| 1978 New England Patriots season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Billy Sullivan |
| General manager | Chuck Fairbanks |
| Head coach | Chuck Fairbanks (suspended by team in week 16, reinstated for playoffs) Hank Bullough (co-interim) Ron Erhardt (co-interim) |
| Home field | Schaefer Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 11–5 |
| Division place | 1st AFC East |
| Playoff finish | Lost Divisional Playoffs (vs. Oilers) 14–31 |
| Pro Bowlers | FB Sam Cunningham TE Russ Francis T Leon Gray G John Hannah CB Mike Haynes |
| AP All-Pros | G John Hannah (1st team) T Leon Gray (1st team) TE Russ Francis (2nd team) CB Mike Haynes (2nd team) |
The 1978 New England Patriots season was the franchise's 9th season in the National Football League and 19th overall. They finished the season with a record of eleven wins and five losses, tied for first in the AFC East, and won the tiebreaker over the Miami Dolphins. It was the Patriots' second division title, and the first since 1963, the fourth year of the AFL. In the Divisional Playoffs the Patriots lost to the Houston Oilers 31–14.
New England set a then NFL record in 1978 for most rushing yards in a single season, with 3,165 yards on the ground.[1] A record which would not be broken until the Baltimore Ravens led by Lamar Jackson some four decades later. They had four players who rushed for more than 500 yards each: running back Sam "Bam" Cunningham, 768; running back Andy Johnson, 675; running back Horace Ivory, 693; and quarterback Steve Grogan, 539.[2] The team also picked up an NFL-record 181 rushing first-downs.