| 1997 New England Patriots season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Robert Kraft |
| Head coach | Pete Carroll |
| Offensive coordinator | Larry Kennan |
| Defensive coordinator | Steve Sidwell |
| Home stadium | Foxboro Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–6 |
| Division place | 1stAFC East |
| Playoffs | WonWild Card Playoffs (vs.Dolphins) 17–3 LostDivisional Playoffs (atSteelers) 6–7 |
| All-Pros | LBChris Slade(2nd team) |
| Pro Bowlers | TBruce Armstrong QBDrew Bledsoe TEBen Coates LBChris Slade STLarry Whigham |
The1997 season was theNew England Patriots' 28th season in theNational Football League (NFL) and the 38th overall. They finished the season with a 10–6 record and a division title before losing in theplayoffs to thePittsburgh Steelers. This was the last season in which New England won the division title withoutTom Brady orBill Belichick until2025.
In January, when the Patriots were preparing to face theGreen Bay Packers inSuper Bowl XXXI, it was suspected head coachBill Parcells was looking to move to another team after the game where he would have more say over personnel matters.[1] In the1996 NFL draft, Parcells' relationship with ownerRobert Kraft soured when Kraft selected wide receiverTerry Glenn. After the Patriots' loss in Super Bowl XXXI, Parcells resigned from the Patriots, using the phrase "If they want you to cook the dinner, at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries."[2] Due to an earlier renegotiation that had eliminated the 1997 season from Parcells' contract, NFL CommissionerPaul Tagliabue ruled Parcells could not be a head coach for another team in 1997.[3] Parcells instead moved to theNew York Jets as a "consultant", taking assistant head coachBill Belichick with him to be the Jets' head coach; Kraft called this a "transparent farce" and accused the Jets of tampering with Parcells.[3] The NFL ruled in the Patriots' favor and the Patriots received third and fourth-round picks in the1997 NFL draft, a second-round pick in the1998 NFL draft, and a first-round pick in the1999 NFL draft in compensation for allowing Parcells to become the Jets' head coach.[3]
Taking Parcells' place with the Patriots wasPete Carroll, who had coincidentally been the Jets' head coach in1994. The Patriots began the season 5–1 but then stumbled to a 6–5 record. They rebounded to finish 10–6 and first in theAFC East for the second straight season. With the third seed in theAFCplayoffs, the Patriots defeated theMiami Dolphins 17–3 in the Wild Card Game but were defeated by thePittsburgh Steelers, 7–6, on the road the next week.
| Round | Overall | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 | Chris Canty | Cornerback | Kansas State |
| 2 | 59 | Brandon Mitchell | Defensive tackle | Texas A&M |
| 3[a] | 61 | Sedrick Shaw | Running back | Iowa |
| 3 | 89 | Chris Carter | Safety | Texas |
| 4[a] | 97 | Damon Denson | Offensive guard | Michigan |
| 4 | 125 | Ed Ellis | Offensive tackle | Buffalo |
| 5 | 159 | Vernon Crawford | Linebacker | Florida State |
| 6 | 192 | Tony Gaiter | Wide receiver | Miami (FL) |
| 7 | 230 | Scott Rehberg | Offensive guard | Central Michigan |
| 1997 New England Patriots staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
| |||||
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 31 | San Diego Chargers | W 41–7 | 1–0 | Foxboro Stadium | 60,190 | |
| 2 | September 7 | atIndianapolis Colts | W 31–6 | 2–0 | RCA Dome | 53,632 | |
| 3 | September 14 | New York Jets | W 27–24(OT) | 3–0 | Foxboro Stadium | 60,072 | |
| 4 | September 21 | Chicago Bears | W 31–3 | 4–0 | Foxboro Stadium | 59,873 | |
| 5 | Bye | ||||||
| 6 | October 6 | atDenver Broncos | L 13–34 | 4–1 | Mile High Stadium | 75,821 | |
| 7 | October 12 | Buffalo Bills | W 33–6 | 5–1 | Foxboro Stadium | 59,802 | |
| 8 | October 19 | atNew York Jets | L 19–24 | 5–2 | Giants Stadium | 71,061 | |
| 9 | October 27 | Green Bay Packers | L 10–28 | 5–3 | Foxboro Stadium | 59,972 | |
| 10 | November 2 | atMinnesota Vikings | L 18–23 | 5–4 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 62,917 | |
| 11 | November 9 | atBuffalo Bills | W 31–10 | 6–4 | Rich Stadium | 65,783 | |
| 12 | November 16 | atTampa Bay Buccaneers | L 7–27 | 6–5 | Houlihan's Stadium | 70,479 | |
| 13 | November 23 | Miami Dolphins | W 27–24 | 7–5 | Foxboro Stadium | 59,002 | |
| 14 | November 30 | Indianapolis Colts | W 20–17 | 8–5 | Foxboro Stadium | 58,507 | |
| 15 | December 7 | atJacksonville Jaguars | W 26–20 | 9–5 | Alltel Stadium | 73,446 | |
| 16 | December 13 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 21–24(OT) | 9–6 | Foxboro Stadium | 60,013 | |
| 17 | December 22 | atMiami Dolphins | W 14–12 | 10–6 | Pro Player Stadium | 74,379 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text. | |||||||
| Round | Date | Opponent (Seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | December 28 | Miami Dolphins (6) | W 17–3 | 1–0 | Foxboro Stadium | 60,041 |
| Divisional | January 3 | atPittsburgh Steelers (2) | L 6–7 | 1–1 | Three Rivers Stadium | 61,228 |
| AFC East | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| (3)New England Patriots | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 369 | 289 | W1 |
| (6)Miami Dolphins | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 339 | 327 | L2 |
| New York Jets | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 348 | 287 | L1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 255 | 367 | L3 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 313 | 401 | L1 |
ThePete Carroll era of the Patriots started with a bang asDrew Bledsoe threw for 340 yards and four touchdowns in a 41–7 runaway.Stan Humphries managed a touchdown throw but was pulled in the fourth quarter forJim Everett; Everett was intercepted andWillie Clay ran back a 53-yard touchdown.
The first game against former Patriots coachBill Parcells came onSunday Night Football with the Patriots 2–0 and the Jets 1–1. The game became a grinder in which the lead tied or changed seven times.Drew Bledsoe threw touchdowns toBen Coates andLovett Purnell but threw two picks (one returned byMo Lewis for a touchdown) and was limited to just 162 passing yards. His Jets counterpartNeil O'Donnell ran in one touchdown and threw another toKeyshawn Johnson that tied the game in the fourth, but was sacked seven times; the Jets also coughed up three fumbles.Curtis Martin's running game erupted to 199 yards and a touchdown, but the Patriots faced Jets kickerJohn Hall in the final sixteen seconds with the game tied at 24. Hall's field goal try was blocked and in overtime the Patriots drove down field andAdam Vinatieri nailed a 34-yard field goal for the 27–24 Patriots win.
The first game between the last two unbeaten NFL teams since1973[5] afterthe Buccaneers lost on Sunday, the Broncos won for the tenth straight time over the Patriots, 34–13. Despite throwing two interceptions and being limited to just 192 passing yards,John Elway ran in a touchdown andTerrell Davis rushed for 171 yards and two scores.
The 5–1 Patriots fell to Parcells' Jets 24–19 as the Jets outscored the Patriots 21–14 in the second half.Neil O'Donnell was flagged for intentional grounding in the endzone for a Patriots safety, then was pulled forGlenn Foley; Foley threw for 200 yards and a touchdown.
