The New England Patriots suffered a loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 15, officially eliminating them from the playoffs this season. As a result of missing the playoffs this season, this is New England's first year not making the postseason since the 2008 season, per NFL Research.
The Patriots are eliminated from playoff contention…
That snaps a streak of 11 straight seasons making the playoffs (2009-2019), which was the longest such streak in NFL history
— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) December 20, 2020
Before their streak ended on Sunday, the Patriots had made the playoffs in 11 straight seasons from 2009-19, which was an NFL record. Of course, the departure of Tom Brady and the number of opt-outs due to COVID-19 loomed large for New England this season.
However, this season still didn't go as expected for Bill Belichick and his squad. Despite signing Cam Newton to replace Brady, New England's offense has been dismal and they still lack firepower in their wide receiver corps.
At the same time, the defense wasn't nearly as dominant as it was a season ago. Though, most of the opt-outs that the Patriots had came on the defensive side of the football.
There's no doubt that New England had the best dynasty in NFL history, arguably in sports history. For two decades, the Patriots dominated the AFC East and won six Super Bowls.
It should be noted that the last time the Patriots failed to make the playoffs was in 2008 when Brady sustained a season-ending knee injury. Even without Brady that year, New England somehow went 11-5 and fell short of making the playoffs.
Besides missing the postseason, the Patriots aren't going to finish the season with a winning record. This will be the first time that New England hasn't had a winning record since the 2000 season.
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