1973 New England Patriots season

1973 New England Patriots season
Head coach	Chuck Fairbanks
General manager	Chuck Fairbanks
Owner	Billy Sullivan
Home field	Schaeffer Stadium
Results
Record	5–9
Division place	3rd AFC East
Playoff finish	did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	none
AP All-Pros	none

The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1973 season with a record of five wins and nine losses, third place in the five-team AFC East division. It was the first year under head coach and general manager Chuck Fairbanks, hired in January after six seasons as head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners.

Selections in the 1973 NFL Draft included John Hannah, Sam Cunningham, Ray Hamilton, and Darryl Stingley. The assistant coaches on offense included future NFL head coaches Ron Erhardt, Sam Rutigliano, and Red Miller.

Staff

New England Patriots 1973 staff
Front Office President – Billy Sullivan Assistant General Manager – Peter Hadhazy Director of Player Personnel – Bucko Kilroy Administrative Assistant to the Head Coach – Phil Bengston Head Coaches Head Coach/General Manager – Chuck Fairbanks Offensive Coaches Quarterbacks – Bill Nelsen Offensive Backfield – Ron Erhardt Offensive Backs/Receivers – Sam Rutigliano Offensive Line – Red Miller			Defensive Coaches Defensive Line – Hank Bullough Linebackers/Secondary – Charlie Sumner Defensive Backfield – Larry Weaver Special Teams Coaches Special Teams – Jim Valek

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 16, 1973	Buffalo Bills	L 31–13	56,119
2	September 23, 1973	Kansas City Chiefs	L 10–7	57,918
3	September 30, 1973	at Miami Dolphins	L 44–23	62,508
4	October 7, 1973	Baltimore Colts	W 24–16	57,044
5	October 14, 1973	New York Jets	L 9–7	58,659
6	October 21, 1973	at Chicago Bears	W 13–10	47,643
7	October 28, 1973	Miami Dolphins	L 30–14	57,617
8	November 4, 1973	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 24–23	65,070
9	November 11, 1973	at New York Jets	L 33–13	51,034
10	November 18, 1973	Green Bay Packers	W 33–24	60,525
11	November 25, 1973	at Houston Oilers	W 32–0	27,344
12	December 2, 1973	San Diego Chargers	W 30–14	58,150
13	December 9, 1973	at Buffalo Bills	L 37–13	72,470
14	December 16, 1973	at Baltimore Colts	L 18–13	52,065

Standings

AFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Miami Dolphins	12	2	0	.857	7–1	9–2	343	150	W1
Buffalo Bills	9	5	0	.643	6–2	7–4	259	230	W4
New England Patriots	5	9	0	.357	1–7	3–8	258	300	L2
New York Jets	4	10	0	.286	4–4	4–7	240	306	L2
Baltimore Colts	4	10	0	.286	2–6	2–9	226	341	W2

^[1]

References

1. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 296