1978 New England Patriots (NFL) |
| 1st place • American Football Conference • Eastern Division • 11-5-0 .688 |
| Playoff Statistics |
| Head Coach: Chuck Fairbanks (11-4-0); b>Co-Head Coach: Hank Bullough and Ron Erhardt (0-1-0) |
| Raymond Berry | Receivers |
| Hank Bullough | Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Line |
| Ron Erhardt | Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks |
| John Polonchek | Quarterbacks |
| Jim Ringo | Offensive Line |
| Fritz Shurmur | Defensive Line |
| Charlie Sumner | Defensive Backs |
| Tom Yewcic | Special Teams |
| SCORES | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day | Date | Opponent | Score | Location | Venue | Attendance | |||
| Sat | 8/5/1978 | A | Los Angeles Rams | 14-7 | W | Los Angeles, CA | Memorial Coliseum | 60134 | |
| Sat | 8/12/1978 | A | Oakland Raiders | 21-7 | W | Oakland, CA | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | 53335 | |
| Sun | 8/20/1978 | H | Kansas City Chiefs | 24-7 | W | Foxborough, MA | Schaefer Stadium | 39043 | |
| Sun | 8/27/1978 | H | Cleveland Browns | 21-10 | W | Foxborough, MA | Schaefer Stadium | 42696 | |
| Sun | 9/3/1978 | H | Washington Redskins | 14-16 | L | Foxborough, MA | Schaefer Stadium | 55037 | |
| Sun | 9/10/1978 | A | St. Louis Cardinals | 16-6 | W | St. Louis, MO | Busch Memorial Stadium | 48233 | |
| Mon | 9/18/1978 | H | Baltimore Colts | 27-34 | L | Foxborough, MA | Schaefer Stadium | 57284 | |
| Sun | 9/24/1978 | A | Oakland Raiders | 21-14 | W | Oakland, CA | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | 52904 | |
| Sun | 10/1/1978 | H | San Diego Chargers | 28-23 | W | Foxborough, MA | Schaefer Stadium | 60781 | |
| Sun | 10/8/1978 | H | Philadelphia Eagles | 24-14 | W | Foxborough, MA | Schaefer Stadium | 61016 | |
| Sun | 10/15/1978 | A | Cincinnati Bengals | 10-3 | W | Cincinnati, OH | Riverfront Stadium | 48699 | |
| Sun | 10/22/1978 | H | Miami Dolphins | 33-24 | W | Foxborough, MA | Schaefer Stadium | 60424 | |
| Sun | 10/29/1978 | H | New York Jets | 55-21 | W | Foxborough, MA | Schaefer Stadium | 60585 | |
| Sun | 11/5/1978 | A | Buffalo Bills | 14-10 | W | Orchard Park, NY | Rich Stadium | 44897 | |
| Sun | 11/12/1978 | H | Houston Oilers | 23-26 | L | Foxborough, MA | Schaefer Stadium | 60356 | |
| Sun | 11/19/1978 | A | New York Jets | 19-17 | W | New York, NY | Shea Stadium | 55568 | |
| Sun | 11/26/1978 | A | Baltimore Colts | 35-14 | W | Baltimore, MD | Memorial Stadium | 42828 | |
| Sun | 12/3/1978 | A | Dallas Cowboys | 10-17 | L | Irving, TX | Texas Stadium | 63263 | |
| Sun | 12/10/1978 | H | Buffalo Bills | 26-24 | W | Foxborough, MA | Schaefer Stadium | 59598 | |
| Mon | 12/18/1978 | A | Miami Dolphins | 3-23 | L | Miami, FL | Orange Bowl | 72071 | |
| AFC Divisional Playoff | |||||||||
| Sun | 12/31/1978 | H | Houston Oilers | 14-31 | L | Foxborough, MA | Schaefer Stadium | 60881 | |
| ROSTER | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | No | Pos | Ht | Wt | Age | College | GP | GS |
| Julius Adams | 85 | RDE | 6-3 | 262 | 30 | Texas Southern | 1 | 1 |
| Sam Adams | 61 | ROG | 6-3 | 260 | 30 | Prairie View A&M | 16 | 16 |
| Doug Beaudoin | 27 | SS | 6-1 | 190 | 24 | Minnesota | 15 | 13 |
| Richard Bishop | 64 | RDE | 6-1 | 265 | 28 | Marshalltown JC; Louisville | 16 | 15 |
| Greg Boyd | 65 | DE | 6-6 | 280 | 26 | Fresno CC; San Diego State | 10 | 0 |
| Pete Brock | 58 | C | 6-5 | 270 | 24 | Colorado | 15 | 0 |
| Sidney Brown | 21 | CB | 6-0 | 186 | 23 | Oklahoma | 16 | 0 |
| Don Calhoun | 44 | FB | 6-0 | 215 | 26 | Kansas State | 14 | 2 |
| Al Chandler | 87 | TE | 6-2 | 233 | 28 | Oklahoma | 4 | 0 |
| Raymond Clayborn | 26 | LCB | 6-0 | 186 | 23 | Texas | 16 | 16 |
| Dick Conn | 22 | S | 6-0 | 180 | 27 | Georgia | 15 | 0 |
| Ray Costict | 55 | LILB-RILB-ROLB | 6-0 | 218 | 23 | Mississippi State | 16 | 3 |
| Bob Cryder | 75 | OG | 6-4 | 275 | 22 | Alabama | 5 | 0 |
| Sam Cunningham | 39 | FB | 6-3 | 230 | 28 | Southern California | 16 | 14 |
| Terry Falcon | 68 | OG | 6-3 | 260 | 23 | Minot State; Montana | 8 | 0 |
| Tim Fox | 48 | FS | 5-11 | 188 | 25 | Ohio State | 16 | 16 |
| Russ Francis | 81 | TE | 6-6 | 242 | 25 | Oregon | 15 | 15 |
| Leon Gray | 70 | LOT | 6-3 | 261 | 27 | Jackson State | 16 | 16 |
| Steve Grogan | 14 | QB | 6-4 | 210 | 25 | Kansas State | 16 | 16 |
| Ray Hamilton | 71 | NT | 6-1 | 244 | 27 | Oklahoma | 16 | 16 |
| John Hannah | 73 | LOG | 6-3 | 265 | 27 | Alabama | 16 | 16 |
| Don Hasselbeck | 80 | TE | 6-7 | 244 | 23 | Colorado | 16 | 4 |
| Mike Hawkins | 59 | LB | 6-2 | 232 | 23 | Texas A&M-Kingsville | 12 | 0 |
| Mike Haynes | 40 | RCB | 6-2 | 194 | 25 | Arizona State | 16 | 16 |
| Ernie Holmes | 63 | NT | 6-3 | 260 | 30 | Texas Southern | 3 | 0 |
| Sam Hunt | 50 | RILB | 6-1 | 248 | 27 | Stephen F. Austin State | 15 | 15 |
| Horace Ivory | 23 | HB | 6-0 | 198 | 24 | Navarro JC; Oklahoma | 15 | 3 |
| Harold Jackson | 29 | WR | 5-10 | 175 | 32 | Jackson State | 16 | 13 |
| Andy Johnson | 32 | HB | 6-0 | 204 | 26 | Georgia | 15 | 13 |
| Shelby Jordan | 74 | ROT | 6-7 | 270 | 26 | Washington-St. Louis | 16 | 16 |
| Steve King | 52 | LOLB-ROLB | 6-4 | 230 | 27 | Tulsa | 16 | 6 |
| Merv Krakau | 53 | LB | 6-1 | 242 | 27 | Iowa State | 1 | 0 |
| Bill Lenkaitis | 67 | C | 6-3 | 260 | 32 | Penn State | 16 | 16 |
| Nick Lowery | 7 | K | 6-4 | 189 | 22 | Dartmouth | 2 | 0 |
| Mel Lunsford | 72 | LDE | 6-3 | 256 | 28 | Central State (Ohio) | 16 | 15 |
| James McAlister | 37 | RB | 6-2 | 205 | 27 | UCLA | 16 | 0 |
| Prentice McCray | 34 | S | 6-1 | 185 | 27 | Arizona State | 8 | 3 |
| Tony McGee | 78 | LDE | 6-3 | 249 | 29 | Wyoming; Bishop | 16 | 1 |
| Bob McKay | 66 | OT | 6-5 | 265 | 31 | Texas | 12 | 0 |
| Stanley Morgan | 86 | WR | 5-11 | 181 | 23 | Tennessee | 16 | 16 |
| Steve Nelson | 57 | LILB | 6-2 | 230 | 27 | Augsburg; North Dakota State | 14 | 14 |
| Tom Owen | 17 | QB | 6-1 | 194 | 26 | Wichita State | 2 | 0 |
| Mike Patrick | 2 | P | 6-0 | 209 | 26 | Mississippi State | 1 | 0 |
| Carlos Pennywell | 88 | WR | 6-2 | 180 | 22 | Grambling State | 16 | 0 |
| David Posey | 9 | K | 5-10 | 167 | 22 | Florida | 11 | 0 |
| Greg Schaum | 76 | DE | 6-4 | 245 | 24 | Michigan State | 14 | 0 |
| Rod Shoate | 56 | ROLB | 6-1 | 215 | 25 | Oklahoma | 15 | 15 |
| John Smith | 1 | K | 6-0 | 172 | 29 | King Alfred's; Southampton (England) | 3 | 0 |
| Fred Sturt | 63 | OG | 6-4 | 250 | 27 | Bowling Green State | 1 | 0 |
| Mosi Tatupu | 30 | RB | 6-0 | 227 | 23 | Southern California | 16 | 0 |
| Don Westbrook | 83 | WR | 5-10 | 185 | 25 | Nebraska | 16 | 0 |
| Dwight Wheeler | 62 | OT | 6-3 | 270 | 23 | Tennessee State | 2 | 0 |
| Jerrel Wilson | 4 | P | 6-4 | 222 | 37 | Pearl River CC; Southern Mississippi | 14 | 0 |
| Steve Zabel | 54 | LOLB | 6-4 | 228 | 30 | Oklahoma | 11 | 11 |
| DRAFT LIST | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Overall | Player | Pos | College |
| 1 | 18 | Bob Cryder | G | Alabama |
| 2 | 50 | Matt Cavanaugh | QB | Pittsburgh |
| 3 | 77 | Carlos Pennywell | WR | Grambling State |
| 4 | 102 | Dwight Wheeler | T | Tennessee State |
| 5 | 129 | Bill Matthews | LB | South Dakota State |
| 6 | 156 | Kem Coleman | LB | Mississippi |
| 7 | 188 | Mike Hawkins | LB | Texas A&M-Kingsville |
| 8 | 198 | Terry Falcon | G | Montana |
| 8 | 215 | Mosi Tatupu | RB | Southern California |
| 9 | 242 | Tim Petersen | LB | Arizona State |
| 10 | 269 | Bryan Ferguson | DB | Miami (Florida) |
| 11 | 296 | Charlie Williams | LB | Florida |
| 12 | 328 | John Gibney | C | Colgate |
| SCORING BY QUARTERS | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Totals | 77 | 122 | 63 | 96 | 358 |
| Opponents Totals | 58 | 60 | 71 | 97 | 286 |
| TEAM STATS | TOP | 1st Downs | FDR | FDP | FDX | 3rd Down Efficiency | 4th Down Efficiency | PEN | PENY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Totals | 322 | 181 | 125 | 16 | 92/203 45.3% | / % | 92 | 852 | |
| Opponents Totals | 258 | 100 | 143 | 15 | 96/220 43.6% | / % | 81 | 683 |
| SCORING | TD | X1 | X1A | PCT | FG | FGA | PCT | SAF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horace Ivory | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 66 | ||
| David Posey | 0 | 29 | 31 | 93.5 | 11 | 22 | 50.0 | 0 | 62 |
| Sam Cunningham | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | ||
| Harold Jackson | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | ||
| Steve Grogan | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | ||
| Stanley Morgan | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | ||
| Russ Francis | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | ||
| Andy Johnson | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| James McAlister | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | ||
| John Smith | 0 | 6 | 7 | 85.7 | 1 | 1 | 100.0 | 0 | 9 |
| Nick Lowery | 0 | 7 | 7 | 100.0 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 7 |
| Don Calhoun | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| Mike Haynes | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| Richard Bishop | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Tim Fox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Jerrel Wilson | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Team Totals | 46 | 42 | 46 | 91.3 | 12 | 24 | 50.0 | 2 | 358 |
| Opponents Totals | 38 | 31 | 38 | 81.6 | 9 | 19 | 47.4 | 0 | 286 |
| FIELD GOALS | MADE | ATT | PCT | BL | LG | 1-19 | 20-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Posey | 11 | 22 | 50.0 | 2 | 47 | 1/1 | 3/4 | 5/11 | 2/6 | 0/0 |
| John Smith | 1 | 1 | 100.0 | 0 | 24 | 0/0 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| Nick Lowery | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | |
| Team Totals | 12 | 24 | 50.0 | 2 | 47 | 1/1 | 3/5 | 6/11 | 2/7 | 0/0 |
| Opponents Totals | 9 | 19 | 47.4 | 0/0 | 5/6 | 1/5 | 2/5 | 1/3 |
| RUSHING | ATT | YDS | AVG | LG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Cunningham | 199 | 768 | 3.9 | 52t | 8 |
| Horace Ivory | 141 | 693 | 4.9 | 28 | 11 |
| Andy Johnson | 147 | 675 | 4.6 | 52 | 3 |
| Steve Grogan | 81 | 539 | 6.7 | 31 | 5 |
| Don Calhoun | 76 | 391 | 5.1 | 73 | 1 |
| James McAlister | 19 | 77 | 4.1 | 16 | 2 |
| Stanley Morgan | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 6 | 0 |
| Harold Jackson | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 7 | 0 |
| Mosi Tatupu | 3 | 6 | 2.0 | 3 | 0 |
| Jerrel Wilson | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Don Westbrook | 1 | -2 | -2.0 | -2 | 0 |
| Team Totals | 671 | 3165 | 4.7 | 73 | 30 |
| Opponents Totals | 511 | 1852 | 3.6 | 32t | 14 |
| PASSING | ATT | COM | PCT | INC | YDS | Y/ATT | Y/COM | LG | TD | TD% | INT | INT% | TS | YL | NYP | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Grogan | 362 | 181 | 50.0 | 158 | 2824 | 7.8 | 15.6 | 75t | 15 | 4.1 | 23 | 6.4 | 21 | 184 | 2640 | 63.6 |
| Tom Owen | 26 | 15 | 57.7 | 9 | 182 | 7.0 | 12.1 | 23 | 0 | 0.0 | 2 | 7.7 | 3 | 22 | 160 | 47.3 |
| Andy Johnson | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39.6 | ||
| Team Totals | 390 | 196 | 50.3 | 169 | 3006 | 7.7 | 15.3 | 75t | 15 | 3.8 | 25 | 6.4 | 24 | 206 | 2800 | 62.2 |
| Opponents Totals | 425 | 235 | 55.3 | 168 | 3059 | 7.2 | 13.0 | 67t | 21 | 4.9 | 22 | 5.2 | 35 | 296 | 2763 | 73.1 |
| RECEIVING | REC | YDS | AVG | LG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russ Francis | 39 | 543 | 13.9 | 53 | 4 |
| Harold Jackson | 37 | 743 | 20.1 | 57 | 6 |
| Stanley Morgan | 34 | 820 | 24.1 | 75t | 5 |
| Sam Cunningham | 31 | 297 | 9.6 | 31 | 0 |
| Andy Johnson | 26 | 267 | 10.3 | 31 | 0 |
| Horace Ivory | 14 | 122 | 8.7 | 18 | 0 |
| Don Hasselbeck | 7 | 107 | 15.3 | 24 | 0 |
| Don Westbrook | 3 | 38 | 12.7 | 19 | 0 |
| Don Calhoun | 3 | 29 | 9.7 | 15 | 0 |
| Carlos Pennywell | 1 | 28 | 28.0 | 28 | 0 |
| James McAlister | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 12 | 0 |
| Team Totals | 196 | 3006 | 15.3 | 75t | 15 |
| Opponents Totals | 235 | 3059 | 13.0 | 67t | 21 |
| INTERCEPTIONS | INT | YDS | AVG | LG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Haynes | 6 | 123 | 20.5 | 50 | 1 |
| Steve Nelson | 5 | 104 | 20.8 | 37 | 0 |
| Ray Clayborn | 4 | 72 | 18.0 | 44 | 0 |
| Doug Beaudoin | 3 | 25 | 8.3 | 13 | 0 |
| Tim Fox | 2 | 10 | 5.0 | 10 | 0 |
| Dick Conn | 1 | 24 | 24.0 | 24 | 0 |
| Steve Zabel | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Team Totals | 22 | 358 | 16.3 | 50 | 1 |
| Opponents Totals | 25 | 252 | 10.1 | 49 | 1 |
| PUNTING | NO | YDS | AVG | LG | BL | TB | I20 | RYDS | NYDS | NET |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerrel Wilson | 54 | 1921 | 35.6 | 57 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 251 | 1590 | 29.4 |
| Mike Patrick | 7 | 216 | 30.9 | 47 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 195 | 27.9 |
| Team Totals | 61 | 2137 | 35.0 | 57 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 272 | 1785 | 29.3 |
| Opponents Totals | 78 | 3081 | 39.5 | 63 | 0 | 8 | 17 | 520 | 2401 | 30.8 |
| PUNT RETURNS | NO | FC | YDS | AVG | LG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Haynes | 14 | 2 | 183 | 13.1 | 35 | 0 |
| Stanley Morgan | 32 | 5 | 335 | 10.5 | 48 | 0 |
| Dick Conn | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 |
| Team Totals | 47 | 9 | 520 | 11.1 | 48 | 0 |
| Opponents Totals | 29 | 10 | 272 | 9.4 | 30 | 0 |
| KICKOFF RETURNS | NO | FC | YDS | AVG | LG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Clayborn | 27 | 636 | 23.6 | 60 | 0 | |
| James McAlister | 10 | 186 | 18.6 | 32 | 0 | |
| Horace Ivory | 7 | 165 | 23.6 | 33 | 0 | |
| Don Westbrook | 7 | 125 | 17.9 | 33 | 0 | |
| Dick Conn | 1 | 26 | 26.0 | 26 | 0 | |
| Stanley Morgan | 1 | 17 | 17.0 | 17 | 0 | |
| Mosi Tatupu | 1 | 17 | 17.0 | 17 | 0 | |
| Dwight Wheeler | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Team Totals | 55 | 1172 | 21.3 | 60 | 0 | |
| Opponents Totals | 69 | 1576 | 22.8 | 90t | 1 |
| SACKS | NO | YDS |
|---|---|---|
| Tony McGee | 11.5 | |
| Ray Hamilton | 5.0 | |
| Rod Shoate | 5.0 | |
| Richard Bishop | 5.0 | |
| Mel Lunsford | 4.0 | |
| Steve Zabel | 2.0 | |
| Ray Costict | 1.0 | |
| Steve Nelson | 1.0 | |
| Sam Hunt | 0.5 | |
| Team Totals | 35.0 | 296.0 |
| Opponents Totals | 24.0 | 206.0 |
| FUMBLES | NO | LOST | OWN | OPP | REC | YDS | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Bishop | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Don Calhoun | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ray Clayborn | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ray Costict | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Sam Cunningham | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tim Fox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Russ Francis | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Steve Grogan | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -24 | 0 | |
| Ray Hamilton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| John Hannah | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Haynes | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ernie Holmes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Horace Ivory | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Andy Johnson | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| James McAlister | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tony McGee | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Stanley Morgan | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Steve Nelson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Rod Shoate | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Don Westbrook | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jerrel Wilson | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -13 | 0 | |
| Steve Zabel | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Team Totals | 35 | 24 | 11 | 21 | 32 | -37 | 0 |
| Opponents Totals | 34 | 21 | 11 | 21 | 32 | 1 |
| In Memoriam |
| NFL Boxscores |
| NFL Game Officials |
| NFL Training Camps |
| NFL Roster Limits |
| Pro Football Hall of Fame |
| Super Bowl |
| Privacy Policy |
| ©2006-2025 Pro Football Archives. All Rights Reserved. |
| Last Updated: February 21, 2025 |