Patriots Legends Recall Legacy of First Super Bowl Team

Before Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, before Robert Kraft and any of what the New England Patriots have today, there was the 1985 team. The squad — coming off firing their coach midseason and finishing with a 9-7 season the year prior — became the first team in league history to rattle off three-straight road wins en route to a Super Bowl appearance.

While the Super Bowl went as badly as it could have (a 46-10 loss to the Chicago Bears), the team found proud in being the first group from New England to make it to the big game.

It's a team that defined a region, and gave hope to a once-dormant hot bed of professional football. And they had fun messing up plenty of people's predictions.

Art Plunkett Reflects on First Patriots Super Bowl

"We all got along and had a fun time playing together," former offensive tackle Art Plunkett (1985, 1987) told Patriots on SI. "There was really no 'i' guys that put themselves above anyone else. We did everything together. Pretty sure we all got along because we loved the game and we went out and just played."

The season started a tad shaky. Losses to the Raiders and Browns put the Patriots in a 2-3 hole heading into a home divisional matchup against the Buffalo Bills. That's when the flip got switched. A 14-2 win kick started a six-game winning stretch and offensively, quarterback Steve Grogan and wide receivers Stanley Morgan and Irving Fryar created a fantastic 1-2 punch. But it was the running game, the same one that rushed for 2,331 total yards that year, that this team still hangs its hat on.

"You'd have a hard time finding many really good teams who can't run the football," former running back Craig James (1984-1988) told Patriots on SI. "And Raymond Berry understood you've got to be able to run the ball and be physical, and that physicality transfers over into every phase of your football team."

Jan 12, 1986; Miami, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; A New England Patriots assistant coach talks with guard John Hannah (73) during the 1985 AFC Conference Championship against the Miami Dolphins at the Orange Bowl. The Patriots won 31-14. Mandatory Credit: Manny Rubio-Imagn Images | Manny Rubio-Imagn Images

Berry was an interesting hire at the time. The season before, the Patriots had canned Ron Meyer after more than two up and down seasons, including being named the 1982 AFC Coach of the Year. Berry -- who had been the team's wide receivers coach earlier in the decade — was working in the private sector when he got the call to take over the team in midseason. The final eight games where Berry coached as the interim laid the groundwork for the eventual conference champs a year later.

"Coach Berry treated us all the same, he did not let anyone slide by the rules and expected us all to follow the rules," Plunkett said. "To this day I still follow his rule of 'Be 5 minutes early to be on time.'"

A Gutsy Call Sends New England To The Postseason

It wasn't until they beat the Cincinnati Bengals in the final week of the season that they punched their ticket to the postseason. On fourth down, backup running back Robert Weathers broke free for a 42-yard scamper and score to send the Patriots to the Wild Card round as the AFC's final team.

Up first? The New York Jets on the road. The Patriots forced a five turnovers, including a scoop and score on a kickoff by Johnny Rembert, to knock off the favored Jets 26-14. A methodical offense, where Tony Eason stepped in and threw for 179 yards, sent New England to once had been its house of horrors. Grogan had broke his leg earlier in the year, so it was Eason's team moving forward.

The aforementioned house of horrors was traveling to play the Los Angeles Raiders, a team they had already lost to earlier in the year. Just a decade prior, a phantom roughing the passer call on Ray "Sugar Bear" Hamilton gave New England fans a soul-crushing loss. Instead, the Patriots defense forced six turnovers to head to their first AFC Championship in what quickly became ... another house of horrors down in Miami.

Orange Bowl Jinx ... No More

"At that point the Pats hadn’t won in Miami in 19 straight trips down there," Plunkett said. "We came close in December and we were for redemption. We also wanted to end that losing streak. (Owner) Billy Sullivan — Mr. Sullivan was a great guy and treated us like family — flew us out there the Tuesday prior to the game so we could practice in the warm climate."

The 27-20 win in Los Angeles wasn't enough. The Patriots were facing the AFC East-winning Dolphins at the Orange Bowl, and were just a win away from their first trip to the Super Bowl.

"We spent four days practicing knowing we could beat them and wanting to break the curse of losing 19 straight games there," Plunkett said. "We wanted respect and we went out and took it from the Dolphins. The Dolphins were loaded with Dan Marino throwing to (Mark) Duper & (Mark) Clayton - they were heavily favored. From the start of the game it went our way on defense and offense."

Jan 5, 1986; Los Angeles, CA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Los Angeles Raiders defensive back Mike Davis (36) pressures New England Patriots quarterback Tony Eason (11) during the 1985 AFC Divisional Playoff Game at the Coliseum. The Patriots defeated the Raiders 27-20. Mandatory Credit: MPS-Imagn Images | MPS-Imagn Images

"The coaches decided we were going to run the ball and keep it from Marino," Hall of Fame guard John Hannah (1973-1985) said, via Boston.com. "I think we only threw the ball like 10 or 12 times. It was rock ‘em, sock ‘em football."

It was, and still is, one of the greatest games in franchise history. The Patriots became the first team in league history to rattle off three-straight road playoff wins en route to the Super Bowl. In rainy weather, the Patriots held the ball for 40 minutes and rushed for over 250 yards in the 31-14 win. Oh, and just like the two teams prior, the Patriots forced six more turnovers against a really well-rounded Dolphins team.

"I think it really is a credit to the focus that that coach Berry had on our team," James said. "He asked us one time, or well more than once. He'd asked us, you know, if you're shooting a bow and arrow at a target, what do you what are you aiming at? And we said the bullseye. He said, well, not, not really. I want you to aim at the center of the bullseye. And that kind of focus in our preparations and everything we did, it paid off, because when, when we went on the road, we were focused on doing our job and playing our game and imposing it on."

And so their trip to the Super Bowl was complete. It was a blowout, but Patriots fans didn't care. They were just happy to see the once-lowly "Patsies" on the biggest stage in the sport.

That 1985 team became folk heroes across New England, and they remain as such.

Make sure you bookmark New England Patriots on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns, and so much more!