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
AFCEast 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 and while they did defeat Miami on the road in
1969 that game was played in Tampa Bay. The win over the
Dolphins in the game has gone down as one of the greatest upsets in NFL history, as the Dolphins 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]
After winning against the Bengals, fans stormed the field and tore down the goal posts. Fans proceeded to walk down Route 1 with the goalposts, accidentally hitting an overhead wire and nearly electrocuting themselves.[10]
In the 1986 AFC Championship Game, the Patriots ran the ball on 59 out of 71 offensive plays, amassing 255 rushing yards in an upset of the favored Dolphins.[11]
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
AFCEast 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 and while they did defeat Miami on the road in
1969 that game was played in Tampa Bay. The win over the
Dolphins in the game has gone down as one of the greatest upsets in NFL history, as the Dolphins 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]
After winning against the Bengals, fans stormed the field and tore down the goal posts. Fans proceeded to walk down Route 1 with the goalposts, accidentally hitting an overhead wire and nearly electrocuting themselves.[10]
In the 1986 AFC Championship Game, the Patriots ran the ball on 59 out of 71 offensive plays, amassing 255 rushing yards in an upset of the favored Dolphins.[11]