A 12-4 record is great for most NFL teams, but average for the Patriots

The Patriots finished 2015 at 12-4.  It's the fourth straight 12-4 regular season campaign for New England.  On the right is the complete list of Pats records since 2001, the year Tom Brady took over as starting quarterback.

For the past 15 seasons, 12-4 is the average record for the Patriots--slightly below average actually, considering the numbers work out to 12.13 wins and 3.87 losses per year.

In 2015, New England's 12-4 mark was good enough to earn the No. 2 seed in the AFC.  According to My Top Sportsbooks, the Pats have 6/1 odds to win the Super Bowl, tied with the Panthers for second-best after the Cardinals at 5/1 (quick sidebar: Brady is also the top bet of any player at the moment to win the Super Bowl MVP at 15/1, just ahead of Carolina quarterback Cam Newton at 18/1 and Arizona QB Carson Palmer at 20/1).

Most teams would be thrilled to be where New England is at the moment, but for the Patriots it's just business as usual--for the last decade-and-a-half.

Here's where things get crazy: Over the 15-year span that the Pats have averaged slightly more than 12 regular-season wins, there are seven NFL franchises that have never won 12 games: Miami, New York (Jets), Buffalo, Cleveland, Oakland, Washington and Detroit.  Two more clubs, Arizona and Cincinnati, just won 12 for the first time since 2001 this year.


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