The New England Patriots are 6-2 heading into their bye week and 2017 marks the 16th time in franchise history that the Patriots have been 6-2 or better halfway through the year. The Patriots have been 6-2 or better 11 times under head coach Bill Belichick and have reached the milestone for the fifth straight season.
On eight of the previous 10 seasons of reaching 6-2 or better, the Patriots have reached the AFC Championship game. In five of those years, they’ve reached the Super Bowl (2003, 2004, 2007, 2014, 2016), and they ended up winning four of them.