The1983 New England Patriots seasonwas the franchise's 14th season in theNational Football Leagueand 24th overall. The Patriots played inconsistently all season, but at 8–7 had a chance for a playoff spot with a win in their final game of the season in Seattle. The Patriots would have problems with turnovers as rookie quarterback Tony Eason was swallowed up in a 24–6 loss to the Seahawks.
| 1983New England Patriotsseason | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Billy Sullivan |
| General manager | Patrick Sullivan |
| Head coach | Ron Meyer |
| Home field | Sullivan Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 8–8 |
| Division place | T-2ndAFC East |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | PRich Camarillo CBRaymond Clayborn RBTony Collins GJohn Hannah TBrian Holloway |
| AP All-Pros | GJohn Hannah(1st team) PRich Camarillo(2nd team) |
In the first week of December, in shocking conditions with sleet and snow,[1]the Patriots’ game with wild card contender New Orleans Saints saw just one score set up byRicky Smithreturning the Saints’ initial kickoff to the 3-yard line. As of2023,this game remains the most recent 7–0 result in NFL history,[2]with only three games since seeing just one score,[3]all three of which a single field goal was the only score.[note 1]
Draft
edit| 1983 New England Patriots draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | Tony Eason | Quarterback | Illinois | |
| 2 | 47 | Darryal Wilson | Wide receiver | Tennessee | |
| 3 | 74 | Stephen Starring | Wide receiver | McNeese State | |
| 3 | 80 | Steve Moore | Guard | Tennessee State | |
| 4 | 101 | Johnny Rembert* | Linebacker | Clemson | |
| 5 | 118 | Smiley Creswell | Defensive end | Michigan State | |
| 5 | 128 | Darryl Lewis | Tight end | Texas-Arlington | |
| 6 | 155 | Mike Bass | Placekicker | Illinois | |
| 7 | 187 | Craig James* | Running back | Southern Methodist | |
| 8 | 214 | Ronnie Lippett | Cornerback | Miami (FL) | |
| 9 | 233 | Ricky Williams | Running back | Langston | |
| 9 | 240 | Mark Keel | Tight end | Arizona | |
| 10 | 264 | James Williams | Tight end | Wyoming | |
| 10 | 265 | Toby Williams | Defensive end | Nebraska | |
| 10 | 267 | Tom Ramsey | Quarterback | UCLA | |
| 11 | 292 | Steve Parker | Wide receiver | Abilene Christian | |
| 11 | 294 | Calvin Eason | Defensive back | Houston | |
| 12 | 319 | Waddell Kelly | Running back | Arkansas State | |
| 12 | 326 | Andy Ekern | Offensive tackle | Missouri | |
| Made roster†Pro Football Hall of Fame*Made at least onePro Bowlduring career | |||||
Staff
edit| New England Patriots 1983 staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
| |||||
Roster
edit| Quarterbacks(QB)
Running backs(RB)
Wide receivers(WR) Tight ends(TE) |
Offensive linemen(OL)
|
Linebackers(LB)
Defensive backs(DB)
|
|
Regular season
editSchedule
edit| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 4 | Baltimore Colts | L23–29 | 0–1 | Sullivan Stadium | 45,526 | |
| 2 | September 11 | atMiami Dolphins | L24–34 | 0–2 | Miami Orange Bowl | 59,343 | |
| 3 | September 18 | New York Jets | W23–13 | 1–2 | Sullivan Stadium | 43,182 | |
| 4 | September 25 | atPittsburgh Steelers | W28–23 | 2–2 | Three Rivers Stadium | 58,282 | |
| 5 | October 2 | San Francisco 49ers | L13–33 | 2–3 | Sullivan Stadium | 54,293 | |
| 6 | October 9 | atBaltimore Colts | L7–12 | 2–4 | Memorial Stadium | 35,618 | |
| 7 | October 16 | San Diego Chargers | W37–21 | 3–4 | Sullivan Stadium | 59,016 | |
| 8 | October 23 | atBuffalo Bills | W31–0 | 4–4 | Rich Stadium | 60,424 | |
| 9 | October 30 | atAtlanta Falcons | L13–24 | 4–5 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 47,546 | |
| 10 | November 6 | Buffalo Bills | W21–7 | 5–5 | Sullivan Stadium | 42,604 | |
| 11 | November 13 | Miami Dolphins | W17–6 | 6–5 | Sullivan Stadium | 60,771 | |
| 12 | November 20 | Cleveland Browns | L0–30 | 6–6 | Sullivan Stadium | 40,987 | |
| 13 | November 27 | atNew York Jets | L3–26 | 6–7 | Giants Stadium | 48,620 | |
| 14 | December 4 | New Orleans Saints | W7–0 | 7–7 | Sullivan Stadium | 24,579 | |
| 15 | December 11 | atLos Angeles Rams | W21–7 | 8–7 | Anaheim Stadium | 46,503 | |
| 16 | December 18 | atSeattle Seahawks | L6–24 | 8–8 | Kingdome | 59,688 | |
| Note:Intra-division opponents are inboldtext. | |||||||
Standings
edit| AFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Miami Dolphins(2) | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 6–2 | 9–3 | 389 | 250 | W5 |
| New England Patriots | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–4 | 6–6 | 274 | 289 | L1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–4 | 7–5 | 283 | 351 | L2 |
| Baltimore Colts | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–5 | 5–9 | 264 | 354 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–5 | 4–8 | 313 | 331 | L2 |
Notes
edit- ^These 3–0 scores occurred in 1993 whenthe Jetsdefeatedthe Redskins,in 2007 whenthe Steelersdefeatedthe Dolphins,and in 2023 whenthe Vikingsdefeatedthe Raiders
References
edit- ^‘Kickoff Return Practices Pay Off as Patriots Slip Past Saints 7–0’;St. Petersburg Times,December 5, 1983, p. 5C
- ^Pro Football Reference;Games with Final Score 7–0
- ^Pro Football Reference;Games with Final Score 3–0
See also
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