October 7, 2026
October 7, 2026
2007 New England Patriots: Almost Perfect
Not since the 1972 Miami Dolphins had a team in the NFL gone through an entire regular season undefeated. Since the Dolphins accomplished that feat, many teams had tried to match it, only to fall short of the lofty goal. In 2007, the New England Patriots positioned themselves to chase history, and they very nearly succeeded.
The 2007 Patriots went 16-0, easily winning the AFC East. Before the season began, New England traded second- and seventh-round picks in the 2007 NFL Draft to the Miami Dolphins for wide receiver Wes Welker, then sent a fourth-round pick to the Oakland Raiders for star wide receiver Randy Moss. Welker finished the season with 112 receptions for 1,175 yards and 8 touchdowns, while Moss put together arguably the best season of his career: 98 receptions for 1,493 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Moss and Welker weren’t the only ones putting up big numbers on offense. Wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth had 46 receptions for 697 yards and 3 touchdowns, and wide receiver Jabar Gaffney added 36 receptions for 449 yards and 5 touchdowns. Tight end Benjamin Watson caught 36 passes for 389 yards and 6 touchdowns. Running back Laurence Maroney rushed for 835 yards on 185 attempts and scored 6 touchdowns, while running back Kevin Faulk contributed 47 receptions for 383 yards and 1 touchdown.
Orchestrating the near-flawless offense was quarterback Tom Brady, who set career bests across the board. Brady completed 398 of 578 pass attempts for 4,806 yards and threw a staggering 50 touchdown passes, a performance that anchored the 2007 Patriots’ historic run.
New England’s special teams units also made an impact. Cornerback Ellis Hobbs returned 35 kicks for 911 yards and 1 touchdown, while Welker added 25 punt returns for 249 yards.
New England’s defense played just as important a role, stopping opposing offenses from generating any momentum. Inside linebacker Tedy Bruschi led the defense with 64 tackles to go along with 2 sacks. Outside linebacker Mike Vrabel had 55 tackles, 12.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles. Inside linebacker Adalius Thomas contributed 57 tackles, 6.5 sacks, an interception he returned 65 yards for a touchdown, and 2 forced fumbles. Inside linebacker Junior Seau added 58 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 3 interceptions.
Safety James Sanders had 52 tackles, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. Strong safety Rodney Harrison recorded 54 tackles, 2 sacks and 1 interception. Defensive end Ty Warren had 4 sacks and 3 fumble recoveries, while defensive end Jarvis Green added 6.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery. Free safety Eugene Wilson returned an interception for a touchdown and also recovered a fumble. Outside linebacker Rosevelt Colvin closed out the unit with 4 sacks, 1 interception, 3 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a touchdown.
Having completed the regular season undefeated, the Patriots faced the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Divisional Round on January 12, 2008, and beat the Jaguars 21-10. Brady completed 26 of 28 pass attempts for 262 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Maroney ran the ball well, gaining 122 yards on 22 carries and scoring 1 touchdown.
The Jaguars scored first in the 1st quarter when quarterback David Garrard threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Matt Jones. The Patriots answered with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Benjamin Watson, then took the lead in the 2nd quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by Laurence Maroney. Jacksonville wide receiver Ernest Wilford caught a 6-yard touchdown pass before halftime. In the 3rd quarter, Wes Welker caught a 6-yard touchdown pass, Jaguars kicker Josh Scobee kicked a 39-yard field goal, and Watson caught a 9-yard touchdown pass. After Scobee added a 25-yard field goal in the 4th quarter, Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 35-yard field goal to keep the game out of Jacksonville’s reach.
Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, hosted another successful Patriots performance as New England defeated the San Diego Chargers 21-12 in the AFC Championship Game on January 20. Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding opened the scoring with a 26-yard field goal in the 1st quarter, but New England took control in the 2nd quarter. Maroney scored on a 1-yard touchdown run, and after Kaeding kicked a 23-yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-6, Jabar Gaffney caught a 12-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-6. Kaeding added a third field goal from 40 yards, then a fourth from 24 yards in the 3rd quarter. The Patriots put the game away with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Welker in the 4th quarter.
The Patriots appeared primed to complete a historic and unprecedented season as they took on the NFC Champion New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Las Vegas oddsmakers favored the Patriots by 12 points, and when the two teams had met in Week 17 of the regular season on December 29 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the Patriots had beaten the Giants 38-35 to complete their undefeated regular season.
However, the Giants’ defense kept Brady in check for most of Super Bowl XLII, harassing him with various defensive formations, especially the “NASCAR Package” involving defensive ends Justin Tuck, Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora. The Giants won the Super Bowl in dramatic fashion, 17-14.
Brady completed 29 of 48 pass attempts for 266 yards and 1 touchdown, while also losing a fumble. Welker had 11 receptions for 103 yards. Randy Moss added 5 receptions for 62 yards and 1 touchdown.
While the season ended on a bittersweet note, the New England Patriots nevertheless left a lasting mark in the NFL record books, winning 18 games in a row in convincing fashion before their bid for perfection fell just short.
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