It was windy, it was sloppy, and for Bill Belichick, it was beautiful. The Patriots' win streak is up to seven after Monday night's 14-10 victory in Buffalo. On a snowy night in driving winds, New England threw the ball exactly three times and still managed to keep the top seed in the AFC intact.
For all of Belichick's dominance in his Patriots' tenure, his 13-0 record in snow games is particularly impressive. And there are a handful from that last that, aside from last night, you probably remember well. Here are some of the most famous New England snow games in the last 22 years under Belichick:
2001 AFC Divisional Round: The game that, had the Tuck Rule gone differently or Adam Vinatieri hadn't begun his postseason legend, might have changed the course of the entire ensuing 20 years. Alas, in a driving snowstorm against the heavily favored Raiders, Brady's fumble was overturned, Vinatieri somehow made a 45-yard field goal to force overtime, added the game-winner in the extra session, and the rest is history.
2003 - Patriots 12, Dolphins 0: Two decades after the pair played in the famous "Snow Plow Game", the Pats outgained the Dolphins 228-134 in the snow at Gillette and the defense did most of the work in scoring, too. Aside from a Vinatieri first quarter field goal, the only points were a Tedy Bruschi pick-six and a safety, both in the fourth quarter.
2003 AFC Championship Game: Later that season it wasn't quite a blizzard, but it was snowing in Foxboro when the Patriots met the Colts with a Super Bowl bid on the line. Vinatieri kicked five field goals, the defense picked off Peyton Manning three times and New England moved on 24-14 before winning a second Super Bowl in three seasons.
2009 - Patriots 59, Titans 0: In one of the biggest blowouts in NFL history, an October snowstorm very much affected Tennessee, and very much did not affect New England. Up 10-0 after a quarter thanks to a Laurence Maroney 45-yard touchdown and a field goal, Brady picked apart the Titans secondary in the second to the tune of five touchdown passes. He added a sixth score on the opening drive of the third quarter before showing a little mercy and calling it a day - finishing with more TDs than incompletions. The total yardage: 619-186, including a passing difference of 426 to negative-7.
2010 - Patriots 36, Bears 7: The only one of these games that came on the road, New England had a similar game as the one from the year prior against Tennessee. Up 7-0 after a quarter, the Pats exploded for 26 second quarter points to take a big lead into halftime, before putting it in cruise control. Brady tossed for 369 yards and two scores, while the defense forced four turnovers and had a scoop-and-score.