Over the last 10 seasons, the New England Patriots have won some incredible games. These are the top 10 regular season games since 2008.
The New England Patriots dynasty has been rolling for years, even with a few hiccups along the way.
Here, I’ve done my best to highlight and recap the 10 best Patriots games over the last 10 seasons. I chose to include this current 2017 season in those 10 years, so the list begins in 2008. Unfortunately, that means no game from the amazing 2007 season is on this list. That’s probably for the best though, because it likely would have taken over.
Without further ado, here is my 100% non-scientific ranking of the 10 best Patriots game over the last 10 seasons.
10. October 20, 2008 v. Denver Broncos
In 2008, quarterback Tom Brady was lost after just 1 quarter of play. In stepped Matt Cassel. He actually performed quite well, and on October 20th of that season, he showed that he could really lead his Patriots team. He absolutely destroyed the Denver Broncos as they came into Gillette Stadium with a 4-2 record.
New England started slow with just two field goals from Stephen Gostkowski in the 1st quarter, but in the 2nd they scored two touchdowns. The first was a 4-yard rush from Sammy Morris and the second was a Cassel pass to Randy Moss. With a 20-0 lead at the half, the Patriots didn’t slow down. Moss and Wes Welker added touchdowns in the 3rd quarter and BenJarvus Green-Ellis found the end zone in the final frame. The Broncos only score came in the 4th from former Patriots tight end Daniel Graham.
Final Score: Patriots 41, Broncos 7
My Game MVP: QB Matt Cassel (18 of 24 for 185 yards and 3 touchdowns)
9. December 24, 2011 v. Miami Dolphins
The Todd Bowles-led Miami Dolphins were not very good in 2011, but as they usually do they found a way to hang in there with the Patriots. Division games are always tough, and this one was no different.
New England was blanked in the first two quarters as Miami QB Matt Moore threw two touchdowns to take a 17-0 halftime lead. The Patriots had Tom Brady though, and he showed up in the second half. New England scored 27 unanswered points. In the third quarter, Gostkowski got things started with 3 points. Then Brady found Deion Branch on the goal line. Later in the quarter TB12 muscled a rushing TD in himself. He actually did the same thing again in the 4th. The Patriots had to battle, but they left Gillette with a 12-3 record after the game.
Final Score: Patriots 27, Dolphins 24
My Game MVP: QB Tom Brady (27 of 46 for 307 yards and 1 touchdown, 9 carries for 17 yards and 2 touchdowns)
8. December 6, 2010 v. New York Jets
Remember when the New York Jets were actually good for a few years? Seems like forever ago now. In 2010, the 9-2 Patriots and 9-2 Jets clashed in week 13 of the NFL season. First place in the AFC East was on the line.
The Jets thought they were close to winning the division title, and that they could now hang in there with the Patriots. Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez could not have been more wrong. The Patriots owned this game from start to finish. Tom Brady was on fire all night long, and the sad New York Jets never had a chance. While Brady ended with 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, Sanchez had 0 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He also fumbled once.
Final Score: Patriots 45, Jets 3
My Game MVP: QB Tom Brady (21 of 29 for 326 yards and 4 touchdowns)
7. September 14, 2009 v. Buffalo Bills
Surprise, surprise, another division game on the list. In week 1 of the 2009 season, Tom Brady was making his return after missing almost all of the 2008 season. The game was pretty sloppy overall, with neither offense really clicking to start.
Buffalo got the scoring started with a touchdown pass from Trent Edwards. Fred Taylor scored for New England, but a few minutes later Aaron Schobel picked off Tom Brady and took it to the house. Stephen Gostkowski added a field goal before halftime, but the Bills had a 14-10 lead at the break.
With just 5:32 left to play in the game, New England found themselves down 24-13. Finally, Tom Brady did something productive as he found Ben Watson for a score with 2:06 left to play. The 2-point conversion failed and the Bills now had just a 24-19 lead. Brady took care of things again with another strike to Watson, and the Patriots celebrated a hard-fought week 1 victory in their beautiful red throwbacks.
Final Score: Patriots 25, Bills 24
My Game MVP: TE Ben Watson (6 catches for 77 yards and 2 touchdowns)
6. October 21, 2012 v. New York Jets
Barely missing out on the top-5 is this 2012 matchup with Rex Ryan’s Jets. This easily could have been a disastrous game for New England, but they somehow figured it all out in the end. The Patriots had a 23-13 lead heading into the 4th quarter, but Mark Sanchez and Nick Folk helped to just things quickly for New York.
Sanchez had his only touchdown pass of the game for the Jets with 5:44 remaining to pull them within 3. Nick Folk then added his 3rd and 4th field goals of the night to put New York up 26-23 with just 1:37 left to play. Tom Brady then led the Patriots down the field and Stephen Gostkowski drilled a 43-yarder with no time left to send the game to overtime. Gostkowski ended the game as well, with a 48-yard kick to win it all.
Final Score: Patriots 29, Jets 26
My Game MVP: K Stephen Gostkowski (43-yard FG, 48-yard FG, 3 for 3 on XPs)
5. December 10, 2012 v. Houston Texans
The 9-3 New England Patriots and 11-1 Houston Texans were the premier game in week 14 of the 2012 NFL season. Houston was having their best season in a long time, and they wanted to knock off the Patriots dynasty. New England was looking to start the last quarter of the season on a high note, and they did.
From start to finish the Patriots were in control of this game. They scored 21 points in the first half with 2 touchdown passes to Aaron Hernandez, and one to Brandon Lloyd. They held a 21-0 lead at halftime but actually pushed it to 28-0 in the third with another Tom Brady touchdown pass. He completed a 63-yarder to Donte’ Stallworth.
Houston finally scored halfway through the 3rd quarter on an Arian Foster run, but the Patriots didn’t let them have much more. In the 4th, Lloyd recovered a fumble in the end zone for a score and Stevan Ridley had a 14-yard rushing touchdown. The Texans added a garbage time T.J. Yates rushing score at the 2-minute warning but this game was OVER.
Final Score: Patriots 42, Texans 14
My Game MVP: WR Brandon Lloyd (7 catches for 89 yards and 1 touchdown, 1 fumble recovery touchdown)
4. October 5, 2014 v. Cincinnati Bengals
The Patriots dynasty was shoved in a dumpster by local and national media after a terrible loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in week 4 of 2014. Tom Brady looked terrible and there was no way New England would contend this season. Well, everyone was wrong.
Bill Belichick’s famous “We’re on to Cincinnati” line began here, and boy they sure were on to Cincinnati. The Patriots came out with a vengeance and destroyed the poor Bengals. The Bengals were actually a pretty good team at this time with a 3-0 record. New England handed them their first loss to begin their run of dominance towards a Super Bowl title.
The Patriots scored twice in the 1st quarter with a Stevan Ridley rush and a pass from Tom Brady to tight end Tim Wright. In the 2nd, Cincinnati added a FG but New England added 2 for a 20-3 halftime lead. New England owned the second half as well, even though the Bengals scored two touchdowns. Rob Gronkowski found the end zone after the had cut the lead to 20-10. Kyle Arrington then scooped up a fumble and scored to make it 34-10. The Patriots were in control even after A.J. Green scored in the 3rd because Cincinnati never scored again. Stephen Gostkowski added 3 4th quarter field goals to close things out.
Final Score: Patriots 43, Bengals 17
My Game MVP: RB Stevan Ridley (27 carries for 113 yards and 1 touchdown)
3. October 17, 2010 v. Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens and Patriots had a pretty healthy rivalry brewing for a few years thanks to some close playoff and regular season games. In October of 2010, the teams traded blows before heading to over time.
At the half, New England was down 10-7, with their only score coming from BenJarvus Green-Ellis 2-yard rush. The 3rd quarter was just as close, but Baltimore extended their lead thanks to a 25-yard touchdown from Joe Flacco to Anquon Boldin. The Patriots only managed to add a field goal.
In the 4th quarter, New England found themselves down 20-10 after a Billy Cundiff field goal. The Patriots had to respond quickly, and they did with a 5-yard pass to Deion Branch for a touchdown. Then, with just 1:51 left to play, Stephen Gostkowski tied the game at 20 apiece. Overtime followed, and Gostkowski won it again with a 35-yarder.
Final Score: Patriots 23, Ravens 20
My Game MVP: K Stephen Gostkowski (24-yard FG, 35-yard FG, 2 for 2 on XPs)
2. October 13, 2013 v. New Orleans Saints
Vintage Tom Brady showed up in the 4th quarter of this game against the New Orleans Saints. In a battle all day, the Patriots found a way to win when they needed to score.
New England actually had a halftime lead in this game at 17-7, but Drew Brees led New Orleans in the second half to a great comeback. At the end of the 3rd, the Patriots were barely holding on to a 20-17 lead. Stephen Gostkowski helped to increase that lead by 3 early in the 4th quarter, but the Saints responded.
Drew Brees found Kenny Stills on a 34-yard pass, and with the extra point, New Orleans went up 24-23. With just 2:24 remaining in the game, the Saints added 3 off the foot of Garrett Hartley, meaning the Patriots would have to score a touchdown if they wanted to win this game. A field goal would no longer be enough. Tom Brady then showed up with his best drive of the day. He led the Patriots down the field and with just 5 seconds remaining in the game he hit Kenbrell Thompkins in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown. The Patriots had taken the lead and they did not let it go on the kickoff. It was one of the greatest final drives of TB12’s storied career.
Final Score: Patriots 30, Saints 27
My Game MVP: RB Stevan Ridley (20 carries for 96 yards and 2 touchdowns, 1 reception for 14 yards)
1. November 24, 2013 v. Denver Broncos
A month and a half after Tom Brady’s amazing final drive against the New Orleans Saints, he may have mounted the greatest comeback of his career. At home against the Peyton Manning-led Denver Broncos, the Patriots found themselves in a 24-0 hole at halftime.
Von Miller started the scoring for the Broncos with a 60-yard fumble return and Knowshon Moreno punched a run in just a minute later. Matt Prater added a field goal and it was 21-0 Denver after the 1st. In the 2nd quarter, Manning found Jacob Tamme to increase the lead. At this point of a Sunday Night game, I think a lot of people gave up on the Patriots.
I remember that I was in training for the Navy in Virginia Beach and a group of us had all gotten together to watch this game. At halftime, I was the only one that stayed up to watch the rest of the game. Everyone else assumed the Broncos would easily win this one. I’m so glad I kept watching though.
The New England Patriots showed no mercy in the 3rd quarter, and they clawed back into the game with three touchdowns. Tom Brady had two touchdown passes in the quarter, one to Julian Edelman for 5-yards and the other to Rob Gronkowski for 6-yards. Brandon Bolden also found the end zone in the quarter on a 1-yard run. Heading into the 4th quarter it was now just 24-21 Denver.
In the 4th, Brady again found Edelman. This time it was a 14-yard scoring pass to take a 28-24 lead. Stephen Gostkowski made it a touchdown lead at 31-24 with 7:37 left to play. The Broncos finally responded with a Manning touchdown pass to tie things up. The game would now head to overtime, but it still felt like New England had all of the momentum. Tom Brady led the Patriots down the field, where Gostkowski drilled a 31-yard field goal.
Final Score: Patriots 34, Broncos 31
My Game MVP: QB Tom Brady (34 of 50 for 344 yards and 2 touchdowns)
Next: Patriots 2018 mid-season mock NFL Draft
Did I miss any games that you remember being particularly great over the last 10 seasons? I’m sure I missed one or two, but I really think this list captures the best Patriots games since 2008. Let me know what you think on Twitter @CandCFansided! Also, isn’t it pretty crazy that each of these games took place at home?