2011 New England Patriots season

2011 New England Patriots season
Head Coach	Bill Belichick
Home Field	Gillette Stadium
Results
Record	5–1
Place	1st AFC East
Playoff Finish
Uniform
Timeline
Previous season	Next season
2010	2012

The 2011 New England Patriots season is the 42nd season for the team in the National Football League and 52nd season overall.

The Patriots dedicated their 2011 season to the memory of Myra Kraft, the wife of owner Robert Kraft, who passed away in July 2011. At both home and away games, the Patriots are wearing patches bearing Kraft's initials, MHK, on their uniforms.

Offseason

2011 NFL Draft

Main article: 2011 NFL Draft

The Patriots traded their original seventh-round pick to the Atlanta Falcons for offensive lineman Quinn Ojinnaka in August 2010. The Patriots also acquired the Denver Broncos' fourth-round selection in exchange for a sixth-round selection and running back Laurence Maroney. The Patriots acquired the sixth-round selection from the New Orleans Saints in a September 2009 trade for tight end David Thomas. The team later agreed to trade the higher of its two fourth-round selections – the pick acquired from the Broncos – to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for wide receiver Deion Branch.

2011 New England Patriots Draft Selections

Round	Overall	Player	Position	College
1	17	Nate Solder	T	Colorado
2	33	Ras-I Dowling	CB	Virginia
2	56	Shane Vereen	RB	California
3	73	Stevan Ridley	RB	LSU
3	74	Ryan Mallett	QB	Arkansas
5	138	Marcus Cannon	G	TCU
5	159	Lee Smith	TE	Marshall
6	194	Markell Carter	OLB	Central Arkansas
7	219	Malcolm Williams	CB	TCU

2011 New England Patriots Draft Day Trades

Round	Overall	Team	Received
1	28	to New Orleans Saints	Received New Orleans' second-round pick (56 overall) in 2011 and first-round pick in 2012
2	60	to Houston Texans	Received Houston's third-round and fifth-round picks (73 and 138 overall)
3	92	to Oakland Raiders	Received Oakland's seventh-round pick in 2011 (219 overall) and second-round pick in 2012
4	125
6	193	to Philadelphia Eagles	Received Philadelphia's sixth-round pick (194 overall)

Staff

New England Patriots staff
	Front Office Chairman/CEO – Robert Kraft President – Jonathan Kraft Director of Player Personnel – Nick Caserio Director of College Scouting – Monti Ossenfort Director of Pro Scouting – Bob Quinn Football Research Director – Ernie Adams Assistant to the Coaching Staff - Michael Lombardi Head Coaches Head Coach/General Manager – Bill Belichick Offensive Coaches Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks – Josh McDaniels Running Backs – Ivan Fears Wide Receivers – Chad O'Shea Tight Ends – Brian Daboll Offensive Line – Dave DeGuglielmo			Defensive Coaches Defensive Coordinator – Matt Patricia Linebackers – Patrick Graham Cornerbacks – Josh Boyer Safeties – Brian Flores Defensive Assistant - Brendan Daly Special Teams Coaches Special Teams – Scott O'Brien Special Teams Assistant – Joe Judge Strength and Conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Harold Nash Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Moses Cabrera Coaching Assistants Steve Belichick Jerry Schuplinski → Coaching Staff → Management → More NFL staffs
AFC East: BUF  · MIA  · NE  · NYJ • North: BAL  · CIN  · CLE  · PIT • South: HOU  · IND  · JAC  · TEN • West: DEN  · KC  · OAK  · SD NFC East: DAL  · NYG  · PHI  · WAS • North: CHI  · DET  · GB  · MIN • South: ATL  · CAR  · NO  · TB • West: ARI  · STL  · SF  · SEA

Current roster

New England Patriots current roster
Quarterbacks 12 Tom Brady  7 Jonathan Crompton  8 Brian Hoyer Running backs 22 Thomas Clayton 39 Danny Woodhead Wide receivers 84 Deion Branch 11 Julian Edelman 13 Buddy Farnham 10 Darnell Jenkins 17 Taylor Price 18 Matthew Slater 19 Brandon Tate 83 Wes Welker Tight ends 86 Carson Butler 82 Alge Crumpler 87 Rob Gronkowski 85 Aaron Hernandez		Offensive linemen 68 Thomas Austin G/C 63 Dan Connolly G/C 77 Nick Kaczur T/G 67 Dan Koppen C 64 Mark LeVoir T 65 Steve Maneri T 60 Rich Ohrnberger G/C 76 Sebastian Vollmer T 62 Ryan Wendell C/G Defensive linemen 97 Ron Brace DE/NT 66 Landon Cohen DE 71 Brandon Deaderick DE 68 Marlon Favorite NT 74 Kyle Love NT 91 Myron Pryor NT 90 Darryl Richard DE -- Marcus Stroud DE 94 Ty Warren DE 66 Kade Weston DE 75 Vince Wilfork NT/DE 99 Mike Wright DE/NT		Linebackers 95 Tully Banta-Cain OLB/DE 96 Jermaine Cunningham OLB/DE 52 Dane Fletcher ILB 59 Gary Guyton ILB 51 Jerod Mayo ILB 98 Eric Moore OLB/DE 53 Marques Murrell OLB 50 Rob Ninkovich OLB 55 Brandon Spikes ILB Defensive backs 45 Josh Barrett SS 23 Leigh Bodden CB 38 Sergio Brown SS 28 Darius Butler CB 29 Tony Carter CB 25 Patrick Chung SS 26 Bret Lockett FS 32 Devin McCourty CB 31 Brandon Meriweather FS 36 James Sanders FS 43 Thad Turner CB 35 Ross Ventrone FS 24 Jonathan Wilhite CB Special teams  3 Stephen Gostkowski K 48 Matt Katula LS 14 Zoltan Mesko P				Reserve lists Currently vacant Unrestricted FAs 33 Kevin Faulk RB  5 Shayne Graham K 72 Matt Light OT 30 Brandon McGowan FS 70 Logan Mankins G 34 Sammy Morris FB 69 Quinn Ojinnaka T/G 44 Jarrad Page SS 21 Fred Taylor RB 92 Gerard Warren DE/NT 58 Tracy White ILB Restricted FAs 42 BenJarvus Green-Ellis RB Exclusive-Rights FAs 27 Kyle Arrington CB Rookies in italics Roster updated March 2, 2011 Depth chart • Transactions 63 active, 0 inactive, 13 FAs → AFC rosters → NFC rosters

Schedule

Preseason

Week	Kickoff	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game Site	TV	NFL.com Recap
1	7:30 PM EDT	August 11, 2011	Jacksonville Jaguars	W 47–12	1–0	Gillette Stadium	WBZ	Recap
2	7:30 PM EDT	August 18, 2011	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 31–14	2–0	Raymond James Stadium	WBZ	Recap
3	8:00 PM EDT	August 27, 2011	Detroit Lions	L 10–34	2–1	Ford Field	CBS	Recap
4	7:30 PM EDT	September 1, 2011	New York Giants	L 17–18	2–2	Gillette Stadium	WBZ	Recap

Regular season

Week	Kickoff	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game Site	TV	NFL.com Recap
1	7:00 PM EDT	September 12, 2011	Miami Dolphins	W 38–24	1–0	Sun Life Stadium	ESPN	Recap
2	4:15 PM EDT	September 18, 2011	San Diego Chargers	W 35–21	2–0	Gillette Stadium	CBS	Recap
3	1:00 PM EDT	September 25, 2011	Buffalo Bills	L 31–34	2–1	Ralph Wilson Stadium	CBS	Recap
4	4:15 PM EDT	October 2, 2011	Oakland Raiders	W 31–19	3–1	O.co Coliseum	CBS	Recap
5	4:15 PM EDT	October 9, 2011	New York Jets	W 30–21	4–1	Gillette Stadium	CBS	Recap
6	4:15 PM EDT	October 16, 2011	Dallas Cowboys	W 20-16	5-1	Gillette Stadium	Fox	Recap
7	Bye
8	4:15 PM EDT	October 30, 2011	Pittsburgh Steelers			Heinz Field	CBS
9	4:15 PM EST	November 6, 2011	New York Giants			Gillette Stadium	Fox
10	8:20 PM EST	November 13, 2011	New York Jets			MetLife Stadium	NBC
11	8:30 PM EST	November 21, 2011	Kansas City Chiefs			Gillette Stadium	ESPN
12	4:15 PM EST	November 27, 2011	Philadelphia Eagles			Lincoln Financial Field	CBS
13	8:20 PM EST	December 4, 2011	Indianapolis Colts			Gillette Stadium	NBC
14	1:00 PM EST	December 11, 2011	Washington Redskins			FedEx Field	CBS
15	4:15 PM EST	December 18, 2011	Denver Broncos			Sports Authority Field at Mile High	CBS
16	1:00 PM EST	December 24, 2011	Miami Dolphins			Gillette Stadium	CBS
17	1:00 PM EST	January 1, 2012	Buffalo Bills			Gillette Stadium	CBS

^a Simulcast on WCVB-TV and WMUR-TV.

Note: Game times for Weeks 10, 12–15 and 17 are subject to change as a result of flexible scheduling. (Games not scheduled on Sundays are ineligible for flex scheduling.)

Standings

AFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
z (1) New England Patriots	13	3	0	.813	5–1	10–2	513	342	W8
New York Jets†	8	8	0	.500	3–3	6–6	394	382	L3
Miami Dolphins†	6	10	0	.375	3–3	5–7	348	330	W1
Buffalo Bills†	6	10	0	.375	1–5	4–8	372	434	L1

Regular season results

Week 1: at Miami Dolphins

1 2 3 4 Total Patriots 7 7 14 10 38 Dolphins 7 0 10 7 24 at Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C), Partly Cloudy Game attendance: 66,860 Referee: Pete Morelli TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Jon Gruden & Ron Jaworski (color commentators), and Suzy Kolber & Wendi Nix (sideline reporters)

The Patriots began their 2011 campaign at Sun Life Stadium, for a Week 1 AFC East duel with the Miami Dolphins in the first game of Monday Night Football's doubleheader. New England trailed early in the first quarter as Dolphins' quarterback Chad Henne scrambled for 9-yard touchdown. The Patriots answered, with a 4-yard touchdown run from running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis. New England took the lead in the second quarter, with quarterback Tom Brady finding tight end Rob Gronkowski on a 10-yard touchdown pass. Miami tied the game in third quarter, as Henne completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brian Hartline, yet the Patriots regained the lead, with Brady hooking up with wide receiver Wes Welker on a 2-yard touchdown pass. The Dolphins would reply, with a 20-yard field goal by placekicker Dan Carpenter. Afterwards, New England closed out the third quarter, with Brady connecting with tight end Aaron Hernandez on a 1-yard touchdown pass. The Patriots added onto their lead in the fourth quarter, with a 20-yard field goal from placekicker Stephen Gostkowski, followed by Brady finding Welker on a 99-yard touchdown pass. Miami would close out the game with Henne completing a 2-yard touchdown pass to running back Reggie Bush.

With the win, New England began their season at 1–0.

Week 2: vs. San Diego Chargers

1 2 3 4 Total Chargers 7 0 0 14 21 Patriots 7 13 0 15 35 at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts Game time: 4:15 p.m. EDT Game weather: 63 °F (17 °C), Wind Game attendance: 68,756 Referee: Walt Anderson TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz (play-by-play) and Phil Simms (color commentator)

Following their Monday Night win at Miami, the Patriots returned to Foxborough for their home opener against the San Diego Chargers. In the first quarter, Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Aaron Hernandez, but the Chargers responded, with a 10-yard touchdown run by running back Ryan Mathews. The Patriots scored 13 unanswered points in the second quarter, with a 22-yard field goal by placekicker Stephen Gostkowski, a 10-yard touchdown pass from Brady to tight end Rob Gronkowski, followed by a 47-yard field goal by Gostkowski just before halftime. After a scoreless third quarter, the Chargers cut into the Patriots lead, with a 3-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Philip Rivers to wide receiver Vincent Jackson. The Patriots responded, with Brady throwing a 17-yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski (and a two-point conversion run by running back Danny Woodhead). The Chargers tried to rally, with Rivers throwing a 26-yard touchdown pass to Jackson, but a 16-yard touchdown run by Patriots' running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis just after the two-minute warning sealed the win for New England.

With the win, the Patriots improved to 2–0.

Week 3: at Buffalo Bills

1 2 3 4 Total Patriots 14 7 3 7 31 Bills 0 10 7 17 34 at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT Game weather: 78 °F (26 °C), Mix of sun and clouds Game attendance: 68,174 Referee: Carl Cheffers TV announcers (CBS): Marv Albert (play-by-play) and Rich Gannon (color commentator)

Following their win over the Chargers, the Patriots flew to Orchard Park, New York for an AFC East duel with the Buffalo Bills. The Patriots grabbed the lead in the first quarter, with quarterback Tom Brady throwing two touchdown passes – a 14-yarder to wide receiver Wes Welker and a 1-yarder to tight end Rob Gronkowski. The Patriots added to their lead in the second quarter, with Brady connecting with Rob Gronkowski on a 26-yard touchdown pass. The Bills responded, with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing an 11-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Steve Johnson, followed by a 42-yard field goal by placekicker Ryan Lindell. The Bills narrowed the Patriots' lead in the third quarter, with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Fitzpatrick to tight end Scott Chandler. The Patriots increased their lead, with a 23-yard field goal by placekicker Stephen Gostkowski. The Bills tied the game in the fourth quarter, with a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Fred Jackson, then grabbed a 31–24 lead when cornerback Drayton Florence returned a Brady interception 27 yards for a touchdown. The Patriots tied the game, with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Welker. However, the Bills got the last possession, as Lindell nailed a 28-yard field goal as time expired, snapping the Patriots' 15-game winning streak against the Bills.

With the loss, the Patriots dropped to 2–1.

Week 4: at Oakland Raiders

1 2 3 4 Total Patriots 7 10 7 7 31 Raiders 3 7 3 6 19 at O.co Coliseum, Oakland, California Game time: 4:15 p.m. EDT/1:15 p.m. PDT Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C), Sunny Game attendance: 62,572 Referee: Tony Corrente TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) and Solomon Wilcots (color commentator)

Hoping to avenge their Week 3 loss at Buffalo, the Patriots flew across the country to face the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders grabbed the lead in the first quarter, with a 28-yard field goal by placekicker Sebastian Janikowski. The Patriots responded, with quarterback Tom Brady throwing a 15-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Wes Welker. The Raiders re-claimed the lead in the second quarter, with a 1-yard touchdown run from running back Michael Bush. The Patriots answered, with a 1-yard touchdown run from running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis, followed by a 44-yard field goal by placekicker Stephen Gostkowski just before halftime. The Patriots added to their lead in the third quarter, with a 33-yard field goal by running back Stevan Ridley. The Raiders narrowed the lead, with a 26-yard field goal by Janikowski, but the Patriots increased it in the fourth quarter, with a 4-yard touchdown pass from Brady to wide receiver Deion Branch. The Raiders scored a late touchdown, with quarterback Jason Campbell throwing a 6-yard pass to wide receiver Denarius Moore (with a failed two-point conversion attempt), but the Patriots ran out the clock, sealing the win.

With the win, the Patriots improved to 3–1.

Week 5: vs. New York Jets

1 2 3 4 Total Jets 0 7 7 7 21 Patriots 7 3 14 6 30 at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts Game time: 4:15 p.m. EDT Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C), sunny and warm Game attendance: 68,756 Referee: Jerome Boger TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz (play-by-play) and Phil Simms (color commentator)

Coming off their win at Oakland, the Patriots returned home for an AFC East duel with the New York Jets. The Patriots grabbed the early lead in the first quarter, with a 3-yard touchdown run by running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis, followed in the second quarter by a 44-yard field goal by placekicker Stephen Gostkowski. The Jets got on the board, with a 3-yard touchdown run by running back Shonn Greene. The Patriots extended their lead in the third quarter, with quarterback Tom Brady throwing a 2-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Deion Branch. The Jets responded, with quarterback Mark Sanchez throwing a 9-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jeremy Kerley. The Patriots added to their lead, with a 3-yard touchdown run by Green-Ellis, followed in the fourth quarter with a 24-yard field goal by Gostkowski. The Jets tried to rally, with wide receiver Santonio Holmes receiving a 21-yard touchdown pass from Sanchez, but a late 28-yard field goal by Gostkowski sealed the win for the Patriots.

With the win, the Patriots improved to 4–1.

Week 6: vs. Dallas Cowboys

1 2 3 4 Total Cowboys 0 Patriots 0 at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts Game time: 4:15 p.m. EDT Referee: Walt Coleman TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (color commentator), and Pam Oliver (sideline reporter)

Awards and honors

Recipient	Award(s)
Tom Brady	Week 1: AFC Offensive Player of the Week Week 1: FedEx Express NFL Player of the Week Week 2: AFC Offensive Player of the Week