The 1985 New England Patriots season was the franchise's 16th season in the National Football League (NFL) and 26th overall. The Patriots had a record of eleven wins and five losses and finished third in the AFC East Division. They then became the first team in NFL history ever to advance to the Super Bowl by winning three playoff games on the road, defeating the New York Jets 26âÂÂ14 in the AFC Wild Card Game, the Los Angeles Raiders 27âÂÂ20 in the AFC Divisional Game and the Miami Dolphins 31âÂÂ14 in the AFC Championship Game. The Patriots' win in Miami was their first victory at the Miami Orange Bowl since 1966. The win over the Dolphins in the game has gone down as one of the greatest upsets in NFL history, as the Dolphins (the only team to defeat the Chicago Bears that year) were heavily favored.
But despite the Patriots' success in the playoffs, they proved unable to compete with the acclaimed 15âÂÂ1 Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX, losing 46âÂÂ10 in what was at the time the most lopsided defeat in Super Bowl history. The Patriots were held to a Super Bowl record of just seven rushing yards and their quarterbacks, Tony Eason and Steve Grogan, were sacked a combined seven times by the Bears defense.
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.
This was only the second postseason win in Patriots history, and the first since 1963.
In the 1985 AFC Championship Game, the Patriots ran the ball on 59 out of 71 offensive plays, amassing 255 rushing yards in an upset of the favored Dolphins.
The New England Patriots became the first team in NFL history to win three playoff games on the road in the same postseason.