<P> The Patriots lost in the Super Bowl to the New York Giants by a score of 21 -- 17 . The Patriots , as was the case in their previous appearance against these same Giants in Super Bowl XLII , had a chance to join the San Francisco 49ers , the Dallas Cowboys , the Pittsburgh Steelers , and the Green Bay Packers as the only teams to win at least four Super Bowls ( the Packers , who had entered the 2011 season as the defending champions , had not yet won a fourth Super Bowl when the Patriots had last appeared ) . Instead , the Patriots tied a then - NFL record for most losses in a Super Bowl that had been set by the Minnesota Vikings and tied by the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills , each of whom had lost four . </P>
<P> The Patriots lost in the Super Bowl to the New York Giants by a score of 21 -- 17 . The Patriots , as was the case in their previous appearance against these same Giants in Super Bowl XLII , had a chance to join the San Francisco 49ers , the Dallas Cowboys , the Pittsburgh Steelers , and the Green Bay Packers as the only teams to win at least four Super Bowls ( the Packers , who had entered the 2011 season as the defending champions , had not yet won a fourth Super Bowl when the Patriots had last appeared ) . Instead , the Patriots tied a then - NFL record for most losses in a Super Bowl that had been set by the Minnesota Vikings and tied by the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills , each of whom had lost four . </P>
who did the patriots lose to in 2011
who did the patriots lose to in 2011
New York Giants
New York Giants