The New England Patriots, then known as the Boston Patriots, were one of the eight founding franchises of the American Football League. However, they – together with the Denver Broncos – also were one of two teams to not win the league’s title in its 10 years of existence.
Oh, how the times have changed.
While the Broncos are the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Patriots have become the most successful professional football team of the 21st century. As such, they have also established themselves as the most successful of the teams to play in the AFL. On Sunday against another former AFL franchise, the New York Jets, the Patriots could become the first to reach 500 total victories.
New England currently stands at 499 after its victory over the San Francisco 49ers. The next best former AFL team are the above-mentioned Broncos, who have won 486 games. Overall the list of the 10 former American Football League franchises ranked by victories looks as follows:
New England Patriots (Boston Patriots) (1960-2016): 499
Denver Broncos (1960-2016): 486
Oakland Raiders (Los Angeles Raiders) (1960-2016): 477
Miami Dolphins (1966-2016): 455
Kansas City Chiefs (Dallas Texans) (1960-2016): 451
San Diego Chargers (Los Angeles Chargers) (1960-2016): 436
Tennessee Titans (Houston Oilers) (1960-2016): 423
Buffalo Bills (1960-2016): 412
New York Jets (New York Titans) (1960-2016): 402
Cincinnati Bengals (1968-2016): 368
Coincidentally, if New England wins on Sunday, Tom Brady would tie the NFL record for most victories in a quarterback’s career. He currently sits at 199 and would tie Peyton Manning if he registers win number 200 against the Jets. So, yes, as of Sunday Tom Brady might be responsible for 40% of the Patriots’ all-time victories.