Check out some of the top players set to play at Gillette Stadium versus the Patriots during the 2016 NFL season.
Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy (25) carries the ball during the first half of an NFL football game against the Washington Redskins in Landover, Md., Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins (14) makes a catch during the second half of an NFL football game against the New York Jets Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Bill Wippert)
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry (14) runs during the first half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills Sunday, Nov. 8, 2015, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Bill Wippert)
Miami Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker, right, pushjes off San Diego Chargers cornerback Adrian Phillips during the second half in an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)
Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (93) walks the sidelines during the first half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016 in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
FILE - In this Dec. 6, 2015, file photo, Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte (22) rushes against the San Francisco 49ers during an NFL football game in Chicago. Forte, a two-time Pro Bowl running back announced on Instagram Friday, Feb. 12, 2016, morning that the team informed him this week it will not offer him a contract for next season. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) stays warm during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016, in Orchard Park, N.Y. The Bills won, 22-17. (AP Photo/Bill Wippert)
New York Jets wide receiver Eric Decker (87) reaches up to catch a pass in the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade)
New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis (24) celebrates after New England Patriots' Tom Brady was sacked during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith (89) makes a catch as Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson (21) defends during the second half of an NFL football game, Monday, Oct. 26, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. The Cardinals won 26-18. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Baltimore Ravens running back Justin Forsett (29) carries the ball during the first half of an NFL football game against the San Diego Chargers in Baltimore, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green (18) can't make the catch in the end zone against the Denver Broncos during the second half of an NFL football game, Monday, Dec. 28, 2015, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
Cincinnati Bengals' Jeremy Hill (32) celebrates after a 1-yard touchdown run during the second half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Gary Landers)
Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert (85) sits up after scoring a touchdown in the first half of an NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Gary Landers)
Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins (97) is seen in action during an NFL preseason football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on Monday, August 24, 2015 in Tampa, Florida. Tampa Bay won 25-11. (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
St. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley (30) leaps over Seattle Seahawks free safety Earl Thomas (29) during an NFL football game on Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015 in Seattle. (Peter Read Miller via AP)
St. Louis Rams wide receiver Tavon Austin (11) against the San Francisco 49ers during an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald takes up his position during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Billy Hurst)
Seattle Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls (34) runs away from Baltimore Ravens inside linebacker Daryl Smith (51) during the first half an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin (89) makes a catch as Carolina Panthers defensive back Robert McClain (27) looks on during the first half of an NFL divisional playoff football game, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson #3 in action during the NFC divisional playoff game against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, January 17, 2016, in Charlotte, NC. (Margaret Bowles via AP Images)
Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett (72) rests during an NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. The Seahawks won the game, 36-6. (Greg Trott via AP)
Seattle Seahawks strong safety Kam Chancellor #31 in action during the NFC divisional playoff game against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, January 17, 2016, in Charlotte, NC. (Margaret Bowles via AP Images)
Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman (25) reacts during an NFL divisional playoff football game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016 in Charlotte, N.C. Carolina won 31-24. (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
Seattle Seahawks middle linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) is seen in action during an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015 in Seattle. Seattle won 30-13. (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) catches a pass as Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith (21) defends during an NFL football Wild Card playoff game on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016 in Houston. (Peter Read Miller via AP)
Miami Dolphins running back Lamar Miller (26) rushes upfield against the New England Patriots Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016 at Miami Gardens, Fla. The Dolphins won 20 - 10 to end the NFL football regular season. (Al Messerschmidt via AP)
Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) celebrates during an NFL wild card playoff football game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016, in Houston. Kansas City won 30-0. (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
January 10, 2015: Patriots 35, Ravens 31 (HOME)
AFC Divisional Round
New England overcame two separate 14-point deficits to advance to their fourth straight AFC Championship Game after capturing a 35-31 victory over Baltimore in the AFC Divisional Round at Gillette Stadium. A Steve Smith 9-yard touchdown reception put Baltimore ahead 14-0 just over ten minutes into the first quarter, however, New England fought back to tie the game at 14 apiece following a 4-yard Tom Brady touchdown scramble and a 15-yard touchdown pass to Danny Amendola. With momentum back on their side, the Patriots had possession with less than two minutes left in the half but turned the ball over on a Tom Brady interception, allowing Baltimore to gain a 21-14 lead going into the half. A 16-yard touchdown reception from Justin Forsett on their first possession of the second half gave the Ravens their second 14-point lead of the game. In front of a nervous Gillette Stadium crowd, New England began emptying the playbook on a series of consecutive scoring drives capped off by a 51-yard touchdown pass from wide receiver Julian Edelman to Danny Amendola that tied the game at 28. Following a fourth-quarter field goal to give Baltimore the lead, Brady marched the offense 74 yards on ten plays resulting in a 23-yard touchdown reception by Brandon LaFell that put New England ahead for good and secured the largest playoff comeback victory in franchise history.
October 5, 2014: Patriots 43, Bengals 17 (HOME)
Following a Monday Night Football loss at Kansas City, New England turned the page "On To Cincinnati" by coming out roaring to an early 14-0 first quarter lead highlighted by a 1-yard Stevan Ridley touchdown run and a 17-yard touchdown reception by tight end Tim Wright. Taking a 20-3 lead into the second half, the Patriots tacked on two more third quarter touchdowns on a 16-yard Rob Gronkowski touchdown reception and a 9-yard fumble return for a score by Kyle Arrington on the ensuing kickoff that gave New England a commanding 34-10 lead. Tom Brady became the sixth player in NFL history to eclipse the 50,000 yards passing mark in the l43-17 victory on Sunday Night Football.
October 28, 2012: Patriots 45, Rams 7 (London)
On their second trip ever to Wembley Stadium in London as a part of the NFL's International Series, New England fell behind early 7-0 on a 50-yard touchdown pass from Sam Bradford to Chris Givens. From there the Patriots marched full steam ahead on four-straight offensive scoring drives to pull ahead 28-7 at the half as a result of two Tom Brady touchdown passes and a pair of 1-yard rushing touchdowns from Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen. New England would tack on 17 more unanswered second-half points on a Stephen Gostkowski field goal and two more air strikes from Brady that kept the Patriots ahead for good with a 45-7 victory. The balanced approach resulted in 127 yards on the day for Ridley while Brady led the way through the air with 304 yards passing to go along with his four touchdowns.
February 1, 2015: Patriots 28, Seahawks 24
Super Bowl XLIX
In their league-tying eighth Super Bowl appearance, the New England Patriots overcame a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to capture the organization's fourth championship. After a scoreless first quarter, New England and Seattle traded scores on the way to a 14-14 tie at the half. The second of two Tom Brady first half touchdown passes, a 22-yard strike to Rob Gronkowski, gave New England a 14-7 lead with under a minute to play in the second quarter but a 5-play, 80-yard scoring drive by Seattle tied the game at 14-14 at the half. Ten third-quarter points put Seattle ahead 24-14 heading into the fourth quarter, but New England saved their best for last on both sides of the ball. A key defensive stop early in the fourth quarter, helped in large part by a third down Rob Ninkovich sack, gave Tom Brady and the New England offense the ball back with 12:10 left in their season. Brady led a 9-play, 68-yard drive, converting on two third-and-long passes that culminated in a 4-yard Danny Amendola touchdown reception that brought New England to within three at 24-21. One more defensive stop gave New England the ball back with 6:52 left in the game, at which time Brady led the offense on a 10-play, 64-yard drive capped off by a 3-yard touchdown pass to Julian Edelman that put them ahead 28-24. Seattle drove 79-yards down the field on six plays, highlighted by a Jermaine Kearse 33-yard circus catch, reaching the 1-yard line with under a minute left and the opportunity to take the lead and likely the game from New England. However, with 26 seconds to go defensive back Malcolm Butler stepped in front of a Russell Wilson pass to make the game-clinching interception and give New England their fourth Super Bowl title in dramatic fashion.
December 13, 2015: Patriots 27, Texans 6 (Away)
The Patriots clinched a playoff spot behind two first-half touchdown passes from Tom Brady that sent New England into the half with a 17-6 lead. The Patriots led from start to finish, getting out to an early 7-0 lead on a 2-yard touchdown reception by Keshawn Martin and never looked back. A dominating defensive effort by New England from there resulted in just 189 total yards for Houston, seven first downs, and six sacks given up. An early fourth quarter 2-yard touchdown run by James White put the game out of reach at 27-6, paving the way for the Patriots' sixth straight 11-win season.
December 8, 2013: Patriots 27, Browns 26 (Home)
A slow start by the Patriots put them behind 6-0 at the half, a deficit that only grew in the third quarter after an 80-yard catch and run by Cleveland WR Josh Gordon put the Browns on top 19-3. The Patriots mounted their first touchdown drive of the day on the ensuing possession, capped off by a 6-yard Shane Vereen touchdown run. Vereen's versatility allowed him to set new franchise records in both receptions and receiving yards by a Patriots RB, with 12 and 153 respectively. However, Cleveland seemed to put the game away on QB Jason Campbell's third touchdown pass of the day to give the Browns a 26-14 lead with 2:39 left in the game. A quick drive by the Patriots finished with a 2-yard Julian Edelman touchdown reception to cut the lead to 26-21 with 1:01 to play. A well-executed onside kick by Stephen Gostkowski and recovery by CB Kyle Arrington gave New England possession with a chance to take their first lead of the game. And they did just that following Tom Brady's 1-yard touchdown strike to Danny Amendola that put New England ahead 27-26 for good.
September 10, 2015: Patriots 28, Steelers 21 (Home)
A banner night, both before the game and during, gave New England their first victory of the 2015 season, as they kicked off the campaign with a celebration of the organization's fourth Super Bowl championship captured in front of a sold-out Gillette Stadium crowd. After a scoreless first quarter, two Rob Gronkowski touchdown receptions allowed the Patriots to jump out to a 14-3 lead going into halftime. Tom Brady's success continued in the second half, adding two more touchdown passes, including a third to Gronkowski on a 1-yard pass to put New England ahead 28-14 with under 10 minutes to play. A late Pittsburgh score wasn't enough to spoil the celebration as the 28-21 victory gave Tom Brady his 161st career win as the starting quarterback, surpassing Brett Favre [160 with Green Bay] for the most wins by a starting quarterback with one team.
September 16, 2012: Cardinals 20, Patriots 18 (Home)
The Patriots were fortunate to make it to halftime tied at six after Tom Brady's first pass attempt of the game was intercepted by Arizona CB Patrick Peterson. A 51-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski on the first drive of the second half gave the Patriots a 9-6 lead, however, it would be their only lead of the game as two second half scoring drives by Arizona put them ahead 20-9 early in the fourth quarter. Pulling to within two at 20-18 following a 5-yard touchdown reception by tight end Rob Gronkowski with just over two minutes to play, the Patriots needed help from their defense to make a last attempt at victory. A forced fumble by Brandon Spikes, on a hit of Ryan Williams, and recovery by Vince Wilfork gave New England the help they needed as they gained possession at the Arizona 30-yard line with just 1:01 to play. But the help was short-lived due to a 42-yard field goal attempt by Stephen Gostkowski that sailed wide left with one second left to play, securing Arizona's 20-18 victory. Among the notable plays of the day, WR Wes Welker became New England's all-time reception leader on a second quarter 25-yard catch for his 558th all-time in a Patriots uniform, surpassing Troy Brown's 557 career catches.
December 16, 2012: 49ers 41, Patriots 34 (Home)
The Patriots showed true resiliency in a cold and rainy Sunday Night Football matchup, overcoming a 31-3 third-quarter deficit to tie the game before ultimately falling 41-34 at home to the San Francisco 49ers. New England scored touchdowns on four straight possessions in the second half, the last coming on a game-tying 1-yard run by Danny Woodhead. San Francisco responded on a 38-yard touchdown pass from QB Colin Kaepernick to WR Michael Crabtree to put the 49ers back in front 38-31. A late exchange of field goals by San Francisco and New England put the score at 41-34 and handed the Patriots their first home loss in the month of December in the past 21 games.
January 24, 2016: Broncos 20, Patriots 18 (Away)
AFC Championship Game
The Patriots record-tying fifth consecutive trip to the AFC Championship Game ended in heartbreak, as a potential game-tying two point conversion attempt by New England failed, ending the Patriots 2015 campaign. Following a 21-yard touchdown reception by Denver TE Owen Daniels, the Patriots appeared to have tied the game on a 1-yard Steven Jackson touchdown run late in the first quarter. However, a missed extra point by K Stephen Gostkowski (his first missed PAT since his 2006 rookie season), kept Denver in the lead 7-6. The Broncos remained ahead 17-9 at the start of the second half before each team traded field goals to put Denver in front 20-12 with just over 10 minutes to play in the game. A drive deep into Denver territory by New England with just over two minutes to play resulted in a turnover on downs but the Patriots comeback attempt was not finished yet. After the defense forced a three-and-out, Tom Brady led a valiant eight-play, 50-yard drive, highlighted by an over-the-shoulder 40-yard catch on fourth-and-10 by Rob Gronkowski. Gronkowski added more fourth-down heroics four plays later when he hauled in a 4-yard touchdown reception on 4th-and-four to bring the Patriots to within two at 20-18. The season came to an abrupt halt on the next play when Tom Brady's two point conversion attempt was intercepted by Denver CB Bradley Roby, sending New England home in disappointing fashion.
January 3, 2016: Dolphins 20, Patriots 10 (Away)
The Patriots missed a chance to secure the top seed in the playoffs in a 20-10 loss in the season finale at Miami. New England was never able to get into an offensive rhythm but tied the game at 10 early in the third quarter on a 2-yard touchdown run by Steven Jackson. The Dolphins scored 10 unanswered points on back-to-back drives in the fourth quarter to secure the 20-10 victory. Tom Brady threw a season-low 21 times for just 134 yards and no touchdowns in the loss.
December 27, 2015: Jets 26, Patriots 20 (OT) (Away)
Tom Brady rallied the Patriots from a 17-3 deficit to tie the game at 20 with 1:55 left in the fourth quarter on a drive that saw two key fourth-down conversions from the quarterback to Rob Gronkowski. An 8-yard completion to the tight end on fourth-and-1 kept the Patriots drive alive, and a 26-yard completion on fourth-and-9 from the Jets 35-yard line brought New England to the 9-yard line. Brady hit James White on the next play for a 9-yard touchdown to tie the game at 20. A series of long pass completions in overtime brought the Jets down to the New England 6-yard line on just four plays, where Ryan Fitzpatrick connected with Eric Decker for the game-winning 6-yard touchdown pass.
November 23, 2015: Patriots 20, Bills 13 (Home)
The Patriots took a 10-3 lead into halftime of this Monday Night Football matchup after engineering a six-play, 62-yard drive that ended with a 20-yard touchdown reception by James White, the first of his career. Hanging onto a 17-10 lead in the third quarter, rookie defensive back Brandon King forced a fumble on a Bills punt return that led to a 35-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski heading into the fourth quarter. The Patriots stingy defense would only surrender three more points in the fourth quarter, and kept Buffalo from threatening as the clock expired on their final drive to give the Patriots their 13th consecutive 10-win season.
