1976 New England Patriots: A Bicentennial Uprising

In 1976, the nation we call the United States of America was celebrating its 200th birthday. It was a grand celebration from sea to sign shining sea, for 365 days. It almost seemed appropriate that the New England Patriots would invest in the patriotic fervor of that time by having their best season so far in the decade of the 1970s.

You could make an argument that the Patriots and not the Dallas Cowboys were the real America’s team. They naturally had red, white, and blue uniforms, their team played their home games in the region of the country where the American Revolution began, and for their logo, they had a continental soldier perched as a center ready to snap the football. What more could you ask for in the form of patriotism?

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Celebrating Bicentennial With A New Patriots' Season

Well, the New England Patriots certainly gave their fans much more in 1976…a playoff berth to be exact. They had a miserable 3 and 11 record in 1975. The Pats in 1976 were a much different team, however. They won quite a few games that nobody felt that they had any business winning, en route to an 11-3 record in the AFC wild-card spot.

How do they do that?

On paper, it seemed like a near-impossible task to pull off. There were several strong powerhouse teams in the NFL in 1976, and many of them happened to find their way onto New England’s schedule. In the first month of the year, the Patriots upset the Miami Dolphins, 30 to 14, the defending world champion Pittsburgh Steelers, 30 to 27, and the future world champion Oakland Raiders, 48 to 17.

Notice how the Patriots offense averaged 36 points scored in those three games. If your team is scoring an average of 36 points a game, it is very likely that you are going to win those games. Those three victories set the tone for what was to follow.

An 11-3 Record In 1976

Another big reason for New England’s 11-3 record in the Bicentennial season of 1976 was the fact that they were able to defeat most of the teams that they were favored to beat. It sounds like a little thing, but it was actually very important in deciding if they would be in the hunt for the playoffs or not.

The Patriots crushed the New York Jets, 41-7, in the sixth week of the year. They later repeated that feat by beating the division-rival Jets once again by a score of 38-24 in the 11th week of the 1976 season.

Almost every NFL team goes through a slump each year. It can be a small one or two-game slump, or it can be a more problematic six or seven-game slump. The 1976 Patriots never lost in consecutive weeks, meaning that they were always able to rebound after a loss.

They were also not above being upset, as their untimely 30 to 10 loss at the hands of the Detroit Lions in the fifth week of the year showed. But they came back after such a defeat and recorded another victory to get them back on the right track.

But possibly the most impressive part of the New England 1976 season occurred during the final six weeks. They managed to beat every team that they played during that time, and that six-game winning streak was what allowed them to get into the playoffs. During those six games, they beat Buffalo, Baltimore, the New York Jets, Denver, New Orleans, and Tampa Bay.

1976 New England Patriots' Running Game

The Patriots running game was easily the most impressive segment of their offense. Their runners accumulated a total of 2,948 rushing yards in 1976, which was the second-highest total in the entire league. Sam “Bam” Cunningham, Don Calhoun, Andy Johnson, and quarterback Steve Grogan were never timid when it came to carrying the football.

None of these players reached the 1,000-yard plateau, but the fact that they were able to distribute their carries so evenly proved to their adversaries that the Patriots were intent on sharing the accolades.

New England would go on to play the Raiders in Oakland during the AFC Divisional playoffs. They had crushed the Raiders early in the season, and for most of their playoff game, it appeared as if the Patriots would be able to beat the Raiders again. But Oakland made a comeback, and New England made a couple of costly mistakes that limited their chances of victory.

Then a controversial roughing the passer penalty on the Raiders’ final drive placed the ball just inches away from the Patriots’ goal line. That line was crossed a moment later, and the dream of a New England Super Bowl appearance was silenced.

Despite their bitter 21-17 loss at Oakland in the AFC Divisional playoffs, the 1976 New England Patriots had been a more successful team than they had been in many years. They were a Cinderella team that flourished in the midst of our Bicentennial year, and they were quite simply one of the most exciting NFL teams in the entire decade of the 1970s.

If you enjoy this take on the 1976 New England Patriots, please look at Mark Morthier’s version, from Yesterday’s Sports.

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Trivia Question:

Who was the head coach of the 1976 New England Patriots?

Host of Pro Football in the 1970s - Joe Zagorski

Throughout his days, Joe spent some time as a sportswriter and has been a member of the Pro Football Researchers Association since the mid-1980s. Joe is also a proud member of the Pro Football Writers of America.

Also, if you’re interested in picking one of Joe’s books up, all three are listed below.

Here, you can learn more about Joe and Pro Football in the 1970s.