1983 New England Patriots season

The 1983 New England Patriots season was the franchise's 14th season in the National Football League and 24th overall. The Patriots played inconsistently all season, but at 8–7 had a chance for a playoff spot with a win in their final game of the season in Seattle. The Patriots would have problems with turnovers as rookie quarterback Tony Eason was swallowed up in a 24–6 loss to the Seahawks.

1983 New England Patriots season
Owner	Billy Sullivan
General manager	Patrick Sullivan
Head coach	Ron Meyer
Home field	Sullivan Stadium
Results
Record	8–8
Division place	T-2nd AFC East
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	P Rich Camarillo CB Raymond Clayborn RB Tony Collins G John Hannah T Brian Holloway
AP All-Pros	G John Hannah (1st team) P Rich Camarillo (2nd team)
← 1982 Patriots seasons 1984 →

In the first week of December, in shocking conditions with sleet and snow,^[1] the Patriots’ game with wild card contender New Orleans Saints saw just one score set up by Ricky Smith returning the Saints’ initial kickoff to the 3-yard line. As of 2023, this game remains the most recent 7–0 result in NFL history,^[2] with only three games since seeing just one score,^[3] all three of which a single field goal was the only score.^{[note 1]}

Draft

Main article: 1983 NFL Draft

1983 New England Patriots draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	15	Tony Eason	Quarterback	Illinois
2	47	Darryal Wilson	Wide receiver	Tennessee
3	74	Stephen Starring	Wide receiver	McNeese State
3	80	Steve Moore	Guard	Tennessee State
4	101	Johnny Rembert *	Linebacker	Clemson
5	118	Smiley Creswell	Defensive end	Michigan State
5	128	Darryl Lewis	Tight end	Texas-Arlington
6	155	Mike Bass	Placekicker	Illinois
7	187	Craig James *	Running back	Southern Methodist
8	214	Ronnie Lippett	Cornerback	Miami (FL)
9	233	Ricky Williams	Running back	Langston
9	240	Mark Keel	Tight end	Arizona
10	264	James Williams	Tight end	Wyoming
10	265	Toby Williams	Defensive end	Nebraska
10	267	Tom Ramsey	Quarterback	UCLA
11	292	Steve Parker	Wide receiver	Abilene Christian
11	294	Calvin Eason	Defensive back	Houston
12	319	Waddell Kelly	Running back	Arkansas State
12	326	Andy Ekern	Offensive tackle	Missouri
Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Staff

New England Patriots 1983 staff
Front office President – Billy Sullivan Executive vice president – Chuck Sullivan Vice-president – Bucko Kilroy General manager – Patrick Sullivan Director of player development – Dick Steinberg Director of college scouting – Joe Mendes Director of pro scouting – Bill McPeak Head coaches Head coach – Ron Meyer Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks – Lew Erber Offensive backfield – Cleve Bryant Receivers – Steve Endicott Offensive line – Bill Muir			Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Rod Rust Linebackers – Tommy Brasher Linebackers – Steve Sidwell Defensive backs – Steve Walters Special teams coaches Special teams/tight ends – Dante Scarnecchia Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning – LeBaron Caruthers

Roster

1983 New England Patriots roster

	Quarterbacks 11 Tony Eason 14 Steve Grogan 19 Mike Kerrigan Running backs 33 Tony Collins 34 Mark van Eeghen FB 30 Mosi Tatupu 24 Robert Weathers 35 George Peoples Wide receivers 83 Cedric Jones 86 Stanley Morgan 82 Clarence Weathers 81 Stephen Starring 48 Darryal Wilson Tight ends 87 Lin Dawson 80 Brooks Williams 80 Don Hasselbeck 88 Derrick Ramsey		Offensive linemen 58 Pete Brock C 78 Art Kuehn C 75 Bob Cryder T 73 John Hannah G 76 Brian Holloway T 62 Dwight Wheeler T 60 Ron Wooten G 67 Steve Moore T 68 Darryl Haley T Defensive linemen 85 Julius Adams DE 77 Kenneth Sims DE 78 Marshall Harris NT 78 Ron Spears DE 65 Doug Rogers DE 72 Lester Williams DT 70 Luther Henson NT 74 Dave Browning DE 98 Dennis Owens NT 90 Toby Williams DE		Linebackers 55 Don Blackmon OLB 50 Larry McGrew ILB 57 Steve Nelson ILB 56 Andre Tippett OLB 53 Clayton Weishuhn 51 Brian Ingram 52 Johnny Rembert ILB 54 John Gillen 59 Tim Golden 95 Ed Reynolds ILB Defensive backs 26 Raymond Clayborn CB 38 Roland James SS 22 Keith Lee CB 42 Ronnie Lippett CB 31 Fred Marion FS 24 Rick Sanford FS 27 Ricky Smith CB 47 Paul Dombroski DB Special teams 3 Rich Camarillo P 1 John Smith K 2 Joaquin Zendejas K 5 Fred Steinfort K		Reserve lists Practice squad Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 4	Baltimore Colts	L 23–29	0–1	Sullivan Stadium	45,526
2	September 11	at Miami Dolphins	L 24–34	0–2	Miami Orange Bowl	59,343
3	September 18	New York Jets	W 23–13	1–2	Sullivan Stadium	43,182
4	September 25	at Pittsburgh Steelers	W 28–23	2–2	Three Rivers Stadium	58,282
5	October 2	San Francisco 49ers	L 13–33	2–3	Sullivan Stadium	54,293
6	October 9	at Baltimore Colts	L 7–12	2–4	Memorial Stadium	35,618
7	October 16	San Diego Chargers	W 37–21	3–4	Sullivan Stadium	59,016
8	October 23	at Buffalo Bills	W 31–0	4–4	Rich Stadium	60,424
9	October 30	at Atlanta Falcons	L 13–24	4–5	Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium	47,546
10	November 6	Buffalo Bills	W 21–7	5–5	Sullivan Stadium	42,604
11	November 13	Miami Dolphins	W 17–6	6–5	Sullivan Stadium	60,771
12	November 20	Cleveland Browns	L 0–30	6–6	Sullivan Stadium	40,987
13	November 27	at New York Jets	L 3–26	6–7	Giants Stadium	48,620
14	December 4	New Orleans Saints	W 7–0	7–7	Sullivan Stadium	24,579
15	December 11	at Los Angeles Rams	W 21–7	8–7	Anaheim Stadium	46,503
16	December 18	at Seattle Seahawks	L 6–24	8–8	Kingdome	59,688
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

AFC East
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Miami Dolphins^(2)	12	4	0	.750	6–2	9–3	389	250	W5
New England Patriots	8	8	0	.500	4–4	6–6	274	289	L1
Buffalo Bills	8	8	0	.500	4–4	7–5	283	351	L2
Baltimore Colts	7	9	0	.438	3–5	5–9	264	354	W1
New York Jets	7	9	0	.438	3–5	4–8	313	331	L2

Notes

1. These 3–0 scores occurred in 1993 when the Jets defeated the Redskins, in 2007 when the Steelers defeated the Dolphins, and in 2023 when the Vikings defeated the Raiders

References

1. ‘Kickoff Return Practices Pay Off as Patriots Slip Past Saints 7–0’; St. Petersburg Times, December 5, 1983, p. 5C
2. Pro Football Reference; Games with Final Score 7–0
3. Pro Football Reference; Games with Final Score 3–0

See also

• List of New England Patriots seasons