Visitor:  Oakland Raiders

Home:  New England Patriots

Date:  January 19, 2002

AFC Divisional Playoff

 

Scoring:

Team                1          2          3          4          OT       Final

OAK               0          7          6          0          0            13

NE                   0          0          3          10        3            16

 

Visitor playmakers:

WR James Jett

 

Home playmakers:

QB Tom Brady, K Adam Vinatieri, Referee Walt Coleman

 

Network:  CBS (NFL Network rebroadcast)

Announcers:  Phil Simms, Greg Gumbel

 

Pregame:  No

Halftime:  No

Postgame:  No

Commercials:  No

 

Grade:  Excellent

 

Notes:  After a controversial call helped force overtime, Adam Vinatieri kicked a 23-yard field goal 8:29 into the extra session as the Patriots escaped with a 16-13 victory over the Oakland Raiders in an AFC divisional playoff game in a driving snowstorm.

 

Trailing 13-3 entering the fourth quarter and with field conditions not conducive to a comeback, the Patriots were able to rally behind quarterback Tom Brady while receiving a little help from the officials along the way.

 

Brady ran six yards for a touchdown with 10:23 left, bringing the Patriots within a field goal. But it was what happened later in the quarter that helped keep the Patriots' surprising season alive.

 

Driving his team into position for the tying score, Brady was drilled on a blitz by former college teammate Charles Woodson and fumbled. Raiders linebacker Greg Biekert recovered at his own 48 with 1:47 remaining, seemingly sealing the game for Oakland.

 

But NFL officials in the press box requested a replay and the call was overturned after referee Walt Coleman ruled Brady's arm was moving forward. Television replays showed Brady bringing the ball in without moving his arm forward.

 

Sparked by that call, the Patriots moved into field goal range, where having to deal with a snow-covered field, Vinatieri drilled a 45-yarder with the wind with 27 seconds to go, sending the game to overtime.

 

Perhaps still reeling from the controversial call, the Raiders lost the coin toss in overtime and New England moved methodically downfield for the winning score.

 

Moving into the wind in the extra session, the Patriots were forced to go on 4th-and-4 from the Oakland 28 and Brady hit David Patten with a six-yard pass to keep the chains moving.

 

After Antowain Smith carried on five straight plays and Brady ran for a short gain, Vinatieri came on and split the uprights to send the freezing Foxboro Stadium crowd into a frenzy.

 

Making his first postseason game, Brady passed for 312 yards for the Patriots (12-5), who will meet the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens or Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC championship game. If Baltimore wins, the Patriots would host that game.

 

Rich Gannon completed 17-of-31 passes for 159 yards and a touchdown for Oakland, which has lost its last five playoff road games since winning at San Diego in the AFC championship game in January 1981.

 

With the Raiders dropping into zone coverage, Brady struggled mightily to get anything going in the first half and was just 6-of-13 for 74 yards.

 

Gannon was an efficient 10-of-14 for 87 yards in the opening half, including a 13-yard touchdown pass to speedster James Jett early in the second quarter that gave Oakland a 7-0 lead.

 

But both teams struggled in a half that featured as many punts (11) as first downs (11). They also were a combined 1-for-13 on third downs.

 

In the second half, things opened up, especially for New England, which abandoned its running game and relied on the inexperienced Brady, who attempted three passes in his career coming into this season.

 

Brady showed his poise in the second half, going 26-of-39 for 238 yards.

 

On their first drive of the third quarter, the Patriots moved 62 yards in 12 plays, with Brady making key throws along the way. He went 4-of-7 for 62 yards on the march.

 

But after New England reached the Oakland 5, the drive stalled and Vinatieri kicked a 23-yard field goal with 8:39 left in the period, bringing the Patriots within 7-3.

 

Behind Gannon, a 14-year veteran, the Raiders responded by going 43 yards in 10 plays. Gannon had 10-yard completions to Jett and Jerry Rice on the drive.

 

After reaching the New England 20, Oakland was unable to convert on 3rd-and-4 and Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 38-yard field goal, giving the Raiders a 10-3 lead with 4:14 left in the third quarter.

 

Gannon moved the Raiders into position to extend the lead later in the quarter, finding Rice for 22 yards to the New England 29.

 

Janikowski, a native of Poland who kicked collegiately at Florida State, had no problems with the conditions and hammered a 45-yard field goal to make it 13-3 with less than two minutes left in the period.

 

Behind the precision passing of Brady, however, the Patriots got back into it on their second possession of the fourth quarter.

 

Brady flawlessly engineered a 10-play, 67-yard drive. He completed 9-of-9 passes for 61 yards and capped the march with a six-yard run up the middle, pulling New England within 13-10 with 10:23 remaining.

 

Running time:  2:14 (2 discs)