Patriots vs. Raiders: Where a 21st century dynasty began
Raiders vs. Patriots harkens back to a playoff matchup and the berth of a true dynasty.
January 2001 will be forever remembered as both a month of snow and a symbol of what was to come for the New England Patriots. After a season of quarterback controversy, the loss of a position coach and the impact of Sept. 11, the Patriots were 11-5 and champions of the AFC East, hosting a playoff game and what would be the final game at Foxborough Stadium.
Their opponent? Jon Gruden and the high powered then-Oakland Raiders offense.
Down 13-10, then Patriots quarterback Tom Brady appeared to fumble the football on a hit from former college teammate Charles Woodson, which was recovered by Oakland and looked to be preserve a Raider victory — until it didn’t.
Referee Walt Coleman harkened back to the “tuck rule” which allowed New England to retain possession and tie the game to send the it into overtime. The Patriots would walk away with a 16-13 victory on an Adam Vinatieri field goal. Meanwhile, the Raiders, already bitter at the situation, would soon send their head coach to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for cash consideration and two first- and second-round picks.
Fast forward to 2020, a new era has begun and a realization has set in as the Gruden and the now-Las Vegas Raiders visit Foxborough to take on Belichick’s Patriots in Week 3.
Things have changed quite a bit for the Raiders and Patriots.
Since that fateful night, the Patriots went on to appear in nine Super Bowls while capturing six titles and establishing themselves as a 21st century dynasty.
As for the Raiders, they did make an appearance in Super Bowl XXXVII in 2002 but their old coach was waiting for them. In a lopsided affair, the Buccaneers won, 48-21, giving Gruden his lone Super Bowl championship.
Since then, the Raiders went into a free fall, missing the playoffs every year until 2016 and having notable draft disappointments including picking quarterback JaMarcus Russell, who was taken No. 1 over future Hall of Famers Calvin Johnson and Joe Thomas. Gruden eventually returned to the Raiders in 2018.
Entering this Week 3 matchup, the Raiders are 2-0 after an upset win on Monday Night Football against the New Orleans Saints. Meanwhile, the Patriots are coming off a last-second loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football.
The Patriots, led by Cam Newton, are currently ranked 19th in total offense and 14th in total defense. Meanwhile, the Raiders are led by Derek Carr are 23rd in offense and 18th in defense. Both teams however, bolster Super Bowl-winning head coaches.
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The last time Gruden faced Belichick was in 2005, when the Patriots defeated the Chris Simms-led Buccaneers 28-0 in Foxborough. While snow is not in the forecast for this game and neither is a win-or-go-home scenario, both teams understand the magnitude of this game and how history was affected by this particular matchup.