1990 New England Patriots season
1990 New England Patriots season | |
---|---|
Head coach | Rod Rust |
General manager | Patrick Sullivan |
Owner | Victor Kiam |
Home field | Foxboro Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 1–15 |
Division place | 5th AFC East |
Playoff finish | did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | T Bruce Armstrong |
AP All-Pros | none |
The 1990 New England Patriots season was the team's 31st, and 21st in the National Football League. It was the first and only season for head coach Rod Rust.
The Patriots finished the season with a record of 1–15, the worst record in franchise history. They finished last in the AFC East division and dead last in the NFL. Notably, they lost a nationally-televised game to the Washington Redskins in which they were down 9–0 before the Redskins even ran an offensive play. The Redskins' two first-quarter scores came on a Kurt Gouveia fumble return for a touchdown, and the Patriots snapping the ball out of the end zone for a safety.[1] The announced crowd for the game, played in a driving rain, was 22,286.
The Patriots’ final game of the season, against the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants, drew a sellout crowd to Foxboro, but over 40,000 fans were rooting for the visitors, as tickets to Giants home games were nearly impossible to come by for non-season-ticket holders.
The Patriots’ negative-265 point-differential (181 points scored, 446 points surrendered) was the worst total of the 1990s.[2] It is notable that like the previous season’s Dallas Cowboys, the Patriots played only three teams with non-winning records – divisional rivals the Colts and Jets plus one game against the Phoenix Cardinals – all season.[3]
The 1990 Patriots and 1981 Baltimore Colts are the only NFL teams since 1940 to have eleven losses during which they never led in one season.[4]
The 1990 Patriots became the third team to end a season at 1-15, and would be matched by the 1991 Colts the next year.
Lisa Olson controversy
The day after the Patriots' only victory of the season, tight end Zeke Mowatt, running back Robert Perryman and wide receiver Michael Timpson stood in front of Boston Herald reporter Lisa Olson semi-naked and sexually harassed her in the Patriots locker room at Foxboro Stadium. The incident proved a major embarrassment for the franchise, and the team lost its final 14 games, and was accused of quitting in most of the losses.
Personnel
Staff
1990 New England Patriots staff | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Regular season
Schedule
Week | Opponent | Result | Stadium | Record | Attendance | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Miami Dolphins | L 24–27 | Foxboro Stadium | 0–1 | | ||
2 | at Indianapolis Colts | W 16–14 | Hoosier Dome | 1–1 | | ||
3 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 7–41 | Riverfront Stadium | 1–2 | | ||
4 | New York Jets | L 13–37 | Foxboro Stadium | 1–3 | | ||
5 | Seattle Seahawks | L 20–33 | Foxboro Stadium | 1–4 | | ||
6 | Bye | ||||||
7 | at Miami Dolphins | L 10–17 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 1–5 | | ||
8 | Buffalo Bills | L 10–27 | Foxboro Stadium | 1–6 | | ||
9 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 20–48 | Veterans Stadium | 1–7 | | ||
10 | Indianapolis Colts | L 10–13 | Foxboro Stadium | 1–8 | | ||
11 | at Buffalo Bills | L 0–14 | Rich Stadium | 1–9 | | ||
12 | at Phoenix Cardinals | L 14–34 | Sun Devil Stadium | 1–10 | | ||
13 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 7–37 | Foxboro Stadium | 1–11 | | ||
14 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 3–24 | Three Rivers Stadium | 1–12 | | ||
15 | Washington Redskins | L 10–25 | Foxboro Stadium | 1–13 | | ||
16 | at New York Jets | L 7–42 | The Meadowlands | 1–14 | | ||
17 | New York Giants | L 10–13 | Foxboro Stadium | 1–15 | |
Standings
AFC East | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
(1) Buffalo Bills | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 7–1 | 10–2 | 428 | 263 | L1 |
(4) Miami Dolphins | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 7–1 | 10–2 | 336 | 242 | W1 |
Indianapolis Colts | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–5 | 5–7 | 281 | 353 | L1 |
New York Jets | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–6 | 4–10 | 295 | 345 | W2 |
New England Patriots | 1 | 15 | 0 | .063 | 1–7 | 1–11 | 181 | 446 | L14 |
See also
|
|
- ↑ http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199012150nwe.htm
- ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1990 to 1999, in the NFL, in the regular season, sorted by ascending Points Differential
- ↑ In a single game, in 1990, playing for the New England Patriots, in the regular season, opponent with non-winning record for season
- ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1940 to 2011, in the regular season, team never had a lead during the game, sorted by most games in season matching criteria.