Following their victory in Super Bowl XXXVI seven months earlier, the Patriots played their first game in the new Gillette Stadium in the NFL's primetime Monday Night Football opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a win for the Patriots. After an additional two wins to begin the season, including a 44–7 road win against the division rival New York Jets, the team lost five of its next seven games, allowing an average of 137 rushing yards a game during that span.
After securing their Super Bowl XXXVI victory just seven months earlier, the Patriots kicked off their campaign at the newly constructed Gillette Stadium in a high-profile Monday Night Football matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which they emerged victorious from. The team then secured two more wins to begin the season, including a resounding 44–7 road victory over divisional rivals the New York Jets, before experiencing a slump, losing five of their next seven games and allowing an average of 137 rushing yards per contest during that stretch.