There was one huge postgame Super Bowl celebration on the field of NRG Stadiumt after the Patriots' historic comeback win in Super Bowl LI in Houston (Telegraph file photo by TOM KING)

SAN FRANCISCO – A dozen symbols of success.

The New England Patriots will be playing in their 12th Super Bowl in nearby Santa Clara, and if you think back to the days of the Sullivan family ownership, it was something that no one could have ever imagined – and even after Robert Kraft bought the team in 1994.

They’ve all been memorable, for the good and the bad. Amazingly, the franchise’s first three Super Bowls were all played in New Orleans. Here is a look back at the Patriots Super Bowl history, beginning with the game in 1986:

SUPER BOWL XX

JANUARY 26, 1986, NEW OREANS

BEARS 46, PATRIOTS 10

The Patriots literally came out of nowhere to reach the Super Bowl, winning three road playoff games over the Jets, Raiders and Dolphins to reach the Super Bowl. The only problem was they were up against it with the Chicago Bears smothering defense. The Patriots got a 3-0 lead at the SuperDome on a Tony Franklin 36-yard field goal just 1:19 into the game. But that was that as the Jim McMahon-Walter Payton led Bears scored 44 straight points. They led 23-3 at the half. Defensive standout Richard Dent was named the MVP.

SUPER BOWL XXXI

JANUARY 26, 1997, NEW ORLEANS

PACKERS 35, PATRIOTS 21

This was the first Super Bowl under the Kraft ownership, and their only one during the Bill Parcells coaching era. New England, quarterbacked by Drew Bledsoe, beat the Steelers and Jaguars at the old Foxboro Stadium and now had to face Brett Favre and the Packers. New England had a 14-10 lead after the first quarter thanks to two short Bledsoe TD passes after being down10-0, but the Packers took control with 17 second quarter points. Still, Curtis Martin’s TD run made it a 27-21 game late in the third quarter, but MVP Desmond Howard’s immediate 99-yard kickoff return for a TD sealed the deal. After the big deal was the future of Parcells, who didn’t fly back to New England with the team and soon became the head coach of the New York Jets.

SUPER BOWL XXXVI

FEBRUARY 3, NEW ORLEANS

PATRIOTS 20, RAMS 17

A historic day, the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory, won on Adam Vinatieri’s 48-yard field goal on the game’s final play. The Patriots grabbed a 14-3 halftime lead on Ty Law’s pick six and Tom Brady’s TD pass to the now late David Patten. The Rams’ comeback in the second half was capped by Kurt Warner’s TD pass to Ricky Proehl with 1:30 to play. It was a completely unexpected SB appearance, as the Patriots under Bill Belichick were just 5-5 after ironically losing to the Rams in early November at Foxboro Stadium. They didn’t lose again, and it was the start of the Legend of Tom Brady.

SUPER BOWL XXXVIII

FEBRUARY 1, 2004, HOUSTON

PATRIOTS 32, PANTHERS 29

Vinatieri comes through again with his 41-yard field goal with four seconds left. After a Super Bowl record of 26 minutes, 55 seconds of scoreless play, the floodgates opened, things were 14-10 Patriots at the half and it stayed that way going into the fourth quarter but there were a combined 37 points scored in the fourth quarter. Muhsin Muhammad’s 85-yard TD reception gave Carolina a brief fourth quarter lead, the Patriots went in front on – of all people – Mike Vrabel’s 1-yard TD catch. Then the Panthers tied it on Jake Delhomme’s 12-yard TD toss to old friend Ricky Proehl with 1:08 left.

This game was also known for the infamous Janet Jackson “Wardrobe Malfunction” during the halftime show.

Brady was the MVP, throwing for 354 yards and three TDs.

SUPER BOWL XXXIX

FEBRUARY 6, 2005, JACKSONVILLE

PATRIOTS 24, EAGLES 21

It was a tight game, tied at 14 after three quarters, but Corey Dillon’s 2-yard run early in the fourth quarter plus Vinatieri’s field goal midway through gave the Patriots a 24-14 lead over a visibly tired Eagle team. Tedy Bruschi and Rodney Harrison had two big interceptions of Donovan McNabb passes to seal the deal. Deion Branch was the MVP with 11 receptions for 133 yards.

SUPER BOWL XLII

FEBRUARY 8, 2008, GLENDALE ARIZ.

GIANTS 17, PATRIOTS 14

Stunner, probably the toughest loss in Patriots history, as it ruined New England’s chance at immortality with a complete 19-0 season. It’s remembered for Eli Manning’s escaping a certain sack and heaving it to Giants receiver David Tyree, who caught the wobbly pass against his helmet and miraculously maintained possession as he hit the ground. It kept the drive alive that led to Plaxico Burress’ 13-yard TD catch with 35 seconds to play.

SUPER BOWL XLVI

FEBRUARY 5, 2012, INDIANAPOLIS

GIANTS 21, PATRIOTS 17

Them again? It took the Patriots four years to get back to the game and standing in their way again were Eli Manning and the Giants as Manning got his second MVP and hit another key pass, this one to Mario Manningham to midfield on the nine-play, 88-yard game-winning drive with the Patriots up 17-15. Ahmad Bradshaw’s 6-yard TD run with 57 seconds left won things. The game was also remembered for a rare drop by Patriots receiver Wes Welker with four minutes left that would have kept a likely scoring drive alive. Brady had a Super Bowl record 16 straight completions in the game.

SUPER BOWL XLIX

FEBRUARY 1, 2015, GLENDALE, ARIZ.

PATRIOTS 28, SEAHAWKS 24

The Good Malcolm Butler game, Butler making one of the most memorable plays and Patriots and Super Bowl history. New England was looking at a sure loss in the final half-minute with the Seahawks 1-yard away from the game winning TD. But instead of handing off to bruising back Marshawn Lynch for a sure TD, the Seahawks and coach Pete Carroll foolishly opted for a quick Russell Wilson slant pass. It was a play that the Patriots had practiced against and Butler ironically had botched several times, but the undrafted player this time made the pick near the goal line with 20 seconds left. Brady was the MVP with 328 yards passing and four TDs.

This was Tom Brady’s long awaited Super Bowl MVP press conference with Roger Goodell, who had suspended him for four games that season, after the Patriots beat the Falcons 28-3. It was Brady’s last Super Bowl MVP award as a member of the Patriots. (Telegraph file photo by TOM KING)

SUPER BOWL LI

FEBRUARY 5, 2017, HOUSTON

PATRIOTS 34, FALCONS 28 OT

One score and you now what this one is: 28-3. Yes, that’s what the Patriots were down by after Matt Ryan’s TD pass to Tevin Coleman with just over eight minutes left in the third quarter. But lo and behold, the Falcons decided not to run the ball and milk the clock, the Patriots defense stiffened and Dont’a Hightower had a key strip sack and Atlanta never scored again. A James White TD and two-point conversion tied the game at 28 with 57 seconds left, and White won it in OT with a 2-yard run on the first possession of the extra session. Brady was named MVP once again with 466 yards passing and two TDs. The fun part about that was it would mean he’d get the MVP trophy the next morning by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after Goodell suspended him for four games due to the Deflategate scandal. One of the most satisfying Super Bowl wins ever for the franchise.

SUPER BOWL LII

FEBRUARY 4, 2018, MINNEAPOLIS

EAGLES 41, PATRIOTS 33

The Philly Special game, the play called by Eagles coach Doug Pederson that had quarterback Nick Foles become a receiver as he caught a 1-yard TD pass from back Trey Burton to give the Eagles a 22-12 haltime lead.

It was also the Malcom Butler Bad Game, in that Butler, except for one special teams play, never appeared in the game on defense for reasons never revealed. He was told he wouldn’t play and cameras caught him crying during the National Anthem. It all added to Patriots Super Bowl lore.

The game, as one can tell from the final score, became a shootout and the Patriots finally grabbed the lead 33-32 on a 4-yard pass from Brady to Rob Gronkowski 9:22 left in the game. But with 2:21 Foles hit Zach Ertz on a 11 yard TD to help make it 38-33. Jake Elliott’s 46 yard field goal with 1:05 left finished the scoring. Brady threw for a whopping 505 yards and three TDs and the Patriots still lost. Incredible.

SUPER BOWL LIII

FEBRUARY 3, 2019, ATLANTA

PATRIOTS 13, RAMS 3

The Patriots defense smacked the high-powered Rams offense in a pretty boring game, the lowest scoring Super Bowl ever. Julian Edelman’s 10 catches for 141 yards got him the MVP award.

It was 3-3 going into the fourth quarter – incredible in that the two teams averaged a combined 60 points a game — but the key play in the game was a Brady pass to Rob Gronkowski that set up Sony Michel’s 2-yard TD run, the game’s only touchdown, with seven minutes left.

“He knows to trust in me and throw that ball,” Gronkowski said, “and I’m going to grab it.”

“We felt like we’d have a chance to get them off the field in third down,” Belichick said.

The key play was Patriot Stephon Gilmore picking off a Jared Goff pass at the New England 2 with 4:17 left, after assistant coach Brian Flores called a blitz that forced Goff into the mistake. Huge.

Also big was the ensuing drive that took more than three minutes off the clock, leading to Stephen Gostowski’s 41-yard clinching field goal with 1:12 left.

That was the last championship of the Tom Brady era. Some 13 months later Brady left New England as a free agent, but seven years after that triumph another New England era with Drake Maye/Mike Vrabel may be beginning.