The Patriots had lost all 18 games they played at the Orange Bowl when they traveled to Miami for their first AFC Championship game, but they "squished the fish" in a 31-14 upset victory over the Miami Dolphins on Jan. 12, 1986. The tailback trio of Craig James, Robert Weathers and Tony Collins ran 50 times for 253 yards, and QB Tony Eason completed 10 of 12 passes for 71 yards and 3 TDs, sending New England to its first Super Bowl.

The first AFC Championship game held in Foxboro was one to remember as the Patriots used a punishing defense to defeat the upstart Jacksonville Jaguars 20-6 on Jan. 12, 1997. With New England up only by a single score, CB Otis Smith helped put the game away with a 47-yard fumble return for a touchdown with 8:42 left in the fourth quarter. Tedy Bruschi and Willie Clay added interceptions for New England. 

Back-up QB Drew Bledsoe took over after a second-quarter injury to Tom Brady and completed 10-of-12 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown to lift the Patriots to a 24-17 win over Pittsburgh at Heinz Field on Jan. 27, 2002. The Patriots special teams were exactly that – special – as Troy Brown returned a punt 55 yards for a score and Antwan Harris blocked a field goal and brought it back 49 yards for a TD. 

Adam Vinatieri kicked five medium-range field goals and the Patriots' stout defense picked off NFL co-MVP Peyton Manning four times in a 24-14 win on Jan. 18, 2004. CB Ty Law had three interceptions, and RB Antwan Smith provided an offensive punch, rushing 22 times for 100 yards.

New England used a pair of big plays – a 60-yard TD pass from Tom Brady to Deion Branch and an 87-yard interception return for a touchdown by Rodney Harrison – to jump out to a 24-3 halftime lead en route to a 41-27 victory over the 16-1 Steelers on Jan. 23, 2005. Eugene Wilson also bolstered New England's defense with a pair of interceptions, helping the Patriots reach their third Super Bowl in four years.

New England kept San Diego out of the end zone and Tom Brady threw a pair of TD passes in a 21-12 win over the Chargers on Jan. 20, 2008. RB Laurence Maroney ran for 122 yards (on 25 carries) and a TD. With the win, New England set a NFL single-season record with 18 victories.

Patriots CB Sterling Moore provided late-game heroics, slapping the ball out of the hands of Ravens WR Lee Evans in the end zone with 27 seconds left, and the Patriots hung on for a 23-20 win over Baltimore on Jan. 22, 2012. Baltimore kicker Billy Cundiff had a chance to tie the game but missed a 32-yard field goal with 15 seconds to go. Tom Brady provided the go-ahead score with a 1-yard TD sneak early in the fourth quarter. 

QB Tom Brady (23-of-35, 226 yards, 3 TDs) and RB LeGarrette Blount (30 rushes, 148 yards, 3 TDs) led the way for New England, which scored early and often in a 45-7 victory over the Colts on Jan. 18, 2015. New England was just as prolific on the other side of the ball. LB Jamie Collins and CB Darelle Revis each picked off Colts QB Andrew Luck (12-of-33), helping the Patriots clinch their sixth conference crown since the start of the 21st century.