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Today in Patriots History
Dec 16, 2001: Pats 12, Bills 9
David Patten's unconscious catch
leads to overtime win in Buffalo
Dec 16, 2001: Pats 12, Bills 9
David Patten's unconscious catch
leads to overtime win in Buffalo
Sunday, December 16, 2001 at 1:02
Week 14, Game 14 at Ralph Wilson Stadium
New England Patriots 12, Buffalo Bills 9 in OT
Head Coaches: Bill Belichick, Gregg Williams
QBs: Tom Brady, Alex Van Pelt
Odds: New England 4-point road favorites
TV: CBS; Don Criqui, Steve Tasker
Overcast, 34º, humidity 85%, wind 13 mph, wind chill 25º
Referee: Mike Carey; Time: 3:32; Attendance 45,527
Patriots improve to 9-5, half a game behind Miami in AFC East
Bills drop to 2-11, fifth in AFC East
For anybody that still doubted, this game convinced fans that the 2001 Patriots were a team of destiny. New England won their second overtime game of the year and was now 3-0 in games decided by three or fewer points. It was the Pats fourth straight win, sixth in their last seven, and the Patriots were 8-2 in their last ten games after a 1-3 start. The victory set up a showdown the following week between 9-5 New England and 9-4 Miami.
This was a rare game where neither team scored a touchdown; the only other that I can think of off the top of my head was the 1982 3-0 Snowplow Game. Antowain Smith averaged close to five yards per carry against his old team, rushing for 95 yards. An interception by Lawyer Milloy (8 tackles, one TFL) on the eight-yard line ended Buffalo's best drive, and the Pats defense limited the Bills to just three of 15 third down conversions. Mike Vrabel (8 tackles, 1 TFL, 3 pass deflections), Tedy Bruschi (8 tackles) and Otis Smith (6 tackles, 2 passes defensed) all excelled; overall the D had twelve pass deflections and limited Buffalo to 3.5 yards per carry.
Ruling on David Patten fumble helps Patriots beat Bills - The Boston Globe
Patten was knocked unconscious on a lost fumble in overtime, but officials awarded the ball back to the Patriots since Patten fell partially out of bounds on the play. The call set up a 12-9 win for New England, which took on the look of a team of destiny.
www.bostonglobe.com
David Patten was unconscious, lying on the cold Ralph Wilson Stadium turf, his head out of bounds, the rest of his body inbounds. The ball was beneath his legs after safety Keion Carpenter had blasted him following a 13-yard reception from Tom Brady.
It was 9-9 in overtime in a divisional game that meant everything to the Patriots, and much less to the Bills, but Buffalo jerseys came flying out of nowhere toward the loose ball, and Nate Clements grabbed it.
It appeared Patten had fumbled after making a catch at the Buffalo 41. Patten was unconscious for approximately 10 seconds, and when he finally came to, the officials were running around, and the Bills were claiming they'd recovered a fumble.
When the replay official reviewed the play, he invoked Rule 3, Section 20, Article 2, Paragraph C of the rule book.
Referee Mike Carey said, "On the play, there is a reception by the receiver. He fumbled. The ball was loose in the field of play and while in contact with the receiver's calf, his head hit out of bounds. By rule, that's a loose ball. If a loose ball touches anything that is out of bounds, it is itself out of bounds and it would be in possession of the receiver."
On the next play Antowain Smith took the handoff and appeared to have nowhere to go, about to be stopped for no gain or a short loss. He backed up a step went wide, breaking three tackles and racing 38 yards down the sideline to the Buffalo three yard line. Tom Brady took the ensuing snap for no gain, moving the ball closer to the center of the field. Adam Vinatieri - who entered the game with just five field goals made in twelve attempts in Buffalo - then connected on a 23-yard attempt to win the game. His four field goals accounted for all twelve of the Patriot points, while future Patriot kicker Shayne Graham had the only points for Buffalo as well.
NFL Week 14: Video Replay is the Star In Overtime for Patriots - New York Times
The Patriots (9-5) have won four straight for the first time in two years. The Bills (2-11) lost for the seventh time in eight home games.
It was the fourth game in their last five meetings decided in overtime. The game turned on a video ruling during the Patriots' first possession, five minutes into overtime.
David Patten caught Tom Brady's pass at the Bills' 41, where he was hit hard by Buffalo's Keion Carpenter. The ball popped loose and was recovered by Buffalo's Nate Clements.
Initially ruled a fumble, Referee Mike Carey reversed the call, determining by a video review that Patten's head was out of bounds while the ball remained loose under his leg. Patten could not comment on the call. Carpenter's hit knocked him unconscious.
''I didn't know where I was; I could have been in Czechoslovakia,'' Patten said. ''I thought I let the team down, but the replay was one thing that went our way.''
Pats Beat Bills 12-9 (OT) | PatsFans.com
The New England Patriots survived a tough Buffalo Bill defense, and got a lucky break on a replay call in overtime.
www.patsfans.com
Tom Brady had a rough day, completing only 19 of 35 passes and one interception. He was sacked five times, and was under siege most all day. He overthrew several receivers, including two in the end zone on the Patriots’ final drive of regulation.
Grogan's Grade: Week 14 - New England at Bufflao | PatsFans.com
Former Patriots QB Steve Grogan breaks down the Patriots match-up against the Bills.
www.patsfans.com
SG: Yes, Brady struggled as much as he’s struggled all year, but in his defense that field in Buffalo has a crown in the middle that’s about three feet higher than the sidelines. The first time you play on a field like that it really throws your depth perception off. I think that’s why he had so many overthrown balls in this game. Next time he plays there he’ll have a better idea of what to do.
They got away from the running game far too early to suit me. They ran the ball well in the first quarter then they quit running it, and from that point on they had trouble. They couldn’t find any stability with the pass protection, particularly in the second half where the Bills pass rush really became a problem.
RRM: It sounds like you weren’t really happy with the Patriots game plan in this contest?
SG: To tell you the truth I really wasn’t. You have to give the Bills defense some credit because I thought they played very well in this game, but I wasn’t overly impressed with the Patriots game plan on offense. Everything in the first half seemed to be designed to go deep down the field, and that may have been due to the fact that the Bills’ corners were playing so aggressively. But when you take two or three deep shots down the field like they did with no success then you need to give your young quarterback some plays he can be successful with, like the short underneath stuff Brady has been thriving on. But for some reason they didn’t and I really don’t think they made the right adjustments in this game.
RRM: New England punter Ken Walter has been overlooked since joining the club. Five times he landed punts inside the Bill’s 20-yardline and helped the Patriots maintain the battle of field position all afternoon long. How often do you pick up a new punter at midseason and have him lead the league in net yardage?
SG: Walter is someone they picked up who has really done his job well. He gets great hangtime on his punts, and the Patriots have helped him out by doing a really good job on punt coverage (now if they could only do something about kickoff coverage!). During my playing days we never had much luck picking up punters during the season. I can name a few that I wondered how they even got into the NFL. But Walters has been a really nice pick-up for the Patriots, and he has really solidified the punter position for them.
Disaster Averted By Huge Break | PatsFans.com
Now you know for sure what this Patriot team’s destiny is.
www.patsfans.com
All this is brought to you by referee Mike Carey, and his most generous (albeit correct) interpretation of a rule that many folks really weren’t aware of.
6:54 Highlight Video:
(Better resolution than YouTube video below)
Patriots 2001 Lookback: Game Highlights from Week 14 Patriots at Bills
Watch full highlights from New England's Week 14 game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, December 16, 2001.
www.patriots.com
14-Photo Slideshow:
Photos: Patriots at Bills Week 14
The New England Patriots take on the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday, December 16, 2001.
www.patriots.com
2:33 Highlight Video
Patriots vs Bills 2001 Week 14
2:40:36 Full Game
2001 - Week 14 - New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills
Box Score, Halftime & Full Game Summaries, Team & Individual Stats, Drive Charts and Full Play-by-Play:
New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills - December 16th, 2001 | Pro-Football-Reference.com
New England Patriots 12 at Buffalo Bills 9 on December 16th, 2001 - Full team and player stats and box score
www.pro-football-reference.com
December 16, 2001 - New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills Box Score and Game Statistics
The most complete, accurate and reliable reference source for December 16, 2001 - New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills boxscore and game statistics.
www.profootballarchives.com
Patriots Starting Offense:
86 WR David Patten
72 LT Matt Light
77 LG Mike Compton
65 C Damien Woody
63 RG Joe Andruzzi
64 RT Greg Randall
83 TE Rod Rutledge
80 WR Troy Brown
12 QB Tom Brady
32 RB Antowain Smith
44 FB Marc Edwards
Patriots Starting Defense:
91 LDE Bobby Hamilton
96 LDT Brandon Mitchell
93 RDT Richard Seymour
98 RDE Anthony Pleasant
50 LOLB Mike Vrabel
54 MLB Tedy Bruschi
95 ROLB Roman Phifer
24 LCB Ty Law
36 SS Lawyer Milloy
34 FS Tebucky Jones
45 RCB Otis Smith
Patriots Special Teams
4 K Adam Vinatieri
13 P Ken Walter
66 LS Lonie Paxton
35 KR Patrick Pass
80 PR Troy Brown
33 PR Kevin Faulk
