Six. That's the short answer. If you're just here for the number, the New England Patriots have hoisted the Lombardi Trophy six times. They’re currently tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most titles in NFL history. But honestly, just saying "six" feels like it misses the entire point of what happened in Foxborough over two decades. It wasn't just about winning; it was about an era of dominance that basically broke how we think about professional football.
When you look at how many times have the patriots won the superbowl, you have to look at the sheer density of those wins. They didn't just stumble into a few rings across fifty years. They grabbed all of them between 2001 and 2018. That is a nineteen-season window where New England was essentially the final boss of the NFL. It’s a run we probably won’t see again, especially with the way the salary cap and free agency are designed to force parity.
The First Wave: Building the Myth
It started in 2001. Nobody expected it. Tom Brady was a skinny kid who’d been drafted 199th overall, stepping in for an injured Drew Bledsoe. They were massive underdogs against the "Greatest Show on Turf" St. Louis Rams. That win in Super Bowl XXXVI—a 20-17 nail-biter settled by an Adam Vinatieri field goal—set the blueprint. It wasn't about high-flying stats. It was about situational football, a grueling defense led by guys like Tedy Bruschi and Ty Law, and a head coach in Bill Belichick who seemed to see the game in code.
They went back-to-back in 2003 and 2004. Super Bowl XXXVIII against the Carolina Panthers was a chaotic, high-scoring affair that ended 32-29. Then came XXXIX against the Philadelphia Eagles, a 24-21 victory that solidified them as a dynasty. By February 2005, the Patriots had three rings in four years. Fans elsewhere were already getting sick of them. It felt like they’d cracked the code. But then, the well went dry for a decade.
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The Long Drought and the Second Act
People forget there was a ten-year gap between the third and fourth rings. During that time, they had the "Perfect Season" in 2007, only to lose to Eli Manning and the Giants in one of the biggest upsets ever. They lost to the Giants again in 2011. There was a genuine conversation happening in sports bars across America: "Is the dynasty over?"
Then 2014 happened. Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks is arguably the most famous game in the bunch. You probably remember where you were when Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson on the goal line. That single play changed the legacy of the franchise. If Seattle runs the ball with Marshawn Lynch and scores, the Patriots stay at three wins, and the "dynasty" looks a lot more like a "flash in the pan" from the early 2000s. Instead, they got ring number four.
28-3 and the Final Tally
If 2014 was about luck and preparation, 2016 was about sheer, stubborn will. The Patriots were down 28-3 to the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI. It was over. People were turning off their TVs. I remember Twitter was already writing the eulogies for the Brady-Belichick era. And then, the greatest comeback in football history happened. They won 34-28 in overtime. That was win number five.
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The final one, number six, came in Super Bowl LIII against the Los Angeles Rams. It was a defensive slugfest—honestly, kind of a boring game if you like points—ending 13-3. It was fitting, in a way. The dynasty started with a defensive masterclass against a high-powered Rams offense in 2001, and it effectively ended with a defensive masterclass against a high-powered Rams offense in 2018.
Why the Number Matters
The question of how many times have the patriots won the superbowl serves as a benchmark for every other team. The Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers have five. The Steelers have six. But the Patriots' six feels different because of the continuity. It was the same coach and the same quarterback for every single one. That’s the "Pats Way" people talk about—a culture of "Do Your Job" that became a cliché because it actually worked.
It wasn't all clean, though. You can't talk about these six wins without mentioning the controversies. Spygate in 2007 and Deflategate in 2014 are permanent parts of the record. Critics will always use those to put an asterisk next to the trophy count. But even the harshest haters have to admit that winning six times in the modern era is a statistical anomaly. The NFL is designed to make you fail once you succeed. Draft picks get worse, your coordinators get hired away, and your players want more money. The Patriots just ignored all that for twenty years.
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A List of the Victories
- Super Bowl XXXVI (2001): Patriots 20, Rams 17. The birth of the legend.
- Super Bowl XXXVIII (2003): Patriots 32, Panthers 29. Another last-second kick.
- Super Bowl XXXIX (2004): Patriots 24, Eagles 21. Back-to-back dominance.
- Super Bowl XLIX (2014): Patriots 28, Seahawks 24. The Malcolm Butler pick.
- Super Bowl LI (2016): Patriots 34, Falcons 28 (OT). The 28-3 comeback.
- Super Bowl LIII (2018): Patriots 13, Rams 3. The final curtain call.
The Post-Brady Reality
Since Tom Brady left for Tampa Bay in 2020 and Bill Belichick eventually moved on, the number has stayed stuck at six. The team has struggled. It turns out that having the greatest quarterback of all time and a defensive genius as a coach is actually pretty important. Who knew? Now, the franchise is in a total rebuild mode, trying to find a new identity.
For fans, those six rings are a shield. No matter how bad the current season gets, they can always point to the rafters. But for the rest of the league, it’s a target. Every team in the AFC East spent twenty years being bullied by New England, and they aren't forgetting it anytime soon.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Historians
If you are looking to truly understand the depth of this achievement, don't just look at the highlights.
- Watch the 2001 AFC Championship: It wasn't just the Super Bowl; the game against the Steelers to get there showed how deep that roster was.
- Study the 2014 Offseason: After a blowout loss to Kansas City, the "On to Cincinnati" moment defined how the team handled pressure and eventually won their fourth ring.
- Analyze the 2016 Fourth Quarter: Rewatch the Super Bowl against Atlanta, but focus on the offensive line. Their conditioning in the final fifteen minutes is why they won.
- Compare the Rosters: Look at the names on the 2001 team versus the 2018 team. There is almost no overlap except for Brady and kicker Stephen Gostkowski (who joined in 2006). It proves the system was the constant, not just the players.
The era is over, but the six trophies aren't going anywhere. Whether or not someone eventually passes them—looking at you, Patrick Mahomes—the Patriots' run will remain the gold standard for how to build, maintain, and reload a winning organization in the face of a league built to knock you down.
To see where the Patriots stand this season compared to their championship years, check the current NFL standings and roster moves on the official team site. If you're debating with friends, remember that while the Steelers also have six, the Patriots reached the Super Bowl eleven times total, giving them the edge in overall conference dominance. For those interested in the memorabilia side, the Patriots Hall of Fame in Foxborough is the only place where you can see all six Lombardi trophies side-by-side.