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Patriots' Coin Toss Woes Least of Concerns for New England Heading into Playoffs

A miscommunication between New England Patriots special teams captain Matthew Slater and referee Clete Blakeman led to New England getting neither the ball nor the wind at the beginning of overtime against the New York Jets on Sunday, and Ryan Fitzpatrick inflicted sudden death on the proceedings.

After careful analysis of the video and transcript of the exchange, it looks as though Slater was under orders to take the wind (and therefore cede the kick-or-catch choice to the Jets)—but when the Patriots won the toss Slater chose to kick, as opposed to the taking the wind.