The New England Patriots are definitely a team that no one can take lightly. They have had a lot of recent success, but things have been up and down for them just like any other team. Let's take a look at some of the franchise highs and lows this team has experienced over the years.

Professional football made it to New England in 1959. The first season game was played at Boston University field and over 21,000 fans watched the Boston Patriots lose to the Denver Broncos 13-10 on April 1, 1960. The 1963 season saw the Patriots move to the Fenway Park for home games, where they claimed their first division crown with a 7-6-1 record. Even with this great season, they still lost the AFL title game to the San Diego Chargers. Many stars emerged during this season which included: Gino Cappelletti, Jim Nance, Babe Parill, Nick Buoniconti, and Houston Antwine.

In 1970, after playing a decade in different fields for home games, the Patriots made Foxborough their new home. In 1971 the team was renamed the New England Patriots from their previous name of the Boston Patriots. The Patriots won their first game in the new stadium, defeating the New York Giants. In 1976 the Patriots won the wild-card berth, but lost to the future Super Bowl Champions the Oakland Raiders. In 1978 the Patriots won their first ever Division Title in franchise history, but lost to the Houston Oilers in the franchise's first home playoff game. There were some amazing players in the 70's, some of which included: John Hannah, Mike Haynes, and Russ Francis.

In 1985 the Patriots gained the wild-card berth in the playoffs and ended up beating the Jets. They also beat the Los Angeles Raiders and the Miami Dolphins to win their first AFC Championship and made it to Super Bowl XX. Sadly, the Patriots lost to the Chicago Bears and lost the Super Bowl. In 1995 Robert K. Kraft became the fourth owner and made some big changes to the franchise. The Patriots closed the season with a 7 game winning streak and qualified for their first playoff berth since 1985.

In 1996 the Patriots won the AFC Championship and returned to the Super Bowl for the second time in team history. The Patriots were eventually defeated by the Green Bay Packers in super Bowl XXXI, 35-21. In 1997 the Patriots again won the AFC East division title which made it the first time in team history to win back-to-back division titles.

A new era in Patriot history started in 2002 when the team got their new stadium. Once Bill Belichick took over, the Patriots were modeled into one of the most elite teams in the NFL. In a four year span from 2001 to 2004, the team won three Super Bowl Titles in those 4 seasons. The Patriots joined the Dallas Cowboys as the only team to win three Super Bowls in a four-year span and became the seventh franchise to win back-to-back Super Bowls. New England's performance from 2003 to 2004 constituted the most successful two-year run in the history of the NFL with 34 total victories which set an all time NFL record.

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