Oakland Raiders: 17 years later, and it is still a fumble

It has been 17 years, but for Oakland Raiders fans, the sting of the 2001 AFC Divisional Round game against the New England Patriots still stings.

The 2001 Divisional Round game between the Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots took place inside Gillette Stadium back on January 19, 2002. The game, forever known as the “Tuck Rule” game, is a dark moment in the history of the Raiders organization.

Oakland was the AFC West winner in the 2001 season, and took on the New York Jets in the Wild Card round. After disposing of the Jets by the score of 38-24, they had to head to Gillette to take on the Patriots, who had the No. 2 seed in the AFC, and were fresh off having a bye in the first round of the playoffs.

The Raiders were 10-6 in 2001, as head coach Jon Gruden continued to turn the franchise’s fortunes around. Oakland had a lot of confidence heading into the playoffs, as Rich Gannon led a list of five players who were named to the Pro Bowl.

One of those players was Charles Woodson, who would go on to become one of the more beloved players in team history. A fantastic player from Day one in Oakland, Woodson would be a part of the play that will go down as one of the worst calls in playoff history.

Leading by three points with under two minutes left in the game, Woodson came off the edge, and seemed to strip New England quarterback Tom Brady of the football. Greg Biekert fell on it, and it looked like the Raiders would be cruising to the AFC Championship Game, where they would have a date with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Instead, the officials ruled that Brady tucked the ball, and the official call would be an incomplete pass. The rest of the game was an absolute nightmare, as Adam Vinateri kicked a field goal with 30 second left to send the game into overtime, and then hit another one to give the Pats the 16-13 victory.

The game would prove to be the last for Gruden at the helm for the next 16 years, as he was traded away to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a plethora of draft picks and $8 million. He would face the Raiders the following season in the Super Bowl, and would have no issues hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in front of the fan base that grew to love him.

We all know what has happened between these two franchises since that day. The Patriots have gone on to become a dynasty, winning more than their fair share of Super Bowls, while the Raiders have been back to the playoffs only twice.

Gruden is back at the helm of the Raiders, and Brady is still under center, but another thing still remains true, he fumbled.