By John Sapochetti
NEFJ Contributor
The Patriots will be appearing in their league record 12th Super Bowl on Sunday, February 8th when they face the Seattle Seahawks in Santa Clara California.
There are more angles to cover, heading in to a Super Bowl, than I faced in my sophomore geometry class. One angle is to rank the 12 opponents the Patriots will have faced in the Super Bowl.
Here we go:
#12: 2003 PANTHERS: Patriots 32-29: It turned out to be one of the best Super Bowls ever. The Panthers had a Cinderella run winning in the divisional round at the Rams and in the NFC championship game at the Eagles. They had a losing record in 2002 and in 2004.
#11: 2007 GIANTS: Giants 17-14: The most painful Patriots loss in a Super Bowl. The Giants defense stymied the explosive New England offense, holding them to 22 points below their season average. Beating an 18–0 team as a double digit underdog would lead you to believe that this Giants team should be higher on the list, but this is a team that caught lightning in a bottle for one month.
#10: 2014 FALCONS: Patriots 34-28: Quarterback Matt Ryan was the league MVP on the 11-5 Falcons, who had an easy path to the Super Bowl. In case you forgot, Atlanta held a 28-3 3rd quarter lead before Tom Brady and the Patriots pulled off the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. Since then, the Falcons have qualified for the playoffs only once.
#9: 2018 RAMS: Patriots 13-3: Rams head coach, Sean McVay, and quarterback Jared Goff weren’t ready for the big stage. The Patriots won 13–3 in a snooze fest. But all Super Bowls wins are sweet.
#8: 2011 GIANTS: Giants 21-17: The Giants finished at 9–7, but had an elite defense and a confident Eli Manning leading the offense. This team was slightly better than the 07 team which upset the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
#7: 2004 EAGLES: Patriots 24-21: The Patriots beat a well coached, very well balanced Eagles team which finally broke through after losing three straight NFC championship games to finally get to a Super Bowl.
#6: 2017 EAGLES: Eagles 41-33: The Eagles were better than the Patriots on both lines of scrimmage in this Philadelphia win. The game and the aftermath were consumed by the perplexing benching of Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler.
#5: 2025 Seahawks: At 16–3 the Seahawks are the most complete team in football. They won the best division in the league by two games over the Rams and 49ers. We will know more around 10:30 PM on February 8th as to how good this team is.
#4: 2001 RAMS: Patriots 20-17: This Patriots win started the two decade dynasty. The Rams were loaded. Four Hall of Famers on offense to go along with the leagues top rated defense. In football, styles make the fight. Super Bowl XXXVI is a prime example of that.
#3: 2014 SEAHAWKS: Patriots 28-24: The Patriots prevailed in the greatest Super Bowl ever played. The Seahawks were the defending champions while the Patriots had not won a Super Bowl in nine seasons. Seahawks had an all-time defense to go along with quarterback, Russell, Wilson, and running back Marshawn Lynch.
#2: 1996 PACKERS, Packers 35-21: The only team to lead the league in both offense and defense in the same season, the ‘96 Packers are often overlooked as an all-time great team. An offense led by an in his prime Brett Favre and a defense led by perhaps the greatest defensive player in league history, Reggie White makes Green Bay tough to not rank number one. However…
#1 1985 BEARS, Bears 46-10: The most memorable single-season team in league history, the ‘85 Bears had a legendary defense, and an offense led by incomparable running back Walter Peyton. Add a dash of cocky quarterback Jim McMahon, the Baker Mayfield of his day, along with larger than life head coach Mike Ditka, made Da Bears must see TV. They beat the Patriots 46-10 in a game that didn’t even seem that close.
Patriot fans should feel privileged that their team will be playing in its 12th Super Bowl in 41 years.
Enjoy this. It is unprecedented.