2011 New England Patriots season
Owner	Robert Kraft
Head coach	Bill Belichick
Offensive coordinator	Bill O'Brien
Home stadium	Gillette Stadium
Results
Record	13–3
Division place	1stAFC East
Playoffs	WonDivisional Playoffs (vs.Broncos) 45–10 WonAFC Championship (vs.Ravens) 23–20 LostSuper Bowl XLVI (vs.Giants) 17–21
All-Pros	4 WRWes Welker(1st team) TERob Gronkowski(1st team) GLogan Mankins(2nd team) DTVince Wilfork(2nd team)
Pro Bowlers	8 QBTom Brady WRWes Welker TERob Gronkowski GLogan Mankins GBrian Waters DEAndre Carter DTVince Wilfork STMatthew Slater
Uniform
← 2010 Patriots seasons 2012 →

The2011 season was theNew England Patriots' 42nd in theNational Football League (NFL) and their 52nd overall. The Patriots finished the regular season at 13–3, and represented the AFC inSuper Bowl XLVI. It was the seventhSuper Bowl trip in franchise history, and the fifth for head coachBill Belichick and quarterbackTom Brady.

The Patriots dedicated their 2011 season to the memory ofMyra Kraft, the wife of ownerRobert Kraft, who died on July 20, 2011, after a long fight against cancer.^[1] At both home and away games, the Patriots wore patches bearing Kraft's initials, MHK, on their uniforms.^[2] The Patriots elected to wear their Super Bowl patches on the right side of their uniforms, so that they could keep the MHK patch on the left as it had been all season.^[3] The Patriots were the only 2011 division winner that won their division the previous season.^[4]

The Patriots lost in the Super Bowl to theNew York Giants by a score of 21–17. With the loss, along with losses in1985,1996, and2007, the Patriots tied with theDenver Broncos,Buffalo Bills andMinnesota Vikings for most Super Bowl losses at four (although the Broncos would lose their fifth against theSeattle Seahawkstwo years later, and the Patriots would lose their fifthsix years later).

The Patriots traded their original seventh-round pick to theAtlanta Falcons for guardQuinn Ojinnaka in August 2010.^[5] The Patriots also acquired theDenver Broncos' fourth-round selection in exchange for a sixth-round selection andrunning backLaurence Maroney.^[6] The Patriots acquired the sixth-round selection from theNew Orleans Saints in a September 2009 trade fortight endDavid Thomas.^[7] The team later agreed to trade the higher of its two fourth-round selections – the pick acquired from the Broncos – to theSeattle Seahawks in exchange forwide receiverDeion Branch.^[8]

The Patriots began their 2011 campaign atSun Life Stadium, for a Week 1AFC East duel with theMiami Dolphins in the first game ofMonday Night Football's doubleheader. New England trailed early in the first quarter as Dolphins' quarterbackChad Henne scrambled for 9-yard touchdown. The Patriots answered, with a 4-yard touchdown run from running backBenJarvus Green-Ellis. New England took the lead in the second quarter, with quarterbackTom Brady finding tight endRob Gronkowski on a 10-yard touchdown pass. Miami tied the game in third quarter, as Henne completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverBrian Hartline, yet the Patriots regained the lead, with Brady hooking up with wide receiverWes Welker on a 2-yard touchdown pass. The Dolphins would reply, with a 20-yard field goal by placekickerDan Carpenter. Afterwards, New England closed out the third quarter, with Brady connecting with tight endAaron Hernandez on a 1-yard touchdown pass. The Patriots added onto their lead in the fourth quarter, with a 20-yard field goal from placekickerStephen Gostkowski, followed by Brady finding Welker on a99-yard touchdown pass.Miami would close out the game with Henne completing a 2-yard touchdown pass to running backReggie Bush.

With the win, New England began their season at 1–0.Tom Brady also became the 11th quarterback in NFL history to pass for over 500 yards in a game with 517 yards.

Following their Monday Night at Miami, the Patriots returned to Foxborough for their home opener against theSan Diego Chargers. In the first quarter, Patriots' quarterbackTom Brady threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to tight endAaron Hernandez, but the Chargers responded, with a 10-yard touchdown run by running backRyan Mathews. The Patriots scored 13 unanswered points in the second quarter, with a 22-yard field goal by placekickerStephen Gostkowski, a 10-yard touchdown pass from Brady to tight endRob Gronkowski, followed by a 47-yard field goal by Gostkowski just before halftime. After a scoreless third quarter, the Chargers cut into the Patriots lead, with a 3-yard touchdown pass from quarterbackPhilip Rivers to wide receiverVincent Jackson. The Patriots responded, with Brady throwing a 17-yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski (and a two-point conversion run by running backDanny Woodhead). The Chargers tried to rally, with Rivers throwing a 26-yard touchdown pass to Jackson, but a 16-yard touchdown run by Patriots' running backBenJarvus Green-Ellis just after the two-minute warning sealed the win for New England.

With the win, the Patriots improved to 2–0.

Following their win over the Chargers, the Patriots flew toOrchard Park, New York, for anAFC East duel with theBuffalo Bills. The Patriots grabbed the lead in the first quarter, with quarterbackTom Brady throwing two touchdown passes – a 14-yarder to wide receiverWes Welker and a 1-yarder to tight endRob Gronkowski. The Patriots added to their lead in the second quarter, with Brady connecting with Rob Gronkowski on a 26-yard touchdown pass. The Patriots lead was now 21-0 halfway through the second quarter. The Bills responded, with quarterbackRyan Fitzpatrick throwing an 11-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverStevie Johnson, followed by a 42-yard field goal by placekickerRian Lindell. The Bills narrowed the Patriots' lead in the third quarter, with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Fitzpatrick to tight endScott Chandler. The Patriots increased their lead, with a 23-yard field goal by placekickerStephen Gostkowski. The Bills tied the game in the fourth quarter, with a 1-yard touchdown run by running backFred Jackson, then grabbed a 31–24 lead when cornerbackDrayton Florence returned a Brady interception 27 yards for a touchdown. The Patriots tied the game, with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Welker. However, the Bills got the last possession, and after a touchdown that was ruled thatFred Jackson's knee hit the ground before he was in the endzone, the Bills killed clock by draining time and making the Patriots use timeouts. The Bills then won as Lindell nailed a 28-yard field goal as time expired, snapping the Patriots' 15-game winning streak against the Bills.

With the loss, the Patriots dropped to 2–1.

Hoping to avenge their Week 3 loss at Buffalo, the Patriots flew across the country to face theOakland Raiders. The Raiders grabbed the lead in the first quarter, with a 28-yard field goal by placekickerSebastian Janikowski. The Patriots responded, with quarterbackTom Brady throwing a 15-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverWes Welker. The Raiders re-claimed the lead in the second quarter, with a 1-yard touchdown run from running backMichael Bush. The Patriots answered, with a 1-yard touchdown run from running backBenJarvus Green-Ellis, followed by a 44-yard field goal by placekickerStephen Gostkowski just before halftime. The Patriots added to their lead in the third quarter, with a 33-yard TD-run by running backStevan Ridley. The Raiders narrowed the lead, with a 26-yard field goal by Janikowski, but the Patriots increased it in the fourth quarter, with a 4-yard touchdown pass from Brady to wide receiverDeion Branch. The Raiders scored a late touchdown, with quarterbackJason Campbell throwing a 6-yard pass to wide receiverDenarius Moore (with a failed two-point conversion attempt), but the Patriots ran out the clock, sealing the win.

With the win, the Patriots improved to 3–1; it was also the franchise's 200th win (regular season and playoff) underRobert Kraft's ownership.

Coming off their win at Oakland, the Patriots returned home for anAFC East duel with theNew York Jets. The Patriots grabbed the early lead in the first quarter, with a 3-yard touchdown run by running backBenJarvus Green-Ellis, followed in the second quarter by a 44-yard field goal by placekickerStephen Gostkowski. The Jets got on the board, with a 3-yard touchdown run by running backShonn Greene. The Patriots extended their lead in the third quarter, with quarterbackTom Brady throwing a 2-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverDeion Branch. The Jets responded, with quarterbackMark Sanchez throwing a 9-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverJeremy Kerley. The Patriots added to their lead, with a 3-yard touchdown run by Green-Ellis, followed in the fourth quarter with a 24-yard field goal by Gostkowski. The Jets tried to rally, with wide receiverSantonio Holmes receiving a 21-yard touchdown pass from Sanchez, but a late 28-yard field goal by Gostkowski sealed the win for the Patriots.

With the win, the Patriots improved to 4–1.

Coming off their win over the Jets, the Patriots remained on home turf for an interconference duel with theDallas Cowboys. The Patriots, wearing their white jerseys as to force the Cowboys to don their "unlucky" blue jerseys, took the early lead in the first quarter, with a 31-yard field goal by placekickerStephen Gostkowski. The Cowboys countered, with a 48-yard field goal by placekickerDan Bailey. The Patriots responded in the second quarter, with a 26-yard field goal by Gostkowski, followed by a 5-yard touchdown pass from quarterbackTom Brady to wide receiverWes Welker. The Cowboys narrowed the Patriots' lead just before halftime, with a 1-yard touchdown pass from quarterbackTony Romo to tight endJason Witten. The Cowboys tied the game at 13–13 in the third quarter, with a 22-yard field goal by Bailey, then grabbed the lead in the fourth quarter with another field goal by Bailey, this time from 26 yards. With 2:31 remaining in the fourth quarter, Brady engineered a comeback, culminating with an 8-yard touchdown pass to tight endAaron Hernandez with 22 seconds remaining. The Cowboys tried to rally, but Romo's last-second desperation hail-mary pass toward the end zone was unsuccessful, sealing the win for the Patriots.

With the win, the Patriots improved to 5–1, entering their bye week.

Coming off their bye week, the Patriots flew toHeinz Field for a Week 8 duel with thePittsburgh Steelers. New England trailed early in the first quarter, as Steelers quarterbackBen Roethlisberger completed a 5-yard touchdown pass to running backMewelde Moore. Pittsburgh would add to their lead in the second quarter, as placekickerShaun Suisham nailed a 33-yard field goal. The Patriots answered, with quarterbackTom Brady finding wide receiverDeion Branch on a 2-yard touchdown pass, but the Steelers came right back, with Roethlisberger completing a 7-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverAntonio Brown. New England would close out the half with a 46-yard field goal from placekickerStephen Gostkowski.

Pittsburgh began the third quarter with Suisham making a 21-yard field goal, followed by a 23-yard field goal in the fourth. The Patriots tried to rally, as Brady connected with tight endAaron Hernandez on a 1-yard touchdown pass, but the Steelers' defense would prevail, with safetyTroy Polamalu forcing a New England fumble out of the back of the end zone for a safety.

With the loss, the Patriots fell to 5–2, being the first defeat by the Steelers with Tom Brady starting at quarterback in the previous seven seasons. This would be their final loss to the Steelers until2018.

Hoping to rebound from their loss at Pittsburgh, the Patriots returned home for an interconference duel with theNew York Giants, the first meeting sinceSuper Bowl XLII where theGiants stopped their chances at going 19–0. After a scoreless first half, the Giants grabbed the lead in the third quarter, with a 22-yard field goal by placekickerLawrence Tynes, followed by a 10-yard touchdown run by running backBrandon Jacobs. The Patriots got on the board, with a 32-yard field goal by placekickerStephen Gostkowski. In the fourth quarter, the Patriots tied the game, with a 5-yard touchdown pass from quarterbackTom Brady to tight endAaron Hernandez, then took the lead with a 45-yard field goal by Gostkowski. The Giants re-claimed the lead, with a 10-yard touchdown pass from quarterbackEli Manning to wide receiverMario Manningham with three minutes remaining. The Patriots responded, with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Brady to tight endRob Gronkowski. However, with a minute and a half remaining in a similar repeat ofSuper Bowl XLII, Manning led the Giants on a game-winning drive, culminating with a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight endJake Ballard.

With the loss, the Patriots dropped to 5–3, and QB Tom Brady's streak of 32 consecutive home wins was snapped. Following the game the Patriots releasedAlbert Haynesworth, who'd reportedly gotten into a sideline confrontation with assistant coachPepper Johnson. The loss was the third time in nine seasons the Patriots had suffered consecutive losses, and only the second time the team has lost to an NFC team at Gillette Stadium. This was the 1st time the Patriots had a 2-game losing streak since Week 12 and Week 13 in 2009. It was also the Patriots' first regular season loss at home since November 30, 2008, when they lost to that year's eventual Super Bowl champions, thePittsburgh Steelers.

The Giants and the Patriots would meet again inSuper Bowl XLVI with the Giants winning 21–17.

Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Giants, the Patriots flew toMetLife Stadium for anAFC East rematch with theNew York Jets. The Patriots grabbed the lead in the first quarter, with field goals of 50 and 36 yards by placekickerStephen Gostkowski. The Jets got on the board in the second quarter, when Patriots' quarterbackTom Brady was penalized for intentional grounding in the end zone for a safety, followed by Jets' quarterbackMark Sanchez scrambling for a 2-yard touchdown. The Patriots re-claimed the lead just before halftime, with Brady connecting with tight endRob Gronkowski on an 18-yard touchdown pass. The Patriots added to their lead in the third quarter, with a 27-yard field goal by Gostkowski, followed by a 5-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Gronkowski. In the fourth quarter, the Jets cut into the Patriots' lead, with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Sanchez to wide receiverPlaxico Burress. The Patriots responded, with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Brady to wide receiverDeion Branch, then pulled away when linebackerRob Ninkovich returned a Sanchez interception 12 yards for a touchdown.

With the win, the Patriots improved to 6–3 and swept the Jets for the first time since2007.

Coming off their win over the Jets, the Patriots returned home for an AFC duel against theKansas City Chiefs onMonday Night Football. Kansas City took the lead in the first quarter, with a 26-yard field goal by placekickerRyan Succop, in what would be the Chiefs' only score of the game. The Patriots grabbed the lead in the second quarter, with a 52-yard touchdown pass from quarterbackTom Brady to tight endRob Gronkowski, followed by a 21-yard field goal by placekickerStephen Gostkowski just before halftime. The Patriots added to their lead in the third quarter, with Brady throwing another touchdown pass to Gronkowski – this time from 19 yards, followed byJulian Edelman returning a punt 72 yards for a touchdown, and a 19-yard field goal by Gostkowski at the end of the third quarter. The Patriots added another score near the end of the game, with a 4-yard touchdown run by running backShane Vereen.

With the win, the Patriots improved to 7–3.

Coming off their win over the Chiefs, the Patriots flew toLincoln Financial Field for an interconference duel with thePhiladelphia Eagles. The Eagles grabbed the early lead in the first quarter, with a 2-yard touchdown run by running backLeSean McCoy, followed by a 43-yard field goal by placekickerAlex Henery. The Patriots then reeled off 21 unanswered points, with two touchdown runs by running backBenJarvus Green-Ellis – a 4-yarder followed in the second quarter by a 1-yarder, and a 41-yard touchdown pass from quarterbackTom Brady to wide receiverWes Welker. Each team exchanged field goals – a 22-yarder by Henery, and a 45-yarder by Patriots' placekickerStephen Gostkowski, giving the Patriots a 24–13 halftime lead. The Patriots added to their lead, with Brady throwing a pair of touchdown passes – a 9-yarder to Welker in the third quarter, followed in the fourth quarter by a 24-yarder to tight endRob Gronkowski. The Eagles scored late, with quarterbackVince Young throwing a 1-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverJason Avant, but the Patriots' lead was too much for the Eagles to overcome.

With the win, the Patriots improved to 8–3.

Coming off their win over the Eagles, the Patriots returned home for an AFC duel with theIndianapolis Colts. The Patriots took the early lead, with a 39-yard field goal byStephen Gostkowski, before placekicker and former Patriots Super Bowl heroAdam Vinatieri hit back with a 31-yard field goal of his own early in the second quarter. The Patriots then reeled off 28 unanswered points, starting with quarterbackTom Brady tossing an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight endRob Gronkowski, a 1-yard touchdown run by running backBenJarvus Green-Ellis just before halftime, then Brady threw two more touchdown passes to Gronkowski in the third quarter – a 21-yarder followed by a 2-yarder. In the fourth quarter, the Patriots were held scoreless and the Colts reeled off 21 unanswered points – a 5-yard touchdown run by running backDonald Brown, followed by two touchdown passes fromDan Orlovsky to wide receiverPierre Garçon – a 33-yarder and a 12-yarder – the latter with 36 seconds remaining in regulation. Despite the touchdowns, one of Garçon's catches in the end zone was accompanied with an angry throw at a sign with a target meant for Gronkowski's trademark spike.

A Colts' onside kick attempt near the end of the contest was unsuccessful, sealing the win for the Patriots.

With the win, the Patriots improved to 9–3.

Coming off their close win over the Colts, the Patriots flew toFedExField for an interconference duel with theWashington Redskins. The Patriots grabbed the early lead, when defensive tackleVince Wilfork recovered a fumble off Redskins' quarterbackRex Grossman in the end zone for a touchdown.

The Redskins responded with a 24-yard field goal by placekickerGraham Gano. The Patriots added to their lead, with quarterbackTom Brady throwing an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight endRob Gronkowski. The Redskins countered, with Grossman throwing a 9-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverJabar Gaffney, then grabbed the lead early in the second quarter, with wide receiverBrandon Banks throwing a 49-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverSantana Moss.

The Patriots tied the game with a 23-yard field goal by placekickerStephen Gostkowski. The Redskins countered with a 25-yard field goal by Gano, and a 24-yard field goal by Gostskowski just before halftime tied the game at 20. The Patriots grabbed the lead early in the third quarter, with a 37-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Gronkowski, but the Redskins countered again, with Grossman throwing a 6-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverDavid Anderson.

The final scoring play of the game came from the Patriots, with Brady connecting with wide receiverWes Welker on a 24-yard touchdown. Both teams were held scoreless in the fourth quarter, which included linebackerJerod Mayo intercepting Grossman at the Patriots' 5-yard line with 29 seconds remaining.

Brady was intercepted in the Redskins endzone on a pass intended forTiquan Underwood; Brady's sideline argument with Underwood led to a quick but spirited showdown with assistant coachBill O'Brien that resulted in intervention byBill Belichick – all of it caught byCBS Sports cameras.^[13]

With the win, the Patriots improved to 10–3.

Denver surged into playoff contention led by second-year quarterbackTim Tebow. Entering this Broncos-Patriots match the Broncos had won seven straight and the dramatic play of Tebow had become a national craze. The game was one of the most highly anticipated games of the 2011 season; CBS aired the game in more markets than any other NFL game they aired in 2011. The game had the highest ratings of any regular-season game on CBS since the Patriots'2007 victory over the Colts.^[14]

Denver got out to an early lead on rushing scores by Tebow andLance Ball for a 16–7 lead, belying their recent trend of slow starts and late comebacks; However, several fumbles in the second quarter were converted into scores byTom Brady and a solid 11-point lead at halftime. The Broncos battled back, asTim Tebow avoided a safety early in the fourth quarter, but a touchdown byBenJarvus Green-Ellis with four minutes left proved to be the game clincher, though the Broncos would get a touchdown back later in the fourth.

The Patriots' win improved them to 11–3 and helped them clinch theAFC East division title for the ninth time in 11 seasons; even if they had lost, they still would have clinched the division with theNew York Jets' loss to theEagles in a game concurrent with New England's matchup in Denver.

Following the national attention from the previous week, the Patriots found themselves playing mainly for home-field advantage in the playoffs against a Dolphins team that had already been eliminated from playoff contention and could gain pride as their only consolation.

Early on, the Dolphins struck first, putting a field goal through the uprights to open scoring. In the second quarterMatt Moore raced the Dolphins downfield and connected on touchdowns toBrandon Marshall andCharles Clay for a 17–0 halftime lead. The Patriots crossed the 50-yard line in the first half only once, but after aStephen Gostkowski field goal the Patriots forced a Moore fumble, leading to aDeion Branch touchdown catch. Moore was sacked on Miami's next possession and the Dolphins had to punt; the Patriots drove down andTom Brady ran in a quarterback sneak touchdown that tied the game.Devin McCourty intercepted a deep Moore pass and the Patriots booted a 42-yard field goal for their first lead of the game. A second Brady quarterback sneak score and a lateDavone Bess touchdown catch put the score at 27–24, and the Patriots were able to keep the ball the final 1:48 for the win as the team improved to 12–3 and secured them a playoff bye.

The Bills raced to a 21–0 lead in the first quarter on twoRyan Fitzpatrick touchdown throws and aTashard Choice four-yard run. But from the end of the first quarter the Patriots took over the game, led by threeTom Brady touchdown throws, two rushing scores byBenJarvus Green-Ellis, and aSterling Moore interception return score; the Moore touchdown was the fourth interception of the game thrown by Fitzpatrick.

A loss in this game would have left New England tied with the Baltimore Ravens at 12–4, and in the #2 seed due to Baltimore's superior strength-of-victory. But with the win, the Patriots ended their season 13–3, thereby securing homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

According to thePro Football Reference site, in this game the Patriots tied the record for the biggest deficit after one quarter while winning the game, becoming the eighth team to come back from a 21-point deficit after one quarter (no team has ever come back from a greater margin). They also became the first team to overcome such a deficit and win the game by more than 8 points. It was the biggest comeback win by the Patriots since their2002 comeback win from down 27–6 to theBears.

Tom Brady tied an NFL playoff record by throwing six touchdown passes in a playoff game. He tiedDaryle Lamonica's six scores in theOakland Raiders' 1969 Divisional round victory over theHouston Oilers andSteve Young's six scores inSuper Bowl XXIX overSan Diego; his five touchdowns in the first half tied an NFL playoff record withSid Luckman, Lamonica,Joe Montana,Kurt Warner,Kerry Collins, andPeyton Manning. Brady also punted the ball on third down late in the fourth quarter which pinned the Broncos inside their own 10-yard line; following the punt a brief brawl erupted between the two teams.^[15]

A week after his dramatic overtime victory overthe Steelers,Tim Tebow was sacked five times and limited to 136 passing yards and 13 rushing yards; at halftime, Tebow had fewer completions (three) than Brady had touchdowns (five).

With the win, the Patriots improved to 14–3, and secured their first playoff win since 2007. In addition to Brady's record-tying six touchdowns,Rob Gronkowski set a club record with three touchdown catches in a playoff game, breaking the 1986 record of two byStanley Morgan; Gronkowski is also only the second tight end with three touchdowns in an NFL postseason game. The win was also the first Patriots playoff win (in three tries) over the Broncos and the first two-game sweep of Denver by the Patriots sincetheir 1964 AFL season. This would mark the Patriots last playoff win over Denver until2025.

Following two Ravens punts and a Patriots punt the Patriots ground out a 13-play 50-yard drive ending in aStephen Gostkowski field goal. The Ravens tied the game after aLadarius Webb interception onBilly Cundiff's 20-yard field goal. ABenJarvus Green-Ellis rushing score, a six-yardJoe Flacco touchdown toDennis Pitta, and another Gostkowski field goal left the Patriots ahead 13–10 at the half. Following a third Gostkowski field goal the Ravens took a 17–16 lead on a 29-yardTorrey Smith touchdown catch and run straddling the right sideline.Danny Woodhead's fumble of the ensuing kickoff led to another Cundiff field goal, then the Patriots clawed back ahead on a 10-play 67-yard drive ending in a one-yardTom Brady touchdown leap.Brandon Spikes intercepted Flacco at midfield but Brady was then intercepted in the Ravens endzone one play later byJimmy Smith. Despite failing on 4th and 6 at the Patriots 33-yard line, the Ravens got the ball back with 1:44 to go in the game.Lee Evans nearly caught a touchdown but the ball was swatted out of his hands in the endzone bySterling Moore, and with 11 seconds to go Cundiff's 32-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left.

During the second halfRob Gronkowski suffered an ankle injury on a tackle byBernard Pollard of the Ravens. Pollard injured Brady in his 2008 season inKansas City, and also had injured Wes Welker during week 17 of the 2009 season with theHouston Texans. Later in an interview with KILT radio in Houston, Pollard said he was "fine and dandy" with being called a "Patriots killer."^[16]

The win was Brady's fifth in sixAFC Championship Games and the first Patriots playoff win decided on a missed FGA since the club's 2006 Divisional playoff win againstSan Diego.

Serving as Patriots co-captains for the opening coin toss wereDrew Bledsoe,Tedy Bruschi,Troy Brown, andTy Law, veterans of the franchise's1996 Super Bowl season.

Eight Patriots were named to the initial2012 Pro Bowl team, all but one as starters (the NFL does not officially count special teams players as starters).^[29] Brady, Welker, and Gronkowski were all in the top ten overall in fan voting, and were the top three vote-getters in the AFC.^[30]

Four of the Patriots' eight Pro Bowlers were named to the AP's2011 All-Pro Team: Gronkowski and Welker were named to the first team, while Mankins and Wilfork were named to the second team.

• 2011 NFL season by team
• AFC East championship seasons
• American Football Conference championship seasons
• New England Patriots seasons
• 2011 in sports in Massachusetts
• Sports competitions in Foxborough, Massachusetts

• Articles with short description
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