The 2004 season
The New England Patriots won the Super Bowl after the 2004 season, beating the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 at Alltel Stadium.
They went 14-2 in the regular season and won the AFC East. The conference championships: the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Atlanta Falcons 27-10; the New England Patriots beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 41-27.
The Pittsburgh Steelers had the best record at 15-1, but lost the conference championship; the San Francisco 49ers finished bottom at 2-14.
The Indianapolis Colts scored the most points (522) and the Pittsburgh Steelers conceded the fewest (251). The longest winning run: the Pittsburgh Steelers, 14 in a row (weeks 3-17).
The biggest upset: the Oakland Raiders, 11.5-point underdogs, beat the Denver Broncos 25-24 in week 12, one of 20 wins by teams getting 7 or more points. The widest margin: the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Atlanta Falcons 56-10 in week 7. The most points in one game: 106, when the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Cleveland Browns 58-48 in week 12.
47% of games were decided by one score (8 points or fewer). 12 games went to overtime.
Play-offs
Wild card round
- Denver Broncos 24-49 Indianapolis Colts
- Minnesota Vikings 31-17 Green Bay Packers · upset, 6-point underdog won
- New York Jets 20-17 San Diego Chargers (OT) · upset, 6.5-point underdog won
- St Louis Rams 27-20 Seattle Seahawks · upset, 4-point underdog won
Divisional round
Conference championships
Super Bowl
Final standings
AFC
| Team | W | L | Pct | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots · Won Super Bowl | 14 | 2 | .875 | +177 |
| New York Jets · Lost divisional round | 10 | 6 | .625 | +72 |
| Buffalo Bills | 9 | 7 | .563 | +111 |
| Miami Dolphins | 4 | 12 | .250 | -79 |
| Team | W | L | Pct | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers · Lost conference championship | 15 | 1 | .938 | +121 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 9 | 7 | .563 | +49 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 8 | 8 | .500 | +2 |
| Cleveland Browns | 4 | 12 | .250 | -114 |
| Team | W | L | Pct | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts · Lost divisional round | 12 | 4 | .750 | +171 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 9 | 7 | .563 | -19 |
| Houston Texans | 7 | 9 | .438 | -30 |
| Tennessee Titans | 5 | 11 | .313 | -95 |
| Team | W | L | Pct | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers · Lost wild card round | 12 | 4 | .750 | +133 |
| Denver Broncos · Lost wild card round | 10 | 6 | .625 | +77 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 7 | 9 | .438 | +48 |
| Oakland Raiders | 5 | 11 | .313 | -122 |
NFC
| Team | W | L | Pct | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles · Lost Super Bowl | 13 | 3 | .813 | +126 |
| New York Giants | 6 | 10 | .375 | -44 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 6 | 10 | .375 | -112 |
| Washington Redskins | 6 | 10 | .375 | -25 |
| Team | W | L | Pct | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers · Lost wild card round | 10 | 6 | .625 | +44 |
| Minnesota Vikings · Lost divisional round | 8 | 8 | .500 | +10 |
| Detroit Lions | 6 | 10 | .375 | -54 |
| Chicago Bears | 5 | 11 | .313 | -100 |
| Team | W | L | Pct | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons · Lost conference championship | 11 | 5 | .688 | +3 |
| New Orleans Saints | 8 | 8 | .500 | -57 |
| Carolina Panthers | 7 | 9 | .438 | +16 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5 | 11 | .313 | -3 |
| Team | W | L | Pct | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks · Lost wild card round | 9 | 7 | .563 | -2 |
| St Louis Rams · Lost divisional round | 8 | 8 | .500 | -73 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 6 | 10 | .375 | -38 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 2 | 14 | .125 | -193 |
Regular season only. Pct counts a tie as half a win. Div, Conf, Non-Conf: records against division, conference and other-conference opponents. Strk: current run of wins (W), losses (L) or ties (T). Last 5: oldest to newest. Teams level on Pct are ordered by division record, then points difference, which can differ from the official standings. Data: nflverse.
Season in numbers
| Measure | 2004 | Average since 2002 |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 43.0 | 44.7 |
| Home win rateNeutral-site games excluded; a tie counts as half. | 57% | 56% |
| One-score gamesDecided by 8 points or fewer. | 47% | 51% |
| Favourites wonAgainst the closing line; pick’ems and ties left out. | 66% | 67% |
| Overtime games | 12 (5%) | 6% |
Regular season only. Average: every completed season since 2002 except this one. Data: nflverse.