Since the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick tandem came together in New England in 2001, the Patriots have had the best record in the AFC East for 13 consecutive seasons. Twice they did not make the playoffs, losing the division title on tiebreakers in both 2002 and 2008 (the year Brady was hurt and the Pats went 11-5 with Matt Cassel at quarterback, to this day the only NFL team ever left out of the postseason with 11 wins).
Over that span they are the only team in the league to post a winning record every year, averaging 12.15 victories per season. For the 21st century Patriots, their 12-4 season this year is actually subpar. In fact, over the 13 seasons that New England has averaged slightly more than 12 wins per year, there are 9 NFL franchises (28%) that have never had a single 12 win season (Miami, Buffalo, NY Jets, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Oakland, Washington, Detroit, and Arizona).
Check out “37 seconds of sports and other stuff i care about” at lucidsportsfan.com, and follow Mark Vandeusen on twitter @LucidSportsFan
