Ranking the New England Patriots’ 9 Wild Card Game showdowns
1. There’s nothing better than embarrassing a rival
Year: 2006
Score: Patriots 37, Jets 16
If there was anyone who could take down the Patriots and their dominant ways, it would have to be Eric Mangini and the New York Jets, right? After all, Mangini did win three Super Bowls with the franchise as Bill Belichick’s assistant. The Jets also eked out a close win against them in Belichick’s house midway through the 2006 season.
With a ton of knowledge at his disposal, Mangini had his troops ready for battle in Gillette Stadium for the Wild Card Game. Their playoff showdown was fairly close early on. The Jets were looking at only a seven-point halftime deficit and had to be feeling pretty good about themselves. Once the second half started, however, it was a whole different story.
The Patriots out-scored the Jets 20 to 6 in the third and fourth quarters to win by 21 points and pushed New York out of the playoffs as a result. While this win might be ranked number one on our list, the Jets are the ones who got the last laugh. The seemingly pristine record of the Patriots was sullied big time as it was Mangini and the Jets who tipped off the league that Belichick was recording their practices.
The Patriots saw their name dragged through the mud. The franchise was also fined hundreds of thousands of dollars along with losing a third-round draft pick. Nonetheless, it hasn’t stopped them from winning Super Bowls, something the Jets can’t say about themselves.
