The New England Patriots are your 2017 Super Bowl Champions. The Patriots finished the 2016-17 NFL season with 14 wins and a 1st place finish in the AFC East. They defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime in Super Bowl LI. The Patriots are looking to repeat in the 2017-18 season.
Formed in 1960, the New England Patriots are a professional football team based in Foxborough, MA. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) in the AFC East division against rivals Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, and New York Jets. The team plays its home games at Gillette Stadium in front of 66,000 football fans. An original member of the American Football League (AFL), the Patriots joined the NFL in the 1970 merger of the two leagues. The team changed its name from the original Boston Patriots after relocating to Foxborough in 1971. Jim Lee Hunt, Bruce Armstrong, John Hannah, and Steve Nelson are just a few of the Pro Football Hall of Famers to play for the franchise over the years.
The Miami Dolphins finished the 2016 NFL season with a record of 10 and 6. The Dolphins made the NFL Playoffs, however, lost in the Wild Card Game to the Pittsburgh Steelers. They finished 2nd in the AFC East. The Dolphins are looking to improve on that playoff record for the 2017-18 NFL season.
Founded in 1966, the Miami Dolphins are a professional football franchise based in the Miami Gardens, FL. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) in the AFC East division against rivals New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, and New York Jets. The Dolphins play their home games at Hard Rock Stadium in front of 65,000 football fans. The Dolphins and the Atlanta Falcons (who also began play in 1966) are the oldest NFL franchises in the Deep South, and Miami is the oldest AFC team in that region. The team made its first Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl VI, but lost to the Dallas Cowboys, 24–3. The following year, the Dolphins completed the NFL’s only perfect season culminating in a Super Bowl win, winning all 14 of their regular-season games, both of their NFL playoff games, and Super Bowl VII. The 1972 Dolphins were the third NFL team to accomplish a perfect regular season, and won Super Bowl VIII, becoming the first team to appear in three consecutive Super Bowls, and the second team (the first AFL/AFC team) to win back-to-back championships. For most of their early history, the Dolphins were coached by Don Shula, the most successful head coach in professional football history in terms of total games won.