The New England Patriots couldn’t have won their first Super Bowl without a little luck from the NFL officiating and rulebook. In the 2001 AFC Divisional Playoff game between the New England Patriots and the Oakland Raiders, quarterback Tom Brady appeared to have fumbled the game away — until the officials ruled the play an incompletion by way of The Tuck Rule.
New England kept possession of the ball and went on to kick a game-winning field goal. Their playoff run concluded with a Super Bowl win over the St. Louis Rams. And Tom Brady and Bill Belichick were off to the races for Super Bowl supremacy.