2011 New England Patriots season

2011 New England Patriots season
Owner	Robert Kraft
Head coach	Bill Belichick
Home field	Gillette Stadium
Results
Record	13–3
Division place	1st AFC East
Playoff finish	Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Broncos) 45–10 Won AFC Championship (vs. Ravens) 23–20 Lost Super Bowl XLVI (vs. Giants) 17–21
Pro Bowlers	QB Tom Brady WR Wes Welker TE Rob Gronkowski G Logan Mankins G Brian Waters DE Andre Carter DT Vince Wilfork ST Matthew Slater
AP All-Pros	WR Wes Welker (1st team) TE Rob Gronkowski (1st team) ST Matthew Slater (1st team) G Logan Mankins (2nd team) DT Vince Wilfork (2nd team)
Uniform
← 2010 Patriots seasons 2012 →

The 2011 season was the New England Patriots' 42nd in the National Football League (NFL) and their 52nd overall. The Patriots finished the regular season at 13–3, and represented the AFC in Super Bowl XLVI. It was the seventh Super Bowl trip in franchise history, and the fifth for head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady.

The Patriots dedicated their 2011 season to the memory of Myra Kraft, the wife of owner Robert Kraft, who died on July 20, 2011, after a long fight against cancer.^[1] At both home and away games, the Patriots wore patches bearing Kraft's initials, MHK, on their uniforms.^[2] The Patriots elected to wear their Super Bowl patches on the right side of their uniforms, so that they could keep the MHK patch on the left as it had been all season.^[3] The Patriots were the only 2011 division winner that won their division the previous season.^[4]

The Patriots lost in the Super Bowl to the New York Giants by a score of 21–17. With the loss, along with losses in 1985, 1996, and 2007, the Patriots tied with the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings for most Super Bowl losses at four (although the Broncos would lose their fifth against the Seattle Seahawks two years later, and the Patriots would lose their fifth six years later).