The Top 20 Patriots Moments of 2022

The Super Bowl is over, the parade is done, and the 2022 NFL season is officially in the books. Finally.

I don’t know about any of you, but the end of this past season couldn’t come fast enough for me. The Patriots limped to an 8-9 finish, arguably their worst year in the Bill Belichick era, and it was a season riddled with self-inflicted wounds, uninspired play-calling, frustrating losses, and an overall failure to build on what was a promising 2021 campaign.

That’s not to say that there weren’t some great moments that took place this past season, and at the end of the day football always trumps no football. It’s time to kick off my annual countdown — welcome to the Top 20 Most Memorable Patriots Moments of 2022.

Over the coming days, weeks, and months, I’ll be going through and breaking down what I think represent the 20 most memorable moments that best encapsulate the 2022 season as a whole. The good, the bad, and the ugly will all be put on full display as I reflect on the year that was. I know that this particular Top 20 won’t be nearly as fun as countdowns of years past, particularly those that ended in Super Bowls, but hopefully we can all still look back on some of the things that took place this past season fondly.

Fair warning, though: a number of moments on this list are not going to be pretty. Not even close. I’ll admit that I very strongly considered making one of the moments “Two-Yard Run, Incompletion, Sack, Punt,” as that’s probably what we’ll remember most from 2022, but ultimately refrained. So prepare yourself to take the bad with the good.

But before we dive in, as always, let’s take one final look back at the Top 20 Moments of 2021. That season seems like a lifetime ago.

20. The Patriots trade Stephon Gilmore to the Panthers for a sixth-round pick.

19. A Week 1 goal line fumble costs the Patriots the game at home against the Miami Dolphins.

18. A four interception day secures New England’s first win of the season against the New York Jets.

17. Mac Jones hits Nelson Agholor for the first TD of the season against the Miami Dolphins.

16. A 41-yard Kendrick Bourne TD reception opens the game up against the Tennessee Titans.

15. A late Nick Folk field goal caps off a 15 play game-winning drive over the Houston Texans.

14. Mac Jones is named the starter over Cam Newton.

13. Nick Folk can’t connect on a 56 yard FG attempt to complete the comeback against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

12. An Adrian Phillips pick-six seals the game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

11. Kendrick Bourne connects with Nelson Agholor to kick off an epic beatdown of the New York Jets.

10. A quick out to Jakobi Meyers results in his first career touchdown against the Cleveland Browns.

9. Free Agent Frenzy.

8. The Patriots obliterate the Jacksonville Jaguars and find themselves back in the NFL Playoffs.

7. A diving interception gives J.C. Jackson an impressive record.

6. Damien Harris bowls over seven different Jets on his way to a 26 yard touchdown run.

5. A J.C. Jackson 88-yard pick-six ices the game against the Carolina Panthers.

4. Mac Jones connects with Kendrick Bourne for a 75 yard touchdown to take a late lead against the Dallas Cowboys.

3. A 22 yard laser from Mac Jones to Kendrick Bourne caps off a 99 yard scoring drive against the Cleveland Browns.

2. The Patriots draft Mac Jones.

1. Three passes and 222 yards rushing help the Patriots defeat the Buffalo Bills in a wild Monday Night Football Game.