2006 New England Patriots season

2006 New England Patriots season
Owner	Robert Kraft
Head coach	Bill Belichick
Home field	Gillette Stadium
Results
Record	12–4
Division place	1st AFC East
Playoff finish	Won Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Jets) 37–16 Won Divisional Playoffs (at Chargers) 24–21 Lost AFC Championship (at Colts) 34–38
Pro Bowlers	OT Matt Light DE Richard Seymour
AP All-Pros	DE Richard Seymour (2nd team)
Uniform
← 2005 Patriots seasons 2007 →

The 2006 season was the New England Patriots' 37th in the National Football League (NFL), their 47th overall and their seventh under head coach Bill Belichick. They finished with a 12–4 record and a division title before losing to the Indianapolis Colts in the playoffs.

The Patriots entered the season without their two starting wide receivers from 2005; David Givens left in free agency while Deion Branch held out for a new contract before being traded in early September. They were eventually replaced with Reche Caldwell and Jabar Gaffney, who was signed as a street free agent in October. Back-to-back losses in November ended the team's streak of 57 games without consecutive losses, three games shy of the NFL record.^[1] The field surface of Gillette Stadium was changed from natural grass to Field Turf in time for the November 26 game against Chicago.

With a 12–4 record and their fourth straight division title, the Patriots entered the playoffs as the fourth seed. They defeated the New York Jets in the wild-card round. A close win over the top-seeded San Diego Chargers on the road in the divisional round set the Patriots up to face their rival Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game. Despite opening up a 21–3 lead, the Patriots stumbled down the stretch at the RCA Dome and the Colts emerged with a 38–34 victory, from which they would go on to win Super Bowl XLI.

As of 2024, this is the last time that the Patriots won a wild-card game.