On Sunday, with the Patriots' 33-8 victory over the Raiders in Mexico City, New England guaranteed their 17th consecutive .500 or better season. The last time the Pats had a losing season came in 2000 when the they finished 5-11 and last in the AFC East. Back then, Bill Belichick was in his inaugural season as head coach of the Pats and Drew Bledsoe was the starting quarterback.
The next season, Bledsoe was injured in a Week 2 game vs. the Jets and the Tom Brady era began. TB went 11-3 and led the Patriots to their first Super Bowl title (XXXVI) in franchise history. The Patriots being a losing team seems like an eternity ago because New England has dominated to the tune of 7 AFC championships and 5 Lombardi trophies since 2000.
While the Pats' dominance has remained a constant, a few things have changed significantly since the turn of the century:
No. 1 Hit Single
2000: "Breathe" by Faith Hill
2017: "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber
Price of a Gallon Gas
2000: $1.51
2017: $2.54
Median cost of a house
2000: $169,000
2017: $225,262
No. 1 Movie
2000: How the Grinch Stole Christmas ($260 million)
2017: Beauty and the Beast ($504 million so far)
