The 1971 New England Patriots season was the franchise's second season in the National Football League and 12th overall. The 1971 season was the first that the team played as the New England Patriots, changing their name from the Boston Patriots, briefly to the Bay State Patriots before changing it again to the New England Patriots, in an effort to regionalize the franchise's equal distance from Boston and Providence.New England Is Their Third Name
The Patriots finished with six wins and eight losses, third place in the AFC East Division. It was the first season the Patriots played in the new Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, after playing in three different stadiums the previous three seasons in Boston.
During training camp, the Dallas Cowboys traded disgruntled running back Duane Thomas to the Patriots for Carl Garrett and Halvor Hagen on July 31. Thomas became embroiled in a conflict with head coach John Mazur, prompting Patriots general manager Upton Bell to request that Commissioner Pete Rozelle void the trade three days after it had been made. Rozelle granted Bell's request; Thomas and Garrett returned to their former teams, while Hagen remained in New England.
Offseason NFL draft
Staff
Roster
Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 September 19 Oakland Raiders W 20–6 1–0 Schaefer Stadium Recap 2 September 26 Detroit Lions L 7–34 1–1 Schaefer Stadium Recap 3 October 3 Baltimore Colts L 3–23 1–2 Schaefer Stadium Recap 4 October 10 New York Jets W 20–0 2–2 Schaefer StadiumReacp 5 October 17 at Miami Dolphins L 3–41 2–3 Miami Orange Bowl Recap 6 October 24 at Dallas Cowboys L 21–44 2–4 Texas Stadium Recap 7 October 31 at San Francisco 49ers L 10–27 2–5 Candlestick Park Recap 8 November 7 Houston Oilers W 28–20 3–5 Schaefer Stadium Recap 9 November 14 Buffalo Bills W 38–33 4–5 Schaefer Stadium Recap 10 November 21 at Cleveland Browns L 7–27 4–6 Cleveland Stadium Recap 11 November 28 at Buffalo Bills L 20–27 4–7 War Memorial Stadium Recap 12 December 5 Miami Dolphins W 34–13 5–7 Schaefer Stadium Recap 13 December 12 at New York Jets L 6–13 5–8 Shea Stadium Recap 14 December 19 at Baltimore Colts W 21–17 6–8 Memorial Stadium Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Standings
NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, , p. 297
References
External links Pro Football Reference – 1971 New England Patriots