The New England Patriots, commonly called
the "Pats" by sports writers and fans,[1] are a professional
American football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing
their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts. The
team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football
Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The owners
changed the name from the original Boston Patriots after relocating
the team to Foxborough in 1971, although Foxborough is a suburb
of Boston, 22 miles (35 km) away. They are currently the American
Football Conference Champions, after winning the 2007 AFC Championship
Game.
An original member of the American Football
League (AFL), the Patriots joined the NFL in the 1970 merger of
those leagues. The team advanced to the playoffs four times before
appearing in Super Bowl XX in January 1986, losing to the Chicago
Bears. The team also appeared in Super Bowl XXXI in January 1997,
losing to the Green Bay Packers.
Between 2001 and 2005, the Patriots became
the second team in NFL history (after the Dallas Cowboys) to win
three Super Bowls in four years (Super Bowl XXXVI, XXXVIII, and
XXXIX), and the eighth to win consecutive Super Bowls. The Patriots,
however, were defeated by the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII,
after winning the first 18 games of their 2007 season.