The 1989 New England Patriots season was the team's 30th, and 20th in the National Football League. The Patriots finished the season with a record of five wins and eleven losses, and finished fourth in the AFC East Division. After the season, Head Coach Raymond Berry was fired and replaced by Rod Rust.
| 1989 New England Patriots season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Victor Kiam |
| General manager | Patrick Sullivan |
| Head coach | Raymond Berry |
| Home field | Sullivan Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 5–11 |
| Division place | 4th AFC East |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | LB Johnny Rembert |
| AP All-Pros | None |
| Uniform | |
 | |
The Patriots' pass defense surrendered 7.64 yards-per-attempt in 1989, one of the ten worst totals in NFL history.[1] The week-7 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers was moved to Stanford Stadium on the campus of Stanford University after the Loma Prieta earthquake, which had caused some damage to the 49ers' usual home of Candlestick Park 5 days earlier during the World Series.
Offseason
Draft
| 1989 New England Patriots draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | Hart Lee Dykes | WR | Oklahoma State | |
| 2 | 43 | Eric Coleman | DB | Wyoming | |
| 3 | 63 | Marv Cook | TE | Iowa | |
| 3 | 73 | Chris Gannon | DE | Southwestern Louisiana | |
| 4 | 96 | Maurice Hurst | DB | Southern | |
| 4 | 100 | Michael Timpson | WR | Penn State | |
| 6 | 165 | Eric Mitchel | RB | Oklahoma | |
| 7 | 178 | Eric Lindstrom | LB | Boston College | |
| 8 | 210 | Rodney Rice | DB | BYU | |
| 8 | 223 | Tony Zackery | DB | Washington | |
| 9 | 240 | Darron Norris | RB | Texas | |
| 9 | 247 | Curtis Wilson | C | Missouri | |
| 10 | 267 | Emmanuel McNeil | DT | Tennessee-Martin | |
| 11 | 294 | Tony Hinz | RB | Harvard | |
| 12 | 324 | Aaron Chubb | LB | Georgia | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Personnel
Staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Roster
| Quarterbacks Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
| Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
| Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
| Reserve lists
47 active, 19 inactive, 3 practice squad
| ||||||
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 10 | at New York Jets | W 27–24 | 1–0 | Giants Stadium | 64,541 | Recap |
| 2 | September 17 | Miami Dolphins | L 10–24 | 1–1 | Foxboro Stadium | 57,043 | Recap |
| 3 | September 24 | Seattle Seahawks | L 3–24 | 1–2 | Foxboro Stadium | 48,025 | Recap |
| 4 | October 1 | at Buffalo Bills | L 10–31 | 1–3 | Rich Stadium | 78,921 | Recap |
| 5 | October 8 | Houston Oilers | W 23–13 | 2–3 | Foxboro Stadium | 59,828 | Recap |
| 6 | October 15 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 15–16 | 2–4 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 39,697 | Recap |
| 7 | October 22 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 20–37 | 2–5 | Stanford Stadium | 51,781 | Recap |
| 8 | October 29 | at Indianapolis Colts | W 23–20 | 3–5 | Hoosier Dome | 59,356 | Recap |
| 9 | November 5 | New York Jets | L 26–27 | 3–6 | Foxboro Stadium | 53,366 | Recap |
| 10 | November 12 | New Orleans Saints | L 24–28 | 3–7 | Foxboro Stadium | 47,680 | Recap |
| 11 | November 19 | Buffalo Bills | W 33–24 | 4–7 | Foxboro Stadium | 49,663 | Recap |
| 12 | November 26 | at Los Angeles Raiders | L 21–24 | 4–8 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 38,747 | Recap |
| 13 | December 3 | Indianapolis Colts | W 22–16 | 5–8 | Foxboro Stadium | 32,234 | Recap |
| 14 | December 10 | at Miami Dolphins | L 10–31 | 5–9 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 55,918 | Recap |
| 15 | December 17 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 10–28 | 5–10 | Three Rivers Stadium | 26,594 | Recap |
| 16 | December 24 | Los Angeles Rams | L 20–24 | 5–11 | Foxboro Stadium | 27,940 | Recap |
Note:
- Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1
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- Cedric Jones 8 Rec, 148 Yds
Standings
| AFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Buffalo Bills(3) | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 6–2 | 8–4 | 409 | 317 | W1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–4 | 7–5 | 298 | 301 | L1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–4 | 6–8 | 331 | 379 | L2 |
| New England Patriots | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 4–4 | 5–7 | 297 | 391 | L3 |
| New York Jets | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 2–6 | 3–9 | 253 | 411 | L3 |