom Brady's last season with the team, as he announced he was entering free agency and later signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on March 20, 2020. This was the last year of the Brady–Belichick era.[4][5]
- ^ Bergman, Jeremy (March 24, 2019). "Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski announces retirement". NFL.com. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
- ^ Ulrich, Logan (October 3, 2019). "Patriots Signing K Mike Nugent". Retrieved October 3, 2019.
- ^ "Report: Patriots Sign Nick Folk As New Kicker". Boston.CBSLocal.com. CBS Boston. October 29, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
- ^ Patra, Kevin (March 20, 2020). "Tom Brady officially signs contract with Buccaneers". NFL.com. NFL Enterprises, LLC. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- ^ Smith, Scott (March 20, 2020). "All in! Tom Brady, Bucs team up to pursue championships". Buccaneers.com. NFL Enterprises, LLC. Retrieved March 20, 2020.