Franchise Moments: 
Patriots' Defining Moment of the Last Decade
In the past decade, the Patriots Dynasty reached its zenith serving as the NFL's Evil Empire, blew up like the Death Star, and found a young yet talented Jedi quarterback to guide it back to the Super Bowl.
But what was "Patriots' Most Defining Moment Of The Past Decade?" We take a look here as part of a larger series determining the most defining moment of the past decade for each NFL franchise.
The defining moments of the Patriots' first 40 years included Super Bowl blowout losses, home games played at Fenway Park and Boston University, and dysfunction on and off the field.
Then came Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.
And an unmatched anywhere in the NFL run of 17 playoff appearances, 9 AFC championships and 6 rings from 2001-19.
The most impressive part of "The Dynasty" remains the consistency of playoff-caliber football over that span. The Patriots never finished below .500 during that 19-season run. Brady and Belichick guided the Patriots to Super Bowl victories on Feb. 2, 2002, and on Feb. 3, 2019.
Same result. Same day. Seventeen years apart.
Theo GremmingerSee Theo's personal rankings, tiers, and draft targets.View RankingsRotoWire Analyst
Ian HartitzSee Ian's personal rankings, tiers, and draft targets.View RankingsRotoWire Analyst
Jagger MaySee Jagger's personal rankings, tiers, and draft targets.View RankingsRotoWire Analyst
Jim CoventrySee Jim's personal rankings, tiers, and draft targets.View RankingsRotoWire Analyst
Jeff EricksonSee Jeff's personal rankings, tiers, and draft targets.View RankingsRotoWire Analyst
Jerry DonabedianSee Jerry's personal rankings, tiers, and draft targets.View RankingsRotoWire Analyst
Mario PuigSee Mario's personal rankings, tiers, and draft targets.View RankingsThe Most Defining Moment – Super Bowl 51 Comeback
"Toss to White. Heeeeeee's in. Patriots win the Super Bowl. Brady has his fifth."
– Joe Buck
Ahead of the 2026 season, The RotoWire Expert Panel voted to select the single most franchise-defining moment from the last 10 years for all 32 NFL teams.
For the Patriots, the choices are difficult. During that time frame, the team appeared in three consecutive Super Bowls, saw Brady (and later Rob Gronkowski set sail to Tampa Bay), and turned a pair of 4-13 seasons into a 14-3 run that ended at Super Bowl 60.
The RotoWire Expert Panel chose James White's TD run in overtime to end Super Bowl 51 as the "Patriots' Most Defining Moment Of The Past Decade." White's 2-yard, toss-sweep to the right on 2nd-and-goal culminated New England's Homeric 28-3 comeback against the Falcons. White extended the ball over the goal line just before his knee hit the ground.
There are probably half-a-dozen plays from that game alone that arguably belong on this list. Julian Edelman's tipped-ball-reach-and-grab 23-yard catch while falling to the ground in the with 2:28 to play in the game comes in at No. 2 in our "Patriots' Most Defining Moment Of The Past Decade" list.
White would score the first of his two touchdowns in the game four plays later.
That season began with Brady missing four games due to his Deflategate suspension. The suspension, which came after a federal appeals court reversed a lower court ruling in Brady's favor, lands at No. 4 on our "Patriots' Most Defining Moment Of The Past Decade" list.
Tampa Tom Changed Course Of 2 Franchises
Brady's decision to leave New England and sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March of 2020 comes in at No. 3 in the "Patriots' Most Defining Moment Of The Past Decade" list. Brady's departure continues to stir debate from Waterville, Maine to Waterbury, Connecticut. Brady sought a two-year deal ahead of the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Belichick balked. Robert Kraft sided with his irascible coach. And his impenetrable wallet.
The Patriots soon dealt their rights to the retired Gronkowski to Tompa Bay. Two future Hall of Famers bolted Foxboro in the span of a few weeks – during a pandemic. That trigged a four-season Patriots lockdown on and off the field.
In Brady, the Patriots carried a starting QB who did not miss a game due to injury after the 2008 season for the rest of his career.
While Brady won Super Bowls and earned three straight playoff berths in Tampa Bay, the Patriots churned through Cam Newton, Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe, and Brian Hoyer as starting QBs before drafting Drake Maye in 2024.
Meanwhile, after enjoying a quarter-century of stability on the sidelines, Kraft would employ three different head coaches in just two years.
Under Mike Vrabel as head coach last season, the team washed four seasons of futility with a stellar turnaround. At the start of 2025, New England stood at +3000 to win the AFC, +550 to win the AFC East, +158 to make the playoffs, and held an over/under win total of 8.5, according to BetMGM.
Robert Kraft Arrest More Fuel For Patriots Haters
The No. 5 and final moment on our "Patriots' Most Defining Moment Of The Past Decade" list: Kraft's arrest as part of a human trafficking investigation in South Florida.
Kraft allegedly paid for sex from two workers at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Florida, on two consecutive days in January 2019. One of those days fell on the same day of the 2018 AFC Championship Game, won by the Patriots over the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in overtime.
The case stirred national attention. It added to the list of particulars for rabid Patriots Haters, alongside "Spygate," "Deflatgate," and Brady's general awesomeness. However, a judge ruled that video and audio evidence against Kraft and several other defendants could not be used at trial. Charges of soliciting prostitution against Kraft were dropped.
