1985 New England Patriots season

1985 New England Patriots season
1985 New England Patriots season
Owner	Billy Sullivan
General manager	Patrick Sullivan
Head coach	Raymond Berry
Home field	Sullivan Stadium
Results
Record	11–5
Division place	3rd AFC East
Playoff finish	Won Wild Card Playoffs ; (at Jets) 26–14; Won Divisional Playoffs ; (at Raiders) 27–20; Won AFC Championship ; (at Dolphins) 31–14; Lost Super Bowl XX ; (vs. Bears) 10–46
Pro Bowlers	8 CB Raymond Clayborn ; KR Irving Fryar ; G John Hannah ; T Brian Holloway ; RB Craig James ; FS Fred Marion ; LB Steve Nelson ; LB Andre Tippett ;
AP All-Pros	4 G John Hannah (1st team); LB Andre Tippett (1st team); T Brian Holloway (2nd team); WR Irving Fryar (2nd team);
	← 1984 ; Patriots seasons ; 1986 →;

Last updated October 15, 2023

Craig James rushes the ball past the Dolphins' defense in the AFC Championship game. 1986 Jeno's Pizza - 35 - Craig James.jpg — Craig James rushes the ball past the Dolphins' defense in the AFC Championship game.

The 1985 New England Patriots season was the franchise's 16th season in the National Football League (NFL) and 26th overall. The Patriots had a record of eleven wins and five losses and finished third in the AFC East Division. They then became the first team in NFL history ever to advance to the Super Bowl by winning three playoff games on the road, defeating the New York Jets 26–14 in the AFC Wild Card Game, the Los Angeles Raiders 27–20 in the AFC Divisional Game and the Miami Dolphins 31–14 in the AFC Championship Game. The Patriots' win in Miami was their first victory in that stadium since 1966 and while they did defeat Miami on the road in 1969 that game was played in Tampa Bay. The win over the Dolphins in the game has gone down as one of the greatest upsets in NFL history, as the Dolphins were heavily favored.^[3]

But despite the Patriots' success in the playoffs, they proved unable to compete with the acclaimed 15–1 Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX, losing 46–10 in what was at the time the most lopsided defeat in Super Bowl history. The Patriots were held to a Super Bowl record of just 7 rushing yards and their quarterbacks, Tony Eason and Steve Grogan, were sacked a combined 7 times by the powerful Bears defense.

"We couldn't protect the quarterback and that was my fault. I couldn't come up with a system to handle the Bears' pass rush," head coach Raymond Berry acknowledged.^[4]

Personnel

Staff

**1985 New England Patriots staff**

	Front office President – Billy Sullivan Executive vice president – Chuck Sullivan Vice president – Bucko Kilroy General manager – Patrick Sullivan Director of player development – Dick Steinberg Director of college scouting – Joe Mendes Director of pro scouting – Bill McPeak Head coaches Head coach – Raymond Berry Offensive coaches Quarterbacks/receivers – Les Steckel Quarterbacks/special assistant to the head coach – John Polonchek Offensive backfield – Bobby Grier Receivers – Harold Jackson Assistant head coach/offensive line – Rod Humenuik			Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Rod Rust Defensive line – Eddie Khayat Assistant defensive line – Ray Hamilton Linebackers – Don Shinnick Defensive backfield – Jim Carr Special teams coaches Special teams/tight ends – Dante Scarnecchia Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning – Dean Brittenham

Roster

**1985 New England Patriots final roster**

	Quarterbacks 11 Tony Eason 14 Steve Grogan 12 Tom Ramsey Running backs 33 Tony Collins 32 Craig James 30 Mosi Tatupu FB 24 Robert Weathers Wide receivers 80 Irving Fryar 83 Cedric Jones 86 Stanley Morgan 81 Stephen Starring 82 Derwin Williams Tight ends 87 Lin Dawson 27 Greg Hawthorne FB 88 Derrick Ramsey		Offensive linemen 58 Pete Brock C 63 Tom Condon G 66 Paul Fairchild G 73 John Hannah G 76 Brian Holloway T 67 Steve Moore T 75 Guy Morriss C 70 Art Plunkett T 61 Ron Wooten G Defensive linemen 85 Julius Adams DE 98 Dennis Owens NT 77 Kenneth Sims DE 99 Ben Thomas DE 60 Garin Veris DE 72 Lester Williams NT 90 Toby Williams DE		Linebackers 55 Don Blackmon OLB 51 Brian Ingram LB 50 Larry McGrew ILB 57 Steve Nelson ILB 52 Johnny Rembert ILB 95 Ed Reynolds LB 56 Andre Tippett OLB 54 Ed Williams LB Defensive backs 28 Jim Bowman S 26 Raymond Clayborn CB 43 Ernest Gibson CB 38 Roland James SS 42 Ronnie Lippett CB 31 Fred Marion FS 23 Rod McSwain S Special teams 3 Rich Camarillo P 1 Tony Franklin K		Reserve lists 64 Trevor Matich C/G (IR) -- Jon Norris DE (IR) 53 Clayton Weishuhn LB (IR) Rookies in italics

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 8	Green Bay Packers	W 26–20	1–0	Sullivan Stadium	49,488
2	September 15	at Chicago Bears	L 7–20	1–1	Soldier Field	60,533
3	September 22	at Buffalo Bills	W 17–14	2–1	Rich Stadium	40,334
4	September 29	Los Angeles Raiders	L 20–35	2–2	Sullivan Stadium	60,686
5	October 6	at Cleveland Browns	L 20–24	2–3	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	62,139
6	October 13	Buffalo Bills	W 28–6	3–3	Sullivan Stadium	40,462
7	October 20	New York Jets	W 20–13	4–3	Sullivan Stadium	58,163
8	October 27	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 32–14	5–3	Tampa Stadium	34,661
9	November 3	Miami Dolphins	W 17–13	6–3	Sullivan Stadium	58,811
10	November 10	Indianapolis Colts	W 34–15	7–3	Sullivan Stadium	54,176
11	November 17	at Seattle Seahawks	W 20–13	8–3	Kingdome	60,345
12	November 24	at New York Jets	L 13–16 (OT)	8–4	Giants Stadium	74,100
13	December 1	at Indianapolis Colts	W 38–31	9–4	Hoosier Dome	56,740
14	December 8	Detroit Lions	W 23–6	10–4	Sullivan Stadium	59,078
15	December 16	at Miami Dolphins	L 27–30	10–5	Miami Orange Bowl	69,489
16	December 22	Cincinnati Bengals	W 34–23	11–5	Sullivan Stadium	57,953
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1

	1	2	3	4	Total
Packers	0	6	0	14	20
• Patriots	7	12	0	7	26

Date: September 8
Location: Sullivan Stadium
Game start: 1:00 p.m.
Game attendance: 49,488
Game weather: 74 °F (23 °C); wind 10 mph (16 km/h)
Referee: Bob McElwee
TV announcers (CBS): Jim Hill and John Dockery

^[5]^[6]

Week 2

	1	2	3	4	Total
Patriots	0	0	0	7	7
• Bears	7	3	10	0	20

Date: September 15
Location: Soldier Field
Referee: Tom Dooley
TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy

Week 3

	1	2	3	4	Total
•Patriots	3	7	7	0	17
Bills	0	7	0	7	14

Date: September 22
Location: Rich Stadium • Orchard Park, New York
Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C) • Wind 7 mph (11 km/h)
Referee: Jerry Seeman
Television network: NBC

^[7]

Week 4

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Raiders	14	0	7	14	35
Patriots	10	10	0	0	20

Date: September 29
Location: Sullivan Stadium
Referee: Gordon McCarter
TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and Bob Griese

Week 5

	1	2	3	4	Total
Patriots	0	13	7	0	20
• Browns	7	7	3	7	24

Date: October 6
Location: Cleveland Stadium
Referee: Jerry Markbreit

Week 6

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	0	3	0	0	3
•Patriots	0	0	7	7	14

Date: October 13
Location: Sullivan Stadium • Foxboro, Massachusetts
Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C) • Wind 12 mph (19 km/h)
Referee: Gene Barth
TV announcers (NBC): Len Berman and Reggie Rucker

^[8]

Week 7 vs Jets

Week Seven: New York Jets (5–1) at New England Patriots (3–3)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Jets	0	3	3	7	13
Patriots	3	3	0	14	20

at Sullivan Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts

Date: October 20
Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C)
Game attendance: 58,163
Referee: Fred Silva
TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert & Bob Griese
Box Score, Box Score

Game information

First quarter

NE – Tony Franklin 19-yard field goal, 1:56. Patriots 3–0. Drive:

Second quarter

NYJ – Pat Leahy 53-yard field goal, 9:30. Tie 3–3. Drive:
NE – Tony Franklin 44-yard field goal, 2:37. Patriots 6–3. Drive:

Third quarter

NYJ – Pat Leahy 52-yard field goal, 5:48. Tie 6–6. Drive:

Fourth quarter

NE – Irving Fryar 36-yard pass from Steve Grogan (Tony Franklin kick), 10:22. Patriots 13–6. Drive:
NYJ – Tony Paige 2-yard run (Pat Leahy kick), 6:50. Tie 13–13. Drive:
NE – Steve Grogan 3-yard run (Tony Franklin kick), 3:27. Patriots 20–13. Drive:

Top passers

NYJ – Ken O'Brien – 15/31, 246 yards, INT
NE – Steve Grogan – 11/32, 171 yards, TD, INT

Top rushers

NYJ – Johnny Hector – 21 rushes, 80 yards
NE – Craig James – 22 rushes, 94 yards

Top receivers

NYJ – Wesley Walker – 6 receptions, 140 yards
NE – Stanley Morgan – 3 receptions, 71 yards

Week 8

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Patriots	0	13	3	16	32
Buccaneers	14	0	0	0	14

Date: October 27
Location: Tampa Stadium
Referee: Tom Dooley
Television network: NBC

Week 9

	1	2	3	4	Total
Dolphins	7	3	3	0	13
• Patriots	0	3	0	14	17

Date: November 3
Location: Sullivan Stadium
Referee: Fred Wyant
TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Bob Griese

Week 10

	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	0	6	0	9	15
• Patriots	0	7	17	10	34

Date: November 10
Location: Sullivan Stadium
Referee: Gordon McCarter

Week 11

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Patriots	0	7	0	13	20
Seahawks	0	3	10	0	13

Date: November 17
Location: Kingdome
Referee: Jerry Markbreit
TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen

Week 12

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Patriots	0	3	0	10	0	13
• Jets	6	0	7	0	3	16

Date: November 24
Location: Giants Stadium
Referee: Bob Frederic
TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Merlin Olsen

Week 13

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Patriots	7	17	0	14	38
Colts	7	10	0	14	31

Date: December 1
Location: Hoosier Dome
Referee: Bob McElwee
Television network: NBC

Week 14

	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	3	0	3	0	6
• Patriots	7	10	0	6	23

Date: December 8
Location: Sullivan Stadium
Referee: Gene Barth
TV announcers (CBS): Jim Hill and John Dockery

Week 15

	1	2	3	4	Total
Patriots	7	0	3	17	27
• Dolphins	7	10	3	10	30

Date: December 16
Location: Orange Bowl
Game start: 9:00 EST
Referee: Dick Jorgensen
TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Joe Namath, OJ Simpson

Week 16

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	3	3	7	10	23
• Patriots	10	10	0	14	34

Date: December 22
Location: Sullivan Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts
Game start: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: 24 °F (−4 °C), wind 12 mph (19 km/h)
Referee: Red Cashion
TV announcers (NBC): Phil Stone and Sam Rutigliano

^[9]

After winning against the Bengals, fans stormed the field and tore down the goal posts. Fans proceeded to walk down Route 1 with the goalposts, accidentally hitting an overhead wire and nearly electrocuting themselves.^[10]

Postseason

Round	Date	Opponent (seed)	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
Wild card playoff	December 28	at New York Jets (4)	W 26–14	1–0	Giants Stadium	70,958
Divisional Playoff	January 5, 1986	at Los Angeles Raiders (1)	W 27–20	2–0	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	88,936
AFC Championship	January 12, 1986	at Miami Dolphins (2)	W 31–14	3–0	Miami Orange Bowl	74,978
Super Bowl XX	January 26, 1986	Chicago Bears (N1)	L 10–46	3–1	Louisiana Superdome	73,818

Wild card

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Patriots	3	10	10	3	26
Jets	0	7	7	0	14

Date: December 28, 1985
Location: The Meadowlands
Referee: Jerry Seeman

This was only the second postseason win in Patriots history, and the first since 1963.

Divisional

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Patriots	7	10	10	0	27
Raiders	3	17	0	0	20

Date: January 5, 1986
Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Referee: Jerry Markbreit
TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen

Conference championship

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Patriots	3	14	7	7	31
Dolphins	0	7	0	7	14

Date: January 12, 1986
Location: Orange Bowl
Referee: Gene Barth
TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen

In the 1986 AFC Championship Game, the Patriots ran the ball on 59 out of 71 offensive plays, amassing 255 rushing yards in an upset of the favored Dolphins.^[11]

Super Bowl

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Bears	13	10	21	2	46
Patriots	3	0	0	7	10

Date: January 26, 1986
Location: Louisiana Superdome
Referee: Red Cashion

Standings

AFC East
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Miami Dolphins ⁽²⁾	12	4	0	.750	6–2	9–3	428	320	W7
New York Jets ⁽⁴⁾	11	5	0	.688	6–2	9–3	393	264	W1
New England Patriots ⁽⁵⁾	11	5	0	.688	6–2	8–4	362	290	W1
Indianapolis Colts	5	11	0	.313	1–7	2–10	320	386	W2
Buffalo Bills	2	14	0	.125	1–7	2–12	200	381	L6

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References

↑ "1985 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
↑ "1985 NFL All-Pros". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
↑ "Patriots Run Down Dolphins, 31-14 : Miami Can't Overcome Six Turnovers in Losing AFC Title". Los Angeles Times. January 13, 1986. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
↑ Tales From The Patriots Sideline (Illinois:Sports Publishing LLC, 2006) by Michael Felger, p. 80
↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Aug-01.
↑ Gainesville Sun. 1985 Sept 9. Retrieved 2017-Nov-01.
↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com
↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com
↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com
↑ "Foxboro Stadium History - 1985 | New England Patriots". Archived from the original on December 28, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
↑ 100 Things Dolphins Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Armando Salguero, Triumph Books, Chicago, 2020, ISBN 978-1-62937-722-3, p.147

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
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[1] "1985 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com.

[2] "1985 NFL All-Pros". Pro-Football-Reference.com.

[3] "Patriots Run Down Dolphins, 31-14 : Miami Can't Overcome Six Turnovers in Losing AFC Title". Los Angeles Times. January 13, 1986. Retrieved October 9, 2022.

[4] Tales From The Patriots Sideline (Illinois:Sports Publishing LLC, 2006) by Michael Felger, p. 80

[5] Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Aug-01.

[6] Gainesville Sun. 1985 Sept 9. Retrieved 2017-Nov-01.

[7] Pro-Football-Reference.com

[8] Pro-Football-Reference.com

[9] Pro-Football-Reference.com

[10] "Foxboro Stadium History - 1985 | New England Patriots". Archived from the original on December 28, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017.

[11] 100 Things Dolphins Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Armando Salguero, Triumph Books, Chicago, 2020, ISBN 978-1-62937-722-3, p.147

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v t e New England Patriots
Founded in 1960 Formerly the Boston Patriots (1960–1970) Based and headquartered in Foxborough, Massachusetts
Franchise	Franchise History Brady–Belichick era Hall of Fame Patriot Place Seasons Players Coaches First-round draft picks Starting quarterbacks Strategy Broadcasters
Stadiums	Nickerson Field Fenway Park Alumni Stadium Harvard Stadium Foxboro Stadium Gillette Stadium
Culture	Billy Sullivan Robert Kraft Jonathan Kraft Pat Patriot Cheerleaders "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" "Crazy Train" "Your Love" Patriot Reign Family Guy "Patriot Games" "3 Acts of God" "Gronkowsbees" "This Is Our House" "Stunning and Brave" "Turd Burglars" 80 for Brady
Lore	Snowplow Game Lisa Olson St. Louis Stallions Tuck Rule Game 2006 playoff game vs. San Diego Chargers 16–0 Spygate 2007 game vs. New York Giants Helmet Catch Butt Fumble Deflategate Malcolm Butler's interception Colts Catastrophe 28–3 Philly Special Miami Miracle Brady's return Lunatic Lateral
Rivalries	Baltimore Ravens Buffalo Bills Denver Broncos Indianapolis Colts Miami Dolphins New York Giants New York Jets Pittsburgh Steelers Brady–Manning rivalry
Division championships (22)	1963 1978 1986 1996 1997 2001 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Conference championships (11)	1985 1996 2001 2003 2004 2007 2011 2014 2016 2017 2018
League championships (6)	2001 (XXXVI) 2003 (XXXVIII) 2004 (XXXIX) 2014 (XLIX) 2016 (LI) 2018 (LIII)
Retired numbers	20 40 56 57 73 78 79 89
Media	Broadcasters WBZ-FM WBZ-TV Radio network Gil Santos Gino Cappelletti Bob Socci Scott Zolak
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League (1970–present) Conference: American Football Conference Division: East Division
Former league affiliation	League: American Football League (1960–1969)

v t e New England Patriots seasons
Formerly the Boston Patriots (1960–1970)
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Bold indicates AFL Championship or Super Bowl victory Italics indicates AFL Championship or Super Bowl appearance