The final game to ever be played at Foxboro Stadium was a case of saving the best for last.
Regarding Walt Coleman's famous call: right away I felt that the play would be ruled an incomplete pass.
Why?
Because the rule - a new rule that season, if I recall correctly - had been applied previously that year.
In that case it went against the Patriots, on a play by Jets QB Vinny Testaverde.
Forgotten in the aftermath is the reality that the Raiders had plenty of opportunities to win this game - but they did not.
So let me go get the world's tiniest violin Raider fans, and spare me your whining about that one single play.
Key Stat I: plus-135 yards in total offense
Patriots had 365 total yards (312 passing), Raiders were at only 230 total yards (159 passing).
The Pats ran 22 more offensive plays (84-62) and held the ball for 11:41 more than Oakland (40:05-28:24).
The Patriot defense forced Oakland to punt on nine of their twelve possessions (not including two kneel downs at the end of each half). The Raiders had only four drives that consisted of more than four plays.
Key Stat II: Special Teams
Adam Vinatieri went 3-3 on field goal attempts in extremely unfavorable conditions.
Troy Brown added 49 yards on punt returns; Charles Woodson had minus-3.
Key Stat III: Making plays in the clutch
From the fourth quarter on, Oakland's drives consisted of three punts and a knee.
New England finished with 13 points on a touchdown, punt, field goal, field goal.
In an incredible comeback, sparked by an controversial call, the Patriots scored an 16-13 overtime victory over the Raiders on Adam Vinatieri’s 23-yard field goal in heavy snow.
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The Patriots’ defense made two key stops in the fourth quarter, and then got the ball back with 2:06 remaining after Troy Brown’s punt return of 27 yards to the 46.
Helped by the two-minute warning, the Patriots had no timeouts left, and the ball was on the 42.
Then they were saved by the controversial call.
According to Coleman, “Obviously, what I saw on the field, I thought the ball came out before his arm was going forward. Then, when I got to the replay monitor and looked at it, it was obvious his arm was coming forward. He touched the ball. And they just hooked it out of his hand. His arm was coming forward, which makes it an incomplete pass.”
Many Patriots fans could only think it was revenge for what happened in the teams’ 1976 playoff game.
Brady completed nine straight passes, four to Jermaine Wiggins (who had 10 catches), three to David Patten, and one to Kevin Faulk before Brady scrambled in from the 6 with 7:52 remaining to pull to within 13-10.
Belichick said he and his staff watched tapes of the Buffalo blizzard game last season, and at the last minute included plays that were successful in that game. Wiggins caught a couple of big balls in that game.
“Jermaine had a couple of big catches in that game. He’s kind of a snow plow for us,” said Belichick.
New England Patriots defeat Oakland Raiders, 16-13, in overtime in round 2 of NFL playoffs; photo (L)
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All that was missing from tonight's playoff game at Foxboro Stadium was a snowplow, a prisoner on work release and a coach looking to clear a swath for a winning field goal.
In an American Football Conference divisional playoff game that looked as if it were played inside a snow globe, the New England Patriots left the snowplow on the sideline but still got a 45-yard field goal from Adam Vinatieri with 27 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime and a 23-yarder at 8 minutes 29 seconds of overtime to beat the Oakland Raiders, 16-13, and advance to the A.F.C. championship game next Sunday.
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''I can't say enough about this group,'' said Patriots Coach Bill Belichick, whose team trailed, 13-3, heading into the fourth quarter. ''They will not quit. To pull our way back we had a lot of big plays, big throws, big blocks. It can't get much closer than that.''
If this was to be the final game at Foxboro Stadium -- it will be razed as soon as the Patriots play their final game here this season -- it was a fitting way to go.
Snow began falling heavily at least two hours before kickoff and continued throughout. Snow accumulated in a small drift on the bill of Raiders Coach Jon Gruden's visor.
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Quarterback Tom Brady scored on a 6-yard scramble that drew the Patriots to 13-10 with 7:52 remaining and then directed the eight-play drive that resulted in Vinatieri's tying field goal with 27 seconds left in regulation.
That drive included a controversial play on which the initial ruling -- that Brady fumbled and the Raiders recovered -- was overturned. After a review, the officials ruled that Brady was in the act of throwing, so it was an incomplete pass and New England kept the ball at Oakland's 42.
''His interpretation is the only one that matters,'' Gruden said. ''The Raiders have to live with it.''
The Patriots moved to the Oakland 29, and after three consecutive incompletions, Vinatieri tied the game.
''You can't get any tougher than that kick in four inches of snow,'' Belichick said. ''We didn't have a choice. It was our only shot.''
In the overtime drive, Brady, who completed 26 of 39 passes for 238 yards after halftime, completed six passes in a row and moved the Patriots to the 5. The entire offense acted as a human plow, chipping at the snow with cleats to clear a spot for Vinatieri's winning kick.
Photo Gallery (note incorrect date in headline):
Patriots Snow Bowl Highlights
2001 AFC Divisional Round: Raiders vs Patriots | NFL Full Game
