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One of the hallmarks of Belichick's teams have been their ability to consistently succeed against top competition. The Patriots enter the 2006 season having recorded a record of 19-5 (.792) against playoff teams since the beginning of the 2003 season. In their 38 regular season and playoff games in 2003 and 2004, the Patriots played 23 contests against teams that finished the season with a record of .500 or better. New England recorded a remarkable 22-1 (.957) mark in those games, while the rest of the league was a cumulative 74-182 (.289) against the same squads.
Belichick's teams have consistently relied on the depth and resiliency of the roster to overcome injuries and setbacks. In 2001, the Patriots opened the season 0-2 before rebounding to win 14 of their next 17 games. In 2003, a 31-0 season-opening setback in Buffalo was answered triumphantly, as the team rebounded to win 17 of the next 18 games despite using 42 different starters (then an NFL record for a division champion). In 2004, injuries were overcome yet again, as the Patriots used 40 different starters, including nine different starters in the defensive secondary. In 2005, New England claimed the AFC East title by using 45 different starters, breaking the NFL record that it had set two years earlier for the most starters by a division champion.
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