The New England Patriots (USA) finished 16-0 in 2007, becoming the first club in NFL history to do it since the league switched to a 16-game schedule in 1978. The previous season, they had lost to the Miami Dolphins in the first game of the new year after blowing a 28-3 lead in the fourth quarter of regulation. It was also only their second loss during the Bill Belichick era as head coach.
They are the current record holders at 16-0. A few other teams have been close but could never quite pull off the perfect season: the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the 1999 Rams, and the 2002 Titans.
In fact, no team has ever completed a 16-0 season. The last team to win every game by at least 14 points was the 1995 Denver Broncos. They beat the Oakland Raiders 34-0 in the Super Bowl. The last team to go undefeated during the regular season was the New York Giants in 1954. They won the NFL Championship that year by defeating the Chicago Bears 7-0 in what is now known as the "Shootout Game". The last team to go undefeated during all games played under its own banner was the 1917 Penn State Nittany Lions football team. They outscored their opponents 312-0.
2007 The 2007 New England Patriots were the first NFL team to finish 16-0 in the regular season and appeared to be the greatest team ever until their heartbreaking defeat in Super Bowl XLII. The Patriots finished the season with a 17-1 record, including wins over Houston, Indianapolis, Buffalo, Miami (Florida), and Denver during the regular season and then beat Carolina 24-21 in Foxboro in the first game of the Super Bowl series. It was the first time that a 16-0 record had been completed before the start of the playoffs.
The Patriots were led by quarterback Tom Brady who won his fourth MVP award and broke the record for most postseason victories by a QB at 10. They also had one of the top running backs in the league in Laurence Maroney who gained more than 100 yards in all but one game he played in (he missed one game due to injury). Also contributing heavily to the offense were wide receivers Randy Moss and Wes Welker who both ranked in the top five in receiving yards per game. Defensively, the team was led by linebacker Mike Vrabel and defensive back Asante Samuel who both earned first-team All-Pro honors. The Patriots' defense only gave up 20 points or less in 15 games this season while they scored 30 or more only once.
They also competed in and lost Super Bowl XXXI, XLII, XLVI, and LII. During the 2007 regular season, the Patriots became the only NFL team to win 16 games, and the first team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins (in a 14-game season) to go unbeaten.
The Patriots won their 11th Super Bowl in 2018, shattering their own record for most Super Bowl appearances by any club in history. A The Season column connects to an article about each league season (AFL for 1960-1969; NFL for 1970-present). The team column includes a link to a story regarding the Patriots' season that year.
After rallying from an 11-point deficit to defeat the Jaguars in the AFC Championship Game, the Patriots are back in the Super Bowl for the third time in four seasons. This is the franchise's tenth Super Bowl participation, with eight coming since 2001. That means the month of February.
They have played fourteen AFC Championship Games since the merger, winning 10 of them to go to the Super Bowl. The Patriots have an overall regular season record of 476 wins, 383 losses, and 9 ties in their 56-year history, as well as an overall playoffs record of 32 wins and 19 defeats.
They also competed in and lost Super Bowl XXXI, XLII, XLVI, and LII. During the 2007 regular season, the Patriots became the only NFL team to win 16 games, and the first team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins (in a 14-game season) to go unbeaten.
Aside from the 1972 Miami Dolphins, three NFL teams have gone undefeated and unbeaten in regular season: the 1934 Chicago Bears, the 1942 Chicago Bears, and the 2007 New England Patriots. The '34 and '42 Bears lost their final games of the season against the Rams and Giants, respectively.
The Patriots are on track to become the first team since the Bears to go undefeated during a regular season. They currently sit at 16-0 with four games left to play.
In addition to these four perfect seasons, two other teams have gone 15-1. The 2000 Baltimore Ravens and 2006 Indianapolis Colts both won their final games of the season without losing a game. With their win over the Texans on Sunday night, the Ravens improved to 15-1 and still hold the record for most wins in a single season. The Colts fell short of winning a title after their defense gave up 46 points in the last minute of regulation time to the Steelers in one of the most famous endings in NFL history. The loss ended their chance at reaching the Super Bowl; they went on to lose that year's championship game to the San Diego Chargers.
There have been several other attempts by various teams to go undefeated during a regular season but they never succeeded.
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