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Bill Belichick Super Bowl teams ranked: Which was best Patriots group in coach's history?
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- Bill Belichick Super Bowl teams ranked: Which was best Patriots group in coach's history?
Bill Belichick's 24-season rule over the New England Patriots came to a simultaneously shocking and unsurprising end Thursday morning . But what a reign it was, the longest-running dynasty in NFL history reaching the Super Bowl in nearly 40% of the seasons while BB was at the helm.
That's a lot of greatness to sift through, Belichick, QB Tom Brady and so many others virtually boring us at times with their excellence – when they weren't stirring a little outrage along the way when the Pats were wading into gray (and charcoal-colored) areas of the rulebook.
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But, today, let's attempt to appreciate historic run, almost certain to never be replicated, by ranking all nine of Belichick's Super Bowl teams with New England :
9. 2018 Patriots, won Super Bowl 53 against Los Angeles Rams 13-3
New England Patriots' Duron Harmon (21) and head coach Bill Belichick celebrate after the NFL Super Bowl 53 football game against the Los Angeles Rams in Atlanta, Feb. 3, 2019.
By New England's astronomical standards, the résumé was relatively subpar. Just two Pro Bowlers on the roster (Brady and CB Stephon Gilmore ). Among Belichick's teams, only the 2001 Patriots, New England's initial titlists, had as few wins (11) among those reaching the Super stage. A challenging season was plagued by suspensions of WRs Julian Edelman and Josh Gordon and the seeming decline of star TE Rob Gronkowski . Yet the Patriots persevered, their defense – and game MVP Edelman – largely carrying the day to grind out a victory over the Rams on Sean McVay's first trip to Super Sunday. The Patriots' sixth Lombardi Trophy tied the Pittsburgh Steelers ' record ... though Brady would get an additional one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers two years later.
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8. 2017 Patriots, lost Super Bowl 52 to Philadelphia Eagles 41-33
The defending champions, who appeared bolstered by the additions of Gilmore and WR Brandin Cooks , overcame a 2-2 start before their repeat bid fell just short. Brady's third MVP season was clearly one of his best individual efforts as he led the league in passing yards despite the loss of Edelman to a preseason knee injury. However history will show New England barely survived the Blake Bortles-led Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC title game before an utter defensive collapse, exacerbated by Belichick's controversial decision to effectively bench starting CB Malcolm Butler , undermined them against the "Philly Special" Eagles.
7. 2001 Patriots, won Super Bowl 36 against St. Louis Rams 20-17
The magic carpet ride began here. Brady went 11-3 while supplanting injured QB Drew Bledsoe, helping the team overcome an 0-2 start to win the AFC East and what would become a near-annual first-round postseason bye. Some will forever argue that their "Tuck Rule" divisional playoff win over the Oakland Raiders confers an asterisk. Yet many forget that Bledsoe, not a year after signing a 10-year, $103 million contract, cemented victory in the AFC championship game at Pittsburgh when Brady couldn't continue due to a knee injury. The rest, of course, is history – though no one presumed the Patriots were embarking on years of dominance even after dispatching the heavily favored "Greatest Show on Turf" Rams courtesy of masterful defensive game-planning by Belichick and one of K Adam Vinatieri 's sniper-shot field goals.
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6. 2011 Patriots, lost Super Bowl 46 to New York Giants 21-17
This was probably Brady's second-best season personally (5,235 passing yards, 39 TDs), though Aaron Rodgers beat him out for MVP honors. Gronkowski came into his own, leading the league with 17 TD grabs and setting a then-record for receiving yards by a tight end (1,327), as he and Aaron Hernandez developed a new dimension for an offense that relied on double-tight looks. It must be noted that New England was lucky to escape Baltimore in the AFC title round, getting help from Ravens WR Lee Evans and K Billy Cundiff . Yet it's also worth wondering how a healthy Gronk, who suffered a high ankle sprain against Baltimore, might have altered the Super Bowl. Far from 100%, he managed just two catches for 26 yards yet nearly corralled a Hail Mary to win the game.
5. 2003 Patriots, won Super Bowl 38 against Carolina Panthers 32-29
The "Patriot Way" began coming into focus with the stunning release of popular S Lawyer Milloy before the start of the regular season. He quickly signed with the division rival Buffalo Bills , who whacked the Patriots 31-0 on opening day. However the law had been laid down, and the Patriots adapted, capping a 12-game winning streak to end the regular season with a mirror image 31-0 beatdown of Buffalo. Yet New England's 14-2 record and a defense that allowed the league's fewest points were not necessarily indicative of true dominance, as the team displayed a pattern of frequently doing just enough to win, the average margin of victory a fairly pedestrian 10.3 points. Three playoff wins over the Titans, Colts and Panthers came by a combined 16 points, ending with a nip-and-tuck Super Bowl again decided by Vinatieri but widely remembered most for Janet Jackson's halftime show.
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4. 2014 Patriots, won Super Bowl 49 against Seattle Seahawks 28-24
Perhaps unremarkable in the framework of their own lofty achievements, only New England could go 12-4 and earn home-field advantage in what felt like a humdrum regular season. They didn't have a 500-yard rusher, both the offense and defense ranked outside the top 10, and there was that stunning 41-14 loss to the pre-Mahomes Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4 that had some "experts" calling for Jimmy Garoppolo to replace Brady. Yet they overcame any perceived warts to win their first championship in a decade, overcoming arguably their stiffest Super Bowl test against the Seahawks' Legion of Boom defense. And it was the New England D, namely undrafted rookie Butler and his clutch interception of Seattle QB Russell Wilson 's ill-conceived goal-line pass, that provided the pivotal play on the way to Lombardi No. 4.
3. 2004 Patriots, won Super Bowl 39 against Philadelphia 24-21
The best of New England's first trio of Super Bowl winners – and the only one to finish with a top-10 offense and defense – they set the record for consecutive wins (including playoffs) at 21 games, a streak snapped at Pittsburgh in Week 8. The Patriots would exact revenge three months later by winning the AFC crown at Heinz Field 41-27. RB Corey Dillon – he was acquired before the draft in a signature move Belichick would use to great effect, bringing in an apparent malcontent below market value – rushed for a franchise-record 1,635 yards. WR Deion Branch won Super Bowl MVP honors, catching 11 passes for 133 yards in a game not quite as close as the score would indicate.
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2. 2016 Patriots, won Super Bowl 51 against Atlanta Falcons 34-28
They lost just one game with Brady behind center, though he missed the first month of the season while serving his infamous Deflategate suspension. (The Pats were 3-1 in his absence.) But New England's average margin of victory in Brady's 14 wins, including postseason, was nearly 16 points as he cut through the league like a buzzsaw, backed by the NFL's stingiest defense. However TB12 and Co. – including transcendent efforts from Edelman and RB James White – saved their best for last, overcoming a 28-3 second-half deficit to the Falcons to become the first team to win the Super Bowl in overtime. Brady's then-Super Bowl record 466 passing yards (he broke it the next year with 505 in defeat against Philly) notched him a record fourth game MVP award. (He later won his fifth with the Bucs.)
1. 2007 Patriots, lost Super Bowl 42 to Giants 17-14
I know, I know – some will immediately balk at the notion of anointing this the Patriots' greatest squad given their quest for a perfect 19-0 season was quashed in the Super Bowl ... and while they were steamrolling the league in the aftermath of the "Spygate" scandal. But they are the only team in NFL history to successfully navigate a 16-0 regular season. Brady became Brady that year, winning his first MVP award with a then-record 50 TD passes. WR Randy Moss' 23 TD grabs still stand as the league's single-season standard. Newly acquired WR Wes Welker had a league-high 112 receptions. A team with eight Pro Bowlers also had plenty of stars on defense: Mike Vrabel, Vince Wilfork , Tedy Bruschi, Junior Seau, Asante Samuel, Rodney Harrison. The Patriots established a record with 589 points scored, a total surpassed only once (by the 2013 Broncos). New England's 315-point differential remains the largest ever – 11 NFL teams that season didn't score 315 points. So, granted, they didn't win it all after running into a fierce Giants pass rush and David Tyree's pixie-dusted helmet. But would you really pick against the '07 Pats if they played against any of their New England brethren head to head?
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Follow USA TODAY Sports' Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter @ByNateDavis .
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bill Belichick Super Bowl teams ranked: Which Patriots group was best?
