The Patriots will make their 10th Super Bowl appearance as a franchise when they face the Eagles in Super Bowl 52 on Sunday. It will mark the eighth trip to the Super Bowl for coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady together, and it's a chance for that tandem to give New England its sixth Super Bowl victory.
The Patriots have taken just about every conceivable path on their way to those eight Super Bowls with Belichick and Brady. But some have been more difficult than others.
Here's the tough part for Patriots haters to deal with: For the most part, New England's paths to the Super Bowl have been easier in recent seasons.
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Here we rank the Patriots' eight paths to the Super Bowl with Belichick and Brady, in order of difficulty, from easiest to toughest.
8. Super Bowl 46
Opponents: vs. Denver (8-8), vs. Baltimore (12-4), vs. NY Giants (9-7)
Opponents record: 29-19, .604
Margin of victory: 19 ppg
QBs faced: Tim Tebow, Joe Flacco, Eli Manning
Of course, the Giants upset the Patriots 21-17 in the Super Bowl, but the 2011-12 postseason was without a doubt their easiest path to a ring. New England finished 13-3 in the regular season before beating Denver 45-10 and Baltimore 23-20 at Gillette Stadium.
7. Super Bowl 52
Opponents: vs. Tennessee (9-7), vs. Jacksonville (10-6), vs. Philadelphia (13-3)
Opponents record: 32-16, .667
Margin of victory: 12.5 ppg
QBs faced: Marcus Mariota, Blake Bortles, Nick Foles
Mariota and Bortles made their playoff debuts in 2017-18, and both traveled to face New England, which finished 13-3 in the regular season. Brady rallied the Pats back from 10-point deficit for a 24-20 victory against the Jaguars in the AFC title game, pitting them against the Eagles, who lost Carson Wentz in the regular season to a knee injury.
6. Super Bowl 42
Opponents: vs. Jacksonville (11-5), vs. San Diego (11-5), vs. NY Giants (10-6)
Opponents record: 32-16, .667
Margin of victory: 10 ppg
QBs faced: David Garrard, Philip Rivers, Eli Manning
This is the Patriots team that finished 16-0 in the regular season, so most of the pressure came from the 2007-08 playoffs. The Patriots rolled against Jacksonville and San Diego at home and were 12-point favorites against the Giants before losing 17-14 in one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history.
5. Super Bowl 51
Opponents: vs. Houston (9-7), vs. Pittsburgh (11-5), vs. Atlanta (11-5)
Opponents record: 31-17, .646
Margin of victory: 14.3 ppg
QBs faced: Brock Osweiler, Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Ryan
It was a standard run through the 2016-17 AFC playoffs. New England, which finished 14-2 in the regular season, routed Houston and Pittsburgh before falling behind 28-3 to Atlanta in Super Bowl 51. Of course, everybody knows what happened next. Brady led a legendary comeback to give the Patriots their fifth Super Bowl championship.
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4. Super Bowl 49
Opponents: vs. Baltimore (10-6), vs. Indianapolis (11-5), vs. Seattle (12-4)
Opponents record: 33-15, .688
Margin of victory: 15.3 ppg
QBs faced: Joe Flacco, Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson
The Patriots rolled to a 12-4 regular-season record before the 2014-15 playoffs, and they beat the Ravens 35-31 before a 45-7 blowout win over the Colts in the AFC title game, which led to the Deflategate controversy. New England beat Seattle 28-24 in the Super Bowl thanks to Malcolm Butler's last-minute interception at the goal line.
3. Super Bowl 38
Opponents: vs. Tennessee (12-4), vs. Indianapolis (12-4), vs. Carolina (11-5)
Opponents record: 35-13, .729
Margin of victory: 5.3 ppg
QBs faced: Steve McNair, Peyton Manning, Jake Delhomme
The Patriots finished 14-2 in the regular season before beating the Titans (17-14) and Colts (24-13) in the 2003-04 AFC playoffs. Carolina provided a stiff challenge in Super Bowl 38, but a last-minute field goal by Adam Vinatieri was the difference in a 32-29 victory.
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2. Super Bowl 39
Opponents: vs. Indianapolis (12-4), at Pittsburgh (15-1), vs. Philadelphia (13-3)
Opponents record: 40-8, .800
Margin of victory: 11.3 ppg
QBs faced: Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Donovan McNabb
The Patriots matched that 14-2 regular-season record the following season before beating Indianapolis 20-3 in the AFC divisional playoffs. New England avenged a regular-season loss to Pittsburgh in the AFC championship game with a 41-27 victory. The Patriots then held on to beat the Eagles 24-21 despite a fantastic effort from Terrell Owens.
1. Super Bowl 36
Opponents: vs. Oakland (10-6), at Pittsburgh (13-3), vs. St. Louis (14-2)
Opponents record: 37-11, .770
Margin of victory: 4.3 ppg
QBs faced: Rich Gannon, Kordell Stewart, Kurt Warner
The Patriots' first Super Bowl run with Belichick and Brady was also their most difficult. New England finished 11-5 in the regular season and survived in a snow storm to beat Oakland 16-13 in the infamous "Tuck Rule" game. In the AFC championship game, Brady was injured, but Drew Bledsoe led the Pats to a 24-17 victory in Pittsburgh. New England capped that run by denying Warner and "The Greatest Show on Turf" a second Super Bowl victory in three years with a last-second field goal by Vinatieri.
