2001 New England Patriots season
42nd season in franchise history; first with Tom Brady and first Super Bowl win
The 2001 season was the New England Patriots' 32nd in the National Football League (NFL) and their 42nd season total. They ended with an 11–5 record and a division title before going to and winning Super Bowl XXXVI.
| 2001 New England Patriots season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Robert Kraft |
| Head coach | Bill Belichick |
| Offensive coordinator | Charlie Weis |
| Defensive coordinator | Romeo Crennel |
| Home field | Foxboro Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 11–5 |
| Division place | 1st AFC East |
| Playoff finish | Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Raiders) 16–13 (OT) Won AFC Championship (at Steelers) 24–17 Won Super Bowl XXXVI (vs. Rams) 20–17 |
| Pro Bowlers | QB Tom Brady WR Troy Brown CB Ty Law SS Lawyer Milloy |
| AP All-Pros | None |
| Uniform | |
 | |
Roster change
Final roster change
Schedule change
Preseason change
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 10 | New York Giants | W 14–0 | 1–0 | Foxboro Stadium |
| 2 | August 18 | at Carolina Panthers | W 23–8 | 2–0 | Ericsson Stadium |
| 3 | August 25 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 3–20 | 2–1 | Raymond James Stadium |
| 4 | August 30 | Washington Redskins | W 33–13 | 3–1 | Foxboro Stadium |
Regular season change
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Stadium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 9 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 17–23 | 0–1 | Paul Brown Stadium | |
| 2 | September 23 | New York Jets | L 3–10 | 0–2 | Foxboro Stadium | |
| 3 | September 30 | Indianapolis Colts | W 44–13 | 1–2 | Foxboro Stadium | |
| 4 | October 7 | at Miami Dolphins | L 10–30 | 1–3 | Pro Player Stadium | |
| 5 | October 14 | San Diego Chargers | W 29–26 (OT) | 2–3 | Foxboro Stadium | |
| 6 | October 21 | at Indianapolis Colts | W 38–17 | 3–3 | RCA Dome | |
| 7 | October 28 | at Denver Broncos | L 20–31 | 3–4 | Invesco Field at Mile High | |
| 8 | November 4 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 24–10 | 4–4 | Georgia Dome | |
| 9 | November 11 | Buffalo Bills | W 21–11 | 5–4 | Foxboro Stadium | |
| 10 | November 18 | St. Louis Rams | L 17–24 | 5–5 | Foxboro Stadium | |
| 11 | November 25 | New Orleans Saints | W 34–17 | 6–5 | Foxboro Stadium | |
| 12 | December 2 | at New York Jets | W 17–16 | 7–5 | Giants Stadium | |
| 13 | December 9 | Cleveland Browns | W 27–16 | 8–5 | Foxboro Stadium | |
| 14 | December 16 | at Buffalo Bills | W 12–9 (OT) | 9–5 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | |
| 15 | December 22 | Miami Dolphins | W 20–13 | 10–5 | Foxboro Stadium | |
| 16 | Bye | |||||
| 17 | January 6, 2002 | at Carolina Panthers | W 38–6 | 11–5 | Ericsson Stadium | |
Postseason change
| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Stadium | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | First-round bye | ||||||
| Divisional | January 19, 2002 | Oakland Raiders (3) | W 16–13 (OT) | 1–0 | Foxboro Stadium | ||
| AFC Championship | January 27, 2002 | at Pittsburgh Steelers (1) | W 24–17 | 2–0 | Heinz Field | ||
| Super Bowl XXXVI | February 3, 2002 | St. Louis Rams (N1) | W 20–17 | 3–0 | Louisiana Superdome | ||
Standings change
| AFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |||
| (2) New England Patriots | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 371 | 272 | W6 | ||
| (4) Miami Dolphins | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 344 | 290 | W2 | ||
| (6) New York Jets | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 308 | 295 | W1 | ||
| Indianapolis Colts | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 413 | 486 | W1 | ||
| Buffalo Bills | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 265 | 420 | L1 | ||