| 2008 New England Patriots season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Robert Kraft |
| Head coach | Bill Belichick |
| Home field | Gillette Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 11–5 |
| Division place | 2nd AFC East |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | K Stephen Gostkowski WR Wes Welker |
| AP All-Pros | K Stephen Gostkowski (1st team) WR Wes Welker (2nd team) |
| Uniform | |
 | |
The 2008 season was the New England Patriots' 39th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 49th overall. The Patriots were defending AFC champions. Despite finishing the regular season with an 11–5 record, the Patriots did not qualify for the playoffs—becoming the first 11-win team since the expansion to a 12-team playoff in 1990 to miss the playoffs, as well as only the second team (after the 1985 Denver Broncos) since the NFL expanded to a 16-game regular season in 1978.[1] They also were the first team since the 1935 Chicago Bears to go undefeated in the previous regular season and miss the playoffs the next season.
In the season opener, quarterback Tom Brady, the NFL's MVP in 2007, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament during their season-opening victory against the Chiefs and missed the remainder of the season. This was Tom Brady's only significant injury of his entire career. Backup quarterback Matt Cassel replaced Brady. Cassel led the team to a win in Week 2 against the New York Jets, his first start since high school. A loss the following week against the Miami Dolphins ended the Pats' record 21-game regular-season winning streak. This record was broken by the Indianapolis Colts in 2009.
Despite entering the last week of the season with a three-game winning streak, the Patriots found themselves not controlling their own destiny. In addition to a Week 17 win, they also needed either a Dolphins loss to win the AFC East, or a Baltimore Ravens loss to earn a wild card berth. However, both Baltimore and Miami won, and the Dolphins, Ravens and Patriots each finished the season with an 11–5 record. Miami qualified for the playoffs by winning the AFC East division over the Patriots on the fourth divisional tiebreaker (better conference record: 8–4 to 7–5). Baltimore qualified for the playoffs as a wild card team, defeating the Patriots on the second wild card tiebreaker (better conference record: 8–4 to 7–5). Because of this, the Patriots were excluded from the playoffs for the first time since 2002.
This was the only season between 2003 and 2019 inclusive when the Patriots failed to win the AFC East, let alone make the playoffs.