Allow me....
I was there, along with probably many others on this board, and it was an incredible day/night/game. We got to the stadium around 3:30 and it started snowing shortly after, perhaps even as we were unloading my brother's truck to start our tailgate. We had 4 in our usual crew and we each had assigned "duties" to unload/setup - one guy assigned to each - the grill, the speakers (set up and connect to car radio), our flag poles (American Flag, Pats Flag, Italian Flag), table/chairs, cooler, etc. This was our 8th or 9th season as season ticket holders, so we had it down to a science by then.
Anyway, as we're unloading the snow starts (iirc), but this I'm sure of - these were some HUGE snowflakes, like so big that you could almost make out their geometric shape. It was not THAT cold out - there've been many other much colder games, and there wasn't much wind. All I remember is those massive snowflakes falling from the darkening Foxboro sky. By mid tailgate we've got accumulating snow in the parking lot (we always tailgated in Lot A, which was south of the stadium).
We go through our tailgating routines - we drank lots of beer, ate our usual menu of grilled chicken, steak tips, burgers, dogs - basic tailgate fare. And then we'd get our area going as one of us would "preach". I don't know how or why we started doing this, but one of our group would stand up on a cooler and basically get everyone's attention and pump up the area. Sometimes we'd burn a shirt or paraphenelia from the other team, but mostly it was just "The Pats are gonna beat the schitt out of such and such and blah blah blah" (we were in our early-mid 20s, it was fun, don't judge
). And after our preaching we'd play a song that keeps the area pumped up - usually Song 2 by blur or Machinehead by Bush (very popular high energy tunes at the time) as both made appearances on the in Foxboro stadium game day soundtrack.
By now it's time to break everything down and load up the truck. We always grabbed a "roadie" for the walk into the stadium. At the old stadium you had to walk up a hill (steepness depended on how hammered you were) from Lot A and other lots on the south side of the stadium, and I remember it being quite slippery from the now accumulated snow.
Now we're talking 18 years ago, so some of this may be foggy.
My seats were in 223, about the 5 or 10 yard line on the Pats sideline closest to the south end zone. IIRC, the game tying drive was going right to left in front of us. When the "tuck rule" play happened, and Oakland recovered the ball, many folks in our section got up and left. I sat there in several seconds of disbelief at what just transpired in front of my eyes. I was pissed. I turned to my left and said to my brother as I raised from the bench (bench seats back then) "let's get the **** outta here." And literally just that moment Walt Coleman announced "the previous play is under review". I still wanted to leave because there was no way that wasn't a fumble. My brother wanted to stay and hear the call. I agreed to stay. We couldn't believe the call reversal. It was an amazing turn of events. So then they go on and Vinatieri makes the most incredible kick in football history.
Pats get the kickoff and now they're moving to the end zone farther away from us. I remember there was a run by Antowain Smith around the right side in which it looked like he might be able to run it in for a td as the play was transpiring. But he got tackled for a 9 or 10 yard gain down inside the Oakland 10. At this point I'm thinking just don't fumble. When Vinatieri made the game winner it was absolute pandemonium - hugging guys you don't know in your section. It was insane.
After the game we did some more tailgating, sparked up the grill, drank some more, and my brother and I called our father from the parking lot as we always did. My brother dropped me off at my house maybe around 1 or 1:30 and I remember I watched SportsCenter highlights and commentary until 3 am. I still have the ticket stub from this game.
