The season may have ended one game sooner than Patriots fans hoped but that doesn't mean there weren't a lot of moments worth remembering in 2015. What better way to take a look back at the season than with our annual PFW Lighthouse Awards?
Enjoy our unique view of the past season.
MVP: ROB GRONKOWSKI
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It's always tough to choose between Tom Brady and Gronk but the differences in the offense when the tight end isn't at full strength are just too striking to ignore. Any lingering doubts were erased with Gronk's performance in Denver.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: TOM BRADY
We couldn't let Brady's tremendous season go completely unrecognized. At the age of 38 he tossed 36 touchdowns and just seven picks while finishing with a 102.2 passer rating, his best since 2011.
OFFENSIVE PLAY OF THE YEAR: GRONK'S TD AT DENVER
Describing the superhuman effort Gronk made to split two defenders in the back of the end zone while catching the potential game-tying touchdown is impossible, so we'll simply let it live as our play of the year.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: MALCOLM BUTLER
This was another tough choice but Butler squeaks past Jamie Collins in part because he played all 16 games. Butler took on the opponents' top receiver most weeks and more often than not held his own. He also did so under the pressure of replacing Darrelle Revis.
DEFENSIVE PLAY OF THE YEAR: BUTLER'S PD ON ODELL BECKHAM AT NYG
Butler's tenacity was on full display with the game on the line in the Meadowlands when he stripped Beckham in the end zone to help force the Giants to kick a field goal.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: MALCOM BROWN
The first-round pick was billed as Vince Wilfork's replacement and he delivered. He led all defensive tackles with 48 tackles and added 3 sacks while helping solidify the Patriots run defense.
DANTE AWARD: BRENDAN DALY
This award for the best assistant coach is just three years old but with its namesake returning we may have to retire it. Until then, Daly gets the honor for his work with the dominant front that stuffed the run and got after the passer consistently all year.
HOUSE PARTY AWARD: WHITE HOUSE TRIP
Super Bowl titles usually end with trips to the White House and the Patriots celebrated their fourth championship in Washington with President Obama.
SKETCH COMEDY AWARD: JANE ROSENBERG
You remember Rosenberg, the artist whose hideous renderings of Brady during his court proceedings surrounding deflategate generated almost as much buzz as the scandal itself?
OFFSEASON ACT-IVITIES AWARD: BRADY, GRONK, EDELMAN
In the aftermath of winning the Super Bowl several Patriots enjoyed their time in the spotlight. The offense showed off its acting chops with cameos in "Entourage" and "Ted."
HOMETOWN HEROES AWARD: RANDY MOSS/JERRY WEST
A pair of West Virginia legends were on hand in White Sulphur Springs to take in joint practices between the Patriots and Saints in August.
SCARDEY CAT AWARD: ROGER GOODELL
After losing to Brady in court, the Commissioner lost again when he failed to show up for the NFL opener in Foxborough. Of course he had to uphold the time-honored tradition of attending the Packers-Bears game instead.
ALL FOUR ONE AWARD: OPENING NIGHT BANNER RAISING
The Patriots unveiled their fourth Super Bowl banner and a four-tight-end offense, which resulted in three touchdowns in New England's 28-21 victory over Pittsburgh.
WHO'S HE AWARD: REX RYAN
The loquacious Bills coach claimed he didn't know the name of the Patriots running back. Then Dion Lewis racked up 138 yards from scrimmage and scored a touchdown in the Patriots 40-32 win.
50 BURGER AWARD: JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
The high-flying Patriots offense hung 51 points on the lowly Jags, and did so in seemingly effortless fashion.
SUPERMAN AWARD; JULIAN EDELMAN
The explosive slot receiver shot through the air while diving for a touchdown in Buffalo, leaving several Bills defenders in his wake.
WITTEN-ESS PROTECTION AWARD: JASON WITTEN
The Cowboys tight end is headed to the Hall of Fame but Patrick Chung and the rest of the Patriots secondary made him disappear in Dallas.
IT'S ELECTRIC AWARD: LEWIS' TD IN DALLAS
It went down as a simple 10-yard screen pass for a touchdown but we lost count of how many Cowboys defenders Lewis made miss in the open field. It was the signature moment of his brief but electric season.
'SPECIAL' MOMENT AWARD: THE COLTS ATTEMPTED TRICK PLAY
Chuck Pagano's attempt at trickery fell flat as Indy's punt team lined up on the sideline with just a center and quarterback on the ball. The disastrous play went nowhere, unless you count the hits it racked up on Twitter.
LEAP YEAR AWARD: JAMIE COLLINS BLOCKED PAT IN INDY
Same game, special teams involved again, different result. Collins' perfectly-timed leap allowed him to block Adam Vinatieri's PAT with ease, leaving even his teammates in awe of the linebacker's athleticism.
IMODIUM AWARD: PATRIOTS DEFENSIVE FRONT
There were some early-season struggles stopping the run but once the front seven got in gear it was a much different story. That began when the Patriots shut down Chris Ivory (41 yards) and the Jets in October.
POWER OUTAGE AWARD: LEWIS AGAINST WASHINGTON
Unfortunately Lewis's season ended prematurely when he tore his ACL making a cut against the Redskins. It was only half a season but his impact was immense.
CHESS/CHECKERS AWARD: BILL BELICHICK/DAN CAMPBELL
The Dolphins interim coach may have the biggest biceps in coaching but when it came to matching wits with Belichick in a Thursday night affair it was no contest.
JUST DESSERTS AWARD: STEPHEN GOSTKOWSKI
For all of Gostkowski's accomplishments as a Patriot he had barely any opportunities to boot dramatic game-winners. His 54-yarder at the gun against the Giants capped an All-Pro season for the game's best kicker.
WHISTLE BLOWER AWARD: GARY ARTHUR
The line judge lost sight of the ball and inadvertently blew his whistle as Danny Amendola caught a pass from Brady in a Monday nighter against the Bills. It had to be one of the strangest plays of the season.
HARPER'S BIZARRE DECISION AWARD: CHRIS HARPER
Practice squad call-up Chris Harper decided to try to field a punt in the snow in Denver with the Patriots leading 21-7 in the fourth quarter. His muff kick-started the Broncos comeback.
SNOW KNEE-D TO WORRY AWARD: GRONKOWSKI
The sight of Gronk pounding the snowy Denver turf in pain was enough to give any Patriots fan nightmares. Fortunately the tight end escaped serious injury and was back just two weeks later.
SHELL SHOCKED AWARD: MORTAR KICK AGAINST PHILLY
With his team in command 14-0, Bill Belichick had Nate Ebner attempt a drop-kick, mortar-style onside kick but it fooled no one. The Eagles converted the favorable field position into a touchdown and never looked back.
RETURN TO SENDER AWARD: BRADY'S CATCH AGAINST PHILLY
Brady is usually the one throwing the passes but with the Patriots desperately trying to come back from a huge deficit against the Eagles he was on the receiving end of an Amendola throw for 36 yards.
PATRIOTS RETURN AWARD: THE HOUSTON GAME
Houston's numerous ties to the Patriots gave the Texans game a reunion-type feel, and New England's easy victory made it a happy one.
DEBUTANTE baLL AWARD: LEONARD JOHNSON
The corner made his Patriots debut in Houston and celebrated a couple of plays with impressive dance moves that impressed the fans if not his coach.
AKIEM'S DREAM AWARD: AKIEM HICKS
The Patriots best trade came in acquiring the defensive tackle, and one of his best plays came against Tennessee when he scooped up a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown.
TRUCK NO. 47 AWARD: JOEY IOSEFA
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Fresh off the practice squad, Iosefa got plenty of work against the Titans. His most memorable play by far came when he barreled over safety Coty Sensabaugh for a 15-yard pickup.
RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS AWARD: BILL BELICHICK
Like the famous LA band, Belichick chose to give it away at the start of overtime and he never got it back as the Jets drove 80 yards for the winning touchdown.
WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT AWARD: GAME PLAN IN MIAMI
The first 18 plays of the season finale at Miami featured running backs, leaving Patriots fans everywhere scratching their heads as the team had to settle for the No. 2 seed in the AFC.
COREY DILLON AWARD: ANDY REID
Clock Killing Corey Dillon did his thing by running the ball down the stretch. Clock Killing Andy Reid's deliberate style cost the Chiefs a chance to come back in their 27-20 loss to the Patriots in the playoffs.
BLOCKER'S BLOCK AWARD: PATRIOTS OFFENSIVE LINE
When writers have a hard time writing, it's called writers' block. When offensive linemen have a hard time blocking … the season ends in Denver.
BEST IN SHOW AWARD: GRONKOWSKI
Our MVP keeps showing up and his performance in Denver was truly special. He single-handedly willed his team into the end zone for a chance to tie in the waning seconds, and he was open for the two-point conversion as well.
RUNNING MAN AWARD: BRADY IN PLAYOFFS
Not known for his running, Brady was Russell Wilson-like in the playoffs. He turned in two of the team's three longest runs and he nearly led the team in rushing in the postseason.
