How Tom Brady’s Involvement in the Tuck Rule Game Almost Never Came to Be

There wasn’t much that stopped Tom Brady in his illustrious 23-year NFL career, but there was one thing that nearly prevented him from having one of his greatest moments on the gridiron: several inches of snow. 

In the most recent edition of “Story Time with Tom,” Brady shared how he nearly missed the New England Patriots’ matchup against the Raiders in the divisional round of the 2001 playoffs, otherwise known as the Tuck Rule Game. 

“There ended up being about six inches of snow on the ground and as I’m driving into the stadium, we have a full-on blizzard in Foxborough,” Brady said. “I’m stuck in traffic for a very long time. I had to call the head of stadium security and send a police car to pick me up and plow my way to the stadium in order to get there on time. 

“Little did we know what was going to ensue that day — one of the greatest football games in history.” 

While Brady didn’t miss that game, he certainly played like a player who might have been off his routine in the first half that day. New England was shut out in the first half of that game, with Brady only throwing 74 yards at halftime. 

But Brady and the Patriots were able to find a rhythm in the second half. He rushed for a touchdown in the fourth quarter that cut the Raiders’ lead to 13-10, rolling in the snow after the score. 

Two possessions later for the Patriots, it appeared that their season would come to an end. With just under two minutes remaining, Raiders defensive back and Brady’s former Michigan teammate, Charles Woodson, was able to strip-sack him. But after a video review, it was determined that Brady’s arm was going forward at the time of the hit, overturning the call on the field from a fumble to an incomplete pass. Brady helped the Patriots get the ball further into Raiders’ territory, completing a 13-yard pass on the next play to help set up Adam Vinatieri for a game-tying field goal attempt with a 45-yard field goal attempt.

A 45-yard field goal seems automatic in this day and age, but that wasn’t the case 24 years ago. It certainly wasn’t the case that evening at Foxboro Stadium, either, as several inches of snow fell on the field. Still, Vinatieri was able to make the kick, leading Brady to make a pretty big proclamation of the play.

“Adam Vinatieri made the greatest kick of all-time in the snowiest of conditions to force the game into overtime,” Brady said. “Then, he hit a walk-off field goal, with my boy Lonnie Paxton doing snow angels in the end zone for us to culminate the victory. It was an unbelievable game. It was an unbelievable experience. And you know what? They say you never forget your first, and I never forget the first.”

Of course, that game helped start the legend of Tom Brady. He won his first Super Bowl a couple of weeks later, becoming the youngest quarterback in NFL history to win a Super Bowl at the time. 

This year’s playoffs feature the opportunity for a handful of young quarterbacks to have a moment similar to the one Brady had in the 2001 postseason. Young quarterbacks like Drake Maye, Bo Nix, Trevor Lawrence and Caleb Williams have helped their respective teams get a high seed, and there’s a path open for them as Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson won’t be involved in the postseason this year. 

Charles Woodson (right) appeared to have forced a fumble that would’ve sealed a win for the Raiders against the Patriots in the 2001 divisional round, until the tuck rule happened. (Photo credit: MATT CAMPBELL/AFP via Getty Images)

But as those quarterbacks seek to win their first Super Bowl, Brady had a message to share with them about how his mindset entering his first playoff run helped him hoist the Lombardi Trophy that February. 

“I wouldn’t say it was an irrational confidence. I would say it was the naivety of how challenging the playoffs actually are,” Brady said of his success from that postseason. 

And there might have been some luck involved, too. The Tuck Rule call from that game is widely viewed as one of the most controversial rulings in NFL history. In fact, the rule was legislated out of the rule book years later. 

But Brady won’t apologize for benefiting from the call, even calling the game the “Snow Bowl” as opposed to the “Tuck Rule Game.” 

“[The game] was also known as the ‘Snow Bowl,’ or, as Charles Woodson calls it, the ‘Tuck Rule Game.’ I know, Charles, I didn’t make up the rule. Get over it,” Brady said. “Sometimes, I just call it the way it is. I know there’s not a lot of people out there that don’t like it, but, you know what? That was the start of a pretty spectacular journey for our Patriots’ teams over the next two decades.

“Charles, sorry. I’m not sorry.” 

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