Patriots ‘The Dynasty’ Review: Episode 2, Snow Bowl

In “The Dynasty’s” second helping, the New England Patriots 2001 divisional round matchup with the Oakland Raiders gives berth to the team’s meteoric rise to the top of the NFL landscape.

While Episode 1 [“Backup Plan”] of “The Dynasty” docuseries, chronicling the New England Patriots remarkable run to six Super Bowl championships have provided the groundbreaking for Pats historic run of success, the second installment, titled “The Snow Bowl” laid its foundation. 

Though the vast majority of the NFL universe will derisively refer to Jan. 19, 2002 as the night of the “Tuck Rule,” Patriots Nation will forever revere that fateful night as “The Snow Bowl” — and the beginning of a two-decade love affair between the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick led New England Patriots and their fans.

The falling of the snowflakes in Foxboro, Massachusetts provided more than just arctic weather conditions for an impending playoff game between the New England Patriots and the Oakland Raiders. It would come to symbolize the genesis of one of the most successful eras in professional sports.

Cred: The Providence Journal, USA Today Archives

Before that fateful night, however, there were still six games to be played. At 5-5, the Patriots season was not only teetering on the brink of failure, but coach Bill Belichick and his staff were potentially facing the equivalent of football extinction. Belichick had not only drawn the ire of now backup quarterback Drew Bledsoe, but also was in the crosshairs of team owner Robert Kraft. 

“I felt like Bill had let us down,” Kraft said in reference to the Patriots Week 10 loss to the St. Louis Rams — a game in which Belichick chose to start Brady over a medically-cleared Bledsoe. “I had people on my case about how bad my judgment was for not starting a guy like Drew Bledsoe. They were calling me insane.”

Still, Belichick remained steadfast in his faith within the largely-unproven rookie. Once again, members of the Pats coaching staff outline the gradual erosion of Bledsoe’s mechanics, while juxtaposing it with Brady’s crisp field vision and accuracy. It seems that from the advent of his pro football career, the Patriots knew they had something special in Tom Brady.  

“Seeing the game through the quarterback’s eyes — understanding what he saw, helped make me a better coach” Belichick said. “I found myself arriving earlier and earlier to work each day to match Tom’s level of preparation.”

In addition for setting the stage for the titular climax, Episode 2 also provides a look at the enigmatic football research director Ernie Adams, who served under Belichick from 2000 to his retirement in 2020. Described by some as “having worked in the shadows,” Adams’ role with the team is brought to life through the use of archival footage, along with a rare in-person interview, exclusive to this film. From comparing Bledsoe’s late-career movement to that of a “wildebeest under attack,” to re-creating his Jan. 19 commute to Foxboro Stadium under fresh snowflakes, the episode brilliantly establishes Adams as a valued advisor to Belichick.   

Still, the unquestioned “star of the show” was New England’s divisional round matchup with the Oakland Raiders. Having been set for demolition at season’s end, a snowy Foxboro Stadium served as the background for arguably the most important night in the history of the franchise. Trailing the favored Raiders 13-3 in the fourth quarter, Brady led the Patriots on a 10-play, 67-yard drive in the fourth quarter. Brady completed nine consecutive passes for 61 yards; finishing it with a 6-yard touchdown run with 7:57 left that made the score 13–10.

With less than two minutes remaining, Brady was hit during his pass attempt on his right side by Raiders’ cornerback Charles Woodson. The ball came loose and was recovered by the Raiders. Though it appeared that Brady had tucked the ball back towards his body, the officials were unable to definitively rule whether or not his arm was moving forward at the time.

The rest, as they say is history. 

“It felt like a fumble to me, and it looked like a fumble to basically everyone else,” Brady said candidly. “Except that’s not the way the rule was written.

“We didn’t write the (bleeping) rule,” he said with a chuckle. 

It Happened One Night: Remembering the Snow Bowl and the Dawn of the Patriots Dynasty

New England’s reversal of fortune led to the night’s crescendo. Kicker Adam Vinatieri hit a game-tying 45-yard field goal through the snow-covered night sky with just 27 seconds remaining. It is a kick, considered by many, to have been one of the most difficult kicks in NFL history. New England had tied the game at 13, taking the Oakland Raiders to overtime. Once again, Vinatieri delivered in the clutch by connecting on a 23-yarder to send New England to the AFC Championship Game, and Foxboro Stadium into the annals of immortality. 

“Thank God for Adam Vinatieri,” former Patriots cornerback Ty Law exclaimed. “They should bronze that man’s foot and place it on the hood of everyone’s car … like a Rolls-Royce.”

Little did Law and his teammates realize, that the true wild ride was only just beginning. 

Episode 3, “Borrowed Time” will be available on AppleTV+ on Feb. 23.

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