2001 New England Patriots season The 2001 New England Patriots season was the 32nd season for the team in the National Football League and 42nd season overall . They finished with an 11 – 5 record and a division title before advancing to and winning Super Bowl XXXVI . Coming off a fifth - place finish in head coach Bill Belichick ' s first season in 2000 , the Patriots were not expected to fare much better in 2001 . In the second game of the season , nine - year starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe , who received a 10 - year contract extension in March 2001 , was injured on a hit by New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis , causing backup Tom Brady , a sixth - round draft pick in 2000 , to enter the game . The Patriots lost the game to fall to 0 – 2 , but Brady started the final 14 games of the season for the Patriots , who ended the regular season with six straight wins to complete an 11 – 5 record . With the second seed in the AFC playoffs , the Patriots faced the Oakland Raiders at home following a first - round bye in the final game at Foxboro Stadium ; in a snowstorm , a Patriots drive late in the fourth quarter was kept alive in an application of the now - famous tuck rule that was used in overturning a Brady fumble into an incomplete pass . Shortly after , a 45 - yard Adam Vinatieri field goal through the snow , considered one of the most clutch field goals in NFL history , sent the game into overtime , when another Vinatieri field goal won it . After defeating the top - seeded Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game , the Patriots faced the heavily favored St . Louis Rams , known as " The Greatest Show on Turf , " in Super Bowl XXXVI . Once again , Vinatieri kicked a game - winning field goal ; the 48 - yard kick sailed through the uprights as time expired , and gave the Patriots their first ever Super Bowl victory in what has been considered by many to be a " cinderella " season . Opening training camp roster . At the time of the first public training camp practice at Bryant College on July 26 , they had the NFL maximum of 80 players signed to their roster . The Patriots received seven roster exemptions for the NFL Europe allocations of Michael Bishop , Brad Costello , Tony George , Sean Morey , Josh Rawlings , Kato Serwanga , and Tony Simmons . Additionally , the Patriots allocated wide receiver Tony Hamler and linebackers John Eskridge and Marc Megna to NFL Europe and received roster exemptions for them , but those players were waived before the start of training camp . Finally , injured draft pick Brock Williams had not yet signed a contract at the start of camp and did not count against the roster limit . During the fourth quarter of a 10 - 3 loss to the Jets Drew Bledsoe was hammered while running to the sidelines by Jets linebacker Mo Lewis . The injury to his chest , which filled with blood , left Bledsoe hospitalized . Tom Brady finished the game , completing five of ten passes for 46 yards , and was elevated to starter . The 2 - 0 Colts were crushed 44 - 13 following a brutal hit on receiver Jerome Pathon by Patriots linebacker Bryan Cox in the first quarter . From there Colts receivers shied away from contact with Patriot defenders and Peyton Manning ' s interception at the Patriots 22 - yard line late in the first half was returned by Otis Smith for a touchdown . The Patriots led 23 - 0 late in the third quarter before Manning ran in a ten - yard score , then in the fourth the Colts collapsed entirely , surrendering 21 points ( including a 23 - yard Ty Law interception return touchdown ) while managing just a touchdown to future Patriot Marcus Pollard . Tom Brady threw for 168 yards in his first start . The game that decisively turned the 1 - 3 Patriots season around came against former and future Patriot Doug Flutie along with the 3 - 1 Chargers ' vaunted rookie LaDainian Tomlinson . Unruly receiver Terry Glenn , making his first start of the season after being benched for the opening four games , caught a 21 - yard score from Tom Brady and had seven catches for 110 yards total . The Patriots led 16 - 13 but were struggling on special teams ( Bill Belichick called their performance " the worst in a year and a half " afterward ) ; Adam Vinatieri had missed a field goal try and the extra point off Glenn ' s touchdown , but the real special teams breakdown occurred with less than seven minutes remaining ; forced to punt with his team trailing 19 - 16 , Patriots punter Lee Johnson botched the kick and running back Derrick Harris ran in a six - yard score ( the miscue cost Johnson his punting job as he was replaced by Ken Walter ) . But despite being down 26 - 16 , Brady took over , directing a field goal drive , then throwing the game - tying touchdown in the final minute to Jermaine Wiggins . A last - second Wade Richey field goal try fell short , and in overtime Brady picked up a Chargers blitz and led a drive that ended in Vinatieri ' s 44 - yard gield goal and a 29 - 26 Patriots final . In what turned out to be their last trip to the RCA Dome until the post - realignment 2003 season , the Patriots followed up their September rout of the Colts with a 38 - 17 thrashing highlighted by the one - man scoring explosion of David Patten , who ran in a 29 - yard touchdown , caught a 91 - yard bomb from Tom Brady , then on a flea - flick play threw a 60 - yard strike to Troy Brown , all in the first half . The Colts lost two fumbles and Peyton Manning was sacked four times as the Colts ' season began spiraling into collapse . Former Patriot Shawn Jefferson caught a 19 - yard touchdown from Chris Chandler , but Chandler was sacked six times and knocked out of the game ; rookie Michael Vick threw for 56 yards and rushed for 50 more but was sacked three times . The most bizarre score of the game came in the third as a Tom Brady pass for David Patten was deflected off a body and caught at the 30 - yard line by Troy Brown for a 44 - yard touchdown . The Patriots won 24 – 10 . The Patriots squandered a goalline opportunity when they fumbled to the Rams late in the second quarter ; the Rams drove downfield and scored . The Patriots ' defense was unable to stop Kurt Warner and get the ball back late in the game , as the Rams salted away a 24 – 17 win . The win proved costly , as five Rams starters were knocked out of the game , and coach Mike Martz said afterward that the Patriots were a Super Bowl - caliber team . Drew Bledsoe was medically cleared to return to the field , but Bill Belichick ruled that Brady would remain the starter . Brady responded with four touchdowns in a 34 – 17 triumph . Ricky Williams , soon to leave the Saints for the Miami Dolphins , rushed for 56 yards and a touchdown in his first encounter with the Patriots . The Jets bullied the Patriots en route to a 13 – 0 halftime lead , but the Patriots stormed back , scoring 14 third - quarter points en route to a 17 – 16 win . During the game the Jets appeared to lose a fumble to the Patriots , but the fumble was reversed based on a rule that would become controversial in the subsequent playoffs - the Tuck Rule . Field goals ruled the day as Shayne Graham and Adam Vinatieri kicked seven combined in a 12 - 9 overtime Patriots win . The most controversial play came in overtime when David Patten caught a pass and was knocked out of bounds ; the ball bounced off his feet and was recovered by the Bills , but the play went to review and it was determined that Patten , momentarily unconscious , had his head out of bounds when the ball touched his feet ; by rule the ball was dead . The Patriots thus retained possession enough for the game - winning 23 - yard field goal . The Patriots defeated the Dolphins ( 20 – 13 ) for the first time since November 23 , 1998 in the final regular season game for Foxboro Stadium . During halftime Patriot greats of the past and present were paraded with each commemorating a season of the stadium ' s 31 - season existence – John Hannah represented 1973 ( the year he was drafted by New England ) , Steve Grogan represented 1976 ( the year of the infamous " Ben Dreith game " against Oakland ) , Drew Bledsoe represented 1996 ( the Super Bowl XXXI season ) , and so forth . During the game itself Tom Brady caught a 23 - yard pass from Kevin Faulk and threw for 109 yards himself , as the Patriots raced out to an early lead and held off a late Dolphins rally to earn sole 1st place in the AFC East . Postseason results . Divisional Round vs . Oakland Raiders . The game , the final one in the history of Foxboro Stadium , played in a heavy snowfall , will be remembered for a call near the end of the game , in which the referees initially ruled that New England quarterback Tom Brady had fumbled on a pass attempt , with Oakland protecting a three - point lead . Invoking the " tuck rule " , where a ball is ruled an incomplete pass after the quarterback starts any forward motion , the referee overturned the decision after reviewing the instant replay , calling the drop an incomplete pass rather than a fumble . Both teams struggled in the heavy snow storm during the first half , combining for the same number of punts as first downs ( 11 ) and converting only one of 13 third downs . However , Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon was efficient , completing 10 of 14 passes for 87 yards , including a 13 - yard touchdown pass to James Jett early in the second quarter . In the second half , things began to open up , especially for New England , who almost completely abandoned their running game and relied on Brady . He ended up completing 26 of 39 passes for 238 yards in the second half . On the opening drive of the third quarter , he led the Patriots 62 yards in 12 plays to the Raiders ' 5 - yard line , where Adam Vinatieri made a 23 - yard field goal to cut the score , 7 - 3 . Oakland responded with a 10 - play , 43 yard drive , and scored a 38 - yard field goal from Sebastian Janikowski . Then after forcing a punt , a 22 - yard reception by receiver Jerry Rice set up Janikowski ' s second field goal , giving the Raiders a 13 - 3 lead with 2 minutes left in the third quarter . In the fourth quarter , Brady led the Patriots on a 10 - play , 67 - yard drive , completing 9 consecutive passes for 61 yards and finishing it with a 6 - yard touchdown run . Later in the quarter , the infamous " tuck " incident occurred . As Brady dropped back to pass , he lost the ball while being tackled by former college teammate Charles Woodson , and Oakland linebacker Greg Biekert recovered it with 1 : 47 left . However , an instant replay challenge caused referee Walt Coleman to overturn the fumble , ruling Brady ' s arm had been moving forward while being tackled and making the play an incomplete pass . Taking advantage of his second chance , Brady led the Patriots inside the Raiders ' 30 - yard line where Vinatieri made a 45 - yard field goal with 27 seconds left , a dramatic kick through heavy snowfall that barely cleared the crossbar , sending the game into overtime . New England won the coin toss and drove for the winning field goal on a possession that featured a risky fourth down and 4 conversion attempt from Brady , who threw a 6 - yard pass to David Patten at the Raiders ' 22 - yard line to keep the drive alive . Following five runs from Antowain Smith and one from Brady , Vinatieri made a 23 - yard field goal to win the game . AFC Championship Game at Pittsburgh Steelers . The Patriots ' storybook season continued as Drew Bledsoe came into the game in the second quarter in place of an injured Tom Brady - who replaced Bledsoe himself early in the season when he suffered a sheared blood vessel . Patriots receiver Troy Brown opened up the scoring with a 55 - yard punt return touchdown with 3 : 42 left in the first quarter . Pittsburgh responded by driving 65 yards in 10 plays and scoring with a 30 - yard field goal from Kris Brown . Later in the quarter , Brady completed a 28 - yard pass to Brown at the Steelers 40 - yard line , but was knocked out of the game on the play . Bledsoe took over without missing a beat , rushing for four yards and completing three passes to David Patten for 37 yards , the last one an 11 - yard touchdown to give the Patriots a 14 - 3 lead . On the first drive of the second half , New England linebacker Tedy Bruschi recovered a fumbled snap on the Steelers 35 - yard line . But the Patriots gained only two yards on their next 4 plays and ended up turning the ball over on downs . Pittsburgh subsequently drove 52 yards to the 16 - yard line to set up Brown ' s second field goal attempt , but this time his kick was blocked by defensive tackle Brandon Mitchell and Troy Brown recovered the ball . After returning it 11 yards , Brown threw a lateral pass to Antwan Harris , who took the ball the remaining 45 yards for a touchdown to increase New England ' s lead to 21 - 3 . The Steelers struck back with quarterback Kordell Stewart completing a 24 - yard pass to Hines Ward and a 19 - yard screen pass to Amos Zereoue on an 8 - play , 79 - yard drive . Jerome Bettis finished it off with a 1 - yard touchdown run , cutting the score to 21 – 10 with 5 : 11 left in the third quarter . New England was forced to punt after linebacker Jason Gildon sacked Bledsoe on third down , and Troy Edwards returned the punt 28 yards to the Patriots 32 - yard line . Five plays later , Zereoue scored with an 11 - yard touchdown run , making the score 21 – 17 . Early in the fourth quarter , Adam Vinatieri ' s 44 - yard field goal increased New England ' s lead to 24 – 17 . Later in the period , the Patriots made two key stops to clinch the victory . First , safety Tebucky Jones intercepted a pass from Stewart and returned it 19 yards to the Steelers 34 - yard line . Pittsburgh ' s defense managed to prevent a first down and Vinatieri missed a 50 - yard field goal attempt that would have sealed the game , giving the Steelers the ball back on their own 40 - yard line , but a few plays later , Lawyer Milloy intercepted a pass from Stewart with 2 : 02 left to seal the game , and the Patriots were able to run out the rest of the clock . Super Bowl XXXVI vs . St . Louis Rams . The Rams scored first midway through the first quarter , driving 48 yards in 10 plays to set up a 50 - yard field goal by kicker Jeff Wilkins . At the time , the field goal was the third longest in Super Bowl history . The rest of the quarter was scoreless . Early in the second quarter , the Rams drove to New England ' s 34 - yard line , but quarterback Kurt Warner threw an incompletion on third down , and Wilkins ' subsequent 52 - yard field goal attempt sailed wide left . With 8 : 49 left in the second quarter , New England defensive back Ty Law intercepted a pass intended for receiver Isaac Bruce and scored on a 47 - yard return to give the Patriots a 7 - 3 lead . With less than two minutes left in the first half , Warner completed a pass to receiver Ricky Proehl at the Patriots 40 - yard line , but New England defensive back Antwan Harris forced a fumble while tackling him , which was recovered by Patriots defensive back Terrell Buckley . New England quarterback Tom Brady would lead a drive that culminated with an 8 - yard touchdown pass to receiver David Patten with 31 seconds left in the half to give New England a 14 - 3 halftime lead . This was the first time in the 2001 season that St . Louis fell behind in a game by more than eight points . The Patriots took the opening kickoff of the second half , but could only reach the St . Louis 43 - yard line before being forced to punt . Aided by a 20 - yard reception by wide receiver Az - Zahir Hakim , a 22 - yard reception by Bruce , and a defensive pass interference penalty on Patriots defensive back Otis Smith , the Rams advanced to the New England 41 - yard line . However , on the next play , linebacker Mike Vrabel and defensive lineman Richard Seymour sacked Warner for a 9 - yard loss . Warner then threw 2 consecutive incomplete passes , which resulted in the Rams punting . Later in the third quarter , Otis Smith intercepted a pass intended for Rams wide receiver Torry Holt after Holt slipped while coming off the line of scrimmage , and returned the ball 30 yards to the Rams 33 - yard line . Though St . Louis ' defense did not give up a touchdown to the Patriots , kicker Adam Vinatieri made a 37 - yard field goal to increase New England ' s lead to 17 - 3 . The Rams responded by driving to the Patriots ' 3 - yard line on their ensuing drive . On fourth - and - goal , the Rams attempted to score a touchdown , calling for a quarterback sneak by Warner . Warner fumbled the ball while being tackled by linebacker Roman Phifer , which was recovered by defensive back Tebucky Jones who returned it 97 yards for a touchdown that would have increased the Patriots lead to 23 - 3 . However , the play was nullified by a holding penalty on linebacker Willie McGinest , which in turn gave the Rams a first down on the 1 - yard line instead . On second down , Warner scored on a 2 - yard touchdown run to make the score 17 - 10 , Patriots . After Warner ' s touchdown , the Rams defense forced the Patriots to a three - and - out . St . Louis then drove from their own 7 - yard line to the New England 36 - yard line , aided by a 30 - yard reception by Proehl . However , McGinest sacked Warner for a 16 - yard loss on second down , pushing the Rams back to their 46 - yard line . St . Louis ended up punting after Warner ' s third down pass was incomplete . The Rams forced New England to another three - and - out , and got the ball back on their own 45 - yard line with 1 : 51 left in the game . Warner threw three consecutive completions : an 18 - yard pass to Hakim , an 11 - yard one to receiver Yo Murphy , and finally a 26 - yard touchdown completion to Proehl that tied the game 17 - 17 with 1 : 30 left in the fourth quarter . The Patriots had no timeouts left for their ensuing drive , which resulted in color commentator John Madden initially suggesting that the Patriots should run out the clock and attempt to win to overtime . Instead , New England attempted to get the winning score in regulation on the final drive . Brady opened the drive with three completions to running back J . R . Redmond , which moved the ball to their 41 - yard line with 33 seconds left . After an incomplete pass , Brady completed a 23 - yard pass to wide receiver Troy Brown , and followed it up with a 6 - yard completion to tight end Jermaine Wiggins to advance to the Rams ' 30 - yard line . Brady then spiked the ball with seven seconds left , which set up Vinatieri ' s 48 - yard field goal attempt . Vinatieri ' s game - winning kick was successful , marking the first ( and so far , only ) time in Super Bowl history that a game was won by a score on the final play .