1985 New England Patriots season

1985 New England Patriots season
Owner	Billy Sullivan (Since 1960)
General manager	Patrick Sullivan (Since 1983)
Head coach	Raymond Berry (2nd season)
Home field	Sullivan Stadium
Results
Record	11–5
Division place	3rd AFC East
Playoff finish	Won Wild Card Playoffs (Jets) 26–14 Won Divisional Playoffs (Raiders) 27–20 Won Conference Championship (Dolphins) 31–14 Lost Super Bowl XX (Bears) 10–46
Pro Bowlers	8 CB Raymond Clayborn KR Irving Fryar G John Hannah T Brian Holloway RB Craig James FS Fred Marion LB Steve Nelson LB Andre Tippett
AP All-Pros	4 G John Hannah (1st team) LB Andre Tippett (1st team) T Brian Holloway (2nd team) WR Irving Fryar (2nd team)

Craig James rushes the ball past the Dolphins' defense in the AFC Championship game.

The 1985 New England Patriots season was the franchise's 16th season in the National Football League and 26th 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 1966 and while they did defeat Miami on the road in 1969 that game was played in Tampa Bay. The win over the Dolphins in the game has gone down as one of the greatest upsets in NFL history, as the Dolphins were heavily favored.

But despite the Patriots' success in the playoffs, they proved unable to compete with the acclaimed 15–1 Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX, losing 10–46 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.

Staff

New England Patriots 1985 staff
Front office President – Billy Sullivan Executive vice president – Chuck Sullivan Vice president – Bucko Kilroy General manager – Patrick Sullivan Director of player development – Dick Steinberg Director of college scouting – Joe Mendes Director of pro scouting – Bill McPeak Head coaches Head coach – Raymond Berry Offensive coaches Quarterbacks/receivers – Les Steckel Quarterbacks/special assistant to the head coach – John Polonchek Offensive backfield – Bobby Grier Receivers – Harold Jackson Assistant head coach/offensive line – Rod Humenuik			Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Rod Rust Defensive line – Eddie Khayat Assistant defensive line – Ray Hamilton Linebackers – Don Shinnick Defensive backfield – Jim Carr Special teams coaches Special teams/tight ends – Dante Scarnecchia Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning – Dean Brittenham

Schedule

Regular season

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Game site	Record	Attendance
1	September 8, 1985	Green Bay Packers	W 26–20	Sullivan Stadium	1–0	49,488
2	September 15, 1985	at Chicago Bears	L 20–7	Soldier Field	1–1	60,533
3	September 22, 1985	at Buffalo Bills	W 17–14	Rich Stadium	2–1	40,334
4	September 29, 1985	Los Angeles Raiders	L 35–20	Sullivan Stadium	2–2	60,686
5	October 6, 1985	at Cleveland Browns	L 24–20	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	2–3	62,139
6	October 13, 1985	Buffalo Bills	W 28–6	Sullivan Stadium	3–3	40,462
7	October 20, 1985	New York Jets	W 20–13	Sullivan Stadium	4–3	58,163
8	October 27, 1985	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 32–14	Tampa Stadium	5–3	34,661
9	November 3, 1985	Miami Dolphins	W 17–13	Sullivan Stadium	6–3	58,811
10	November 10, 1985	Indianapolis Colts	W 34–15	Sullivan Stadium	7–3	54,176
11	November 17, 1985	at Seattle Seahawks	W 20–13	The Kingdome	8–3	60,345
12	November 24, 1985	at New York Jets	L 16–13	The Meadowlands	8–4	74,100
13	December 1, 1985	at Indianapolis Colts	W 38–31	Hoosier Dome	9–4	56,740
14	December 8, 1985	Detroit Lions	W 23–6	Sullivan Stadium	10–4	59,078
15	December 16, 1985	at Miami Dolphins	L 30–27	Miami Orange Bowl	10–5	69,489
16	December 22, 1985	Cincinnati Bengals	W 34–23	Sullivan Stadium	11–5	57,953

Game summaries

Week 1

1 2 3 4 Total Packers 0 6 0 14 20 • Patriots 7 12 0 7 26 Date: September 8 Location: Sullivan Stadium Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game attendance: 49,488 Game weather: 74°F; wind 10

Scoring summary Q1 9:33 NE Collins 11 yard run (Franklin kick) NE 7–0 Q2 11:40 NE Franklin 34 yard field goal NE 10–0 Q2 10:24 NE Dickey tackled by Blackmon in end zone NE 12–0 Q2 2:20 GB Ellis 1 yard run (kick failed) NE 12–6 Q2 0:08 NE Jones 3 yard pass from Eason (Franklin kick) NE 19–6 Q4 6:23 NE James 65 yard run (Franklin kick) NE 26–6 Q4 3:51 GB Coffman 8 yard pass from Dickey (Del Greco kick) NE 26–13 Q4 0:25 GB Clark 23 yard run (Del Greco kick) NE 26–20

Week 2

1 2 3 4 Total Patriots 0 0 0 7 7 • Bears 7 3 10 0 20 Date: September 15 Location: Soldier Field

Week 3

1 2 3 4 Total • Patriots 3 7 7 0 17 Bills 0 7 0 7 14 Date: September 22 Location: Rich Stadium • Orchard Park, New York Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game weather: 65°F • Wind 7

Scoring summary 1 NE Tony Franklin 32-yard field goal Patriots 3–0 2 BUF Greg Bell 16-yard pass from Vince Ferragamo (Scott Norwood kick) Bills 7–3 2 NE Tony Collins 5-yard pass from Craig James (Tony Franklin kick) Patriots 10–7 3 NE Irving Fryar 85-yard punt return (Tony Franklin kick) Patriots 17–7 4 BUF Andre Reed 18-yard pass from Vince Ferragamo (Scott Norwood kick) Patriots 17–14

Week 4

1 2 3 4 Total • Raiders 14 0 7 14 35 Patriots 10 10 0 0 20 Date: September 29 Location: Sullivan Stadium

Week 5

1 2 3 4 Total Patriots 0 13 7 0 20 • Browns 7 7 3 7 24 Date: October 6 Location: Cleveland Stadium

Week 6

1 2 3 4 Total Bills 0 3 0 0 3 • Patriots 0 0 7 7 14 Date: October 13 Location: Sullivan Stadium • Foxboro, Massachusetts Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game weather: 50°F • Wind 12

Scoring summary 2 BUF Scott Norwood 47-yard field goal Bills 3–0 3 NE Irving Fryar 16-yard pass from Steve Grogan (Tony Franklin kick) Patriots 7–3 4 NE Raymond Clayborn 27-yard interception return (Tony Franklin kick) Patriots 14–3

Week 7

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Jets	0	3	3	7	13
Patriots	3	3	0	14	20

at Sullivan Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts

• Date: October 20
• Game time: 4:00 p.m.
• Game weather: 54°F, wind 12 mph
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

First quarter Patriots – Tony Franklin 19-yard field goal – Patriots 3–0 Second quarter Jets – Pat Leahy 53-yard field goal – Tie 3–3 Patriots – Tony Franklin 44-yard field goal – Patriots 6–3 Third quarter Jets – Pat Leahy 52-yard field goal – Tie 6–6 Fourth quarter Patriots – Irving Fryar 36-yard pass from Steve Grogan (Tony Franklin kick) – Patriots 13–6 Jets – Tony Paige 2-yard run (Pat Leahy kick) – Tie 13–13 Patriots – Steve Grogan 3-yard run (Tony Franklin kick) – Patriots 20–13 Jets Ken O'Brien 15/31, 246 Yds, INT Johnny Hector 21 Rush, 80 Yds Wesley Walker 6 Rec, 140 Yds Patriots Steve Grogan 11/32, 171 Yds, TD, INT Craig James 22 Rush, 94 Yds Stanley Morgan 3 Rec, 71 Yds

Week 8

1 2 3 4 Total • Patriots 0 13 3 16 32 Buccaneers 14 0 0 0 14 Date: October 27 Location: Tampa Stadium

Week 9

1 2 3 4 Total Dolphins 7 3 3 0 13 • Patriots 0 3 0 14 17 Date: November 3 Location: Sullivan Stadium

Week 10

1 2 3 4 Total Colts 0 6 0 9 15 • Patriots 0 7 17 10 34 Date: November 10 Location: Sullivan Stadium

Week 11

1 2 3 4 Total • Patriots 0 7 0 13 20 Seahawks 0 3 10 0 13 Date: November 17 Location: Kingdome

Week 12

1 2 3 4 OT Total Patriots 0 3 0 10 0 13 • Jets 6 0 7 0 3 16 Date: November 24 Location: Giants Stadium

Week 13

1 2 3 4 Total • Patriots 7 17 0 14 38 Colts 7 10 0 14 31 Date: December 1 Location: Hoosier Dome

Week 14

1 2 3 4 Total Lions 3 0 3 0 6 • Patriots 7 10 0 6 23 Date: December 8 Location: Sullivan Stadium

Week 15

1 2 3 4 Total Patriots 7 0 3 17 27 • Dolphins 7 10 3 10 30 Date: December 16 Location: Orange Bowl Television network: ABC

Week 16

1 2 3 4 Total Bengals 3 3 7 10 23 • Patriots 10 10 0 14 34 Date: December 22 Location: Sullivan Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: 24°F, wind 12 mph

Scoring summary 1 NE Tony Franklin 25 yard field goal Patriots 3–0 1 CIN Jim Breech 42 yard field goal Tie 3–3 1 NE Stanley Morgan 50 yard pass from Tony Eason (Tony Franklin kick) Patriots 10–3 2 CIN Jim Breech 22 yard field goal Patriots 10–6 2 NE Tony Collins 9 yard run (Tony Franklin kick) Patriots 17–6 2 NE Tony Franklin 30 yard field goal Patriots 20–6 3 CIN Eddie Brown 33 yard pass from Boomer Esiason (Jim Breech kick) Patriots 20–13 4 CIN Jim Breech 30 yard field goal Patriots 20–16 4 NE Craig James 11 yard run (Tony Franklin kick) Patriots 27–16 4 CIN Cris Collinsworth 8 yard pass from Boomer Esiason (Jim Breech kick) Patriots 27–23 4 NE Robert Weathers 42 yard run (Tony Franklin kick) Patriots 34–23

After winning against the Bengals, fans stormed the field and tore down the goal posts. Fans proceeded to walk down Route 1 with the goalposts, accidentally hitting an overhead wire and nearly electrocuting themselves.

Postseason

Playoff Round	Date	Opponent	Result	Game site	Record	Attendance
Wild Card Playoff	December 28, 1985	at New York Jets	W 26–14	Meadowlands Stadium	12–5	70,958
Divisional Playoff	January 5, 1986	at LA Raiders	W 27–20	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	13–5	88,936
AFC Championship	January 12, 1986	at Miami Dolphins	W 31–14	Orange Bowl	14–5	74,978
Super Bowl XX	January 26, 1986	N Chicago Bears	L 46–10	Louisiana Superdome	14–6	73,818

Wild Card

1 2 3 4 Total • Patriots 3 10 10 3 26 Jets 0 7 7 0 14 Date: December 28 Location: Giants Stadium

Divisional

1 2 3 4 Total • Patriots 7 10 10 0 27 Raiders 3 17 0 0 20 Date: January 5 Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

Conference Championship

1 2 3 4 Total • Patriots 3 14 7 7 31 Dolphins 0 7 0 7 14 Date: January 12 Location: Orange Bowl

Super Bowl

1 2 3 4 Total • Bears 13 10 21 2 46 Patriots 3 0 0 7 10 Date: January 26 Location: Louisiana Superdome

Standings

AFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Miami Dolphins(2)	12	4	0	.750	6–2	9–3	428	320	W7
New York Jets(4)	11	5	0	.688	6–2	9–3	393	264	W1
New England Patriots(5)	11	5	0	.688	6–2	8–4	362	290	W1
Indianapolis Colts	5	11	0	.313	1–7	2–10	320	386	W2
Buffalo Bills	2	14	0	.125	1–7	2–12	200	381	L6

Roster

New England Patriots 1985 roster
Quarterbacks 11 Tony Eason 14 Steve Grogan 12 Tom Ramsey Running backs 33 Tony Collins 32 Craig James 30 Mosi Tatupu FB 24 Robert Weathers Wide receivers 80 Irving Fryar 83 Cedric Jones 86 Stanley Morgan 81 Stephen Starring 82 Derwin Williams Tight ends 87 Lin Dawson 27 Greg Hawthorne FB 88 Derrick Ramsey		Offensive Linemen 58 Pete Brock C 63 Tom Condon G 66 Paul Fairchild G 73 John Hannah G 76 Brian Holloway T 64 Trevor Matich C/G 67 Steve Moore T 75 Guy Morriss C 70 Art Plunkett T 61 Ron Wooten G Defensive linemen 85 Julius Adams DE 98 Dennis Owens NT 77 Kenneth Sims DE 99 Ben Thomas DE 60 Garin Veris DE 72 Lester Williams NT 90 Toby Williams DE		Linebackers 55 Don Blackmon OLB 51 Brian Ingram LB 50 Larry McGrew ILB 57 Steve Nelson ILB 52 Johnny Rembert ILB 95 Ed Reynolds LB 56 Andre Tippett OLB 54 Ed Williams LB Defensive backs 28 Jim Bowman S 26 Raymond Clayborn CB 43 Ernest Gibson CB 38 Roland James SS 42 Ronnie Lippett CB 31 Fred Marion FS 23 Rod McSwain S Special teams  3 Rich Camarillo P  1 Tony Franklin K