Description
The 1985 New England Patriots season was the 16th season for the team in the National Football League and 26th season overall. The Patriots had a record of eleven wins and five losses, and finished tied for second in the AFC East Division. They then became the first team in NFL history ever to advance to the Super Bowl by winning 3 playoff games on the road, defeating the New York Jets 26–14, the Los Angeles Raiders, 27–20, and the Miami Dolphins 31–14, in the AFC Championship game. The Patriots’ win in Miami was their first victory in that stadium since 1969.
But despite the Patriots’ success in the playoffs, they proved unable to compete with the acclaimed 17–1 Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX, losing 46–10 in what was at the time the most lopsided defeat in Super Bowl history. “We couldn’t protect the quarterback, and that was my fault. I couldn’t come up with a system to handle the Bears’ pass rush”, head coach Raymond Berry acknowledged.