21 years ago, all of Oakland wept in unison. 21 years ago, the Oakland Raiders claimed deceit in the largest game of this century for Oakland football. The white, snow-soaked fields at the Foxboro Stadium have been witness to many big games with Tom Brady over the years. But the last game on its grounds might perhaps be the most controversial one. 

The infamous ‘Tuck Rule’ game was one of the most important playoff games for the Raiders in the last 25 years. With the city of Massachusetts run over by rampant snowfall, nothing was going to douse the spirit of football. On January 19th, 2002, the Patriots took on the Oakland Raiders at their home ground, leading to one of the most controversial moments in the legendary Tom Brady’s career. 

Decades later, Tom Brady’s wounds still sting the Raiders

With the Patriots down 13-10 in the 4th quarter of their Divisional Round matchup, one of football’s most controversial calls would take place. Tom Brady was tackled by Raiders CB Charles Woodson. The fumble, secured by the Raiders would have effectively sealed the win for the city of Oakland. But a controversial change in calls by the match referees resulted in the Patriots tying the game, and eventually winning in overtime. 

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The Raiders and their fans are still reeling from the events that took place during the ‘Tuck Game’. Over the years, the decision to overturn the call by the referees has seen heavy criticism from fans and analysts. A win would have led the Raiders to the Conference Championship game, and perhaps a shot at the Super Bowl. But the defeat left fans facing a crushing defeat in the freezing weather in the city of Massachusetts. 

The start of the Tom Brady story

The ‘Tuck Game’ is seen by many as the definitive launching pad for Brady’s career, eventually winning his first Super Bowl, and SB MVP just two weeks later. In just his 2nd season in the league, Brady pioneered the Patriots offense and started his unbelievable streak of 7 Super Bowl wins, including 6 with the Patriots and Bill Belichick. 

While Brady has been involved in a number of controversial calls across his career, few stand at par with the events that went down in 2002. The Raiders would eventually go to the Super Bowl in their next season but would lose to the Buccaneers. Thus effectively starting the decline, which leads to the team moving on from Oakland to the modern-day Las Vegas Raiders. But for every old-head Raiders fan, the crushing defeat is still fresh in their minds 21 years later. 

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