Top five most memorable snow games

With the holiday season just around the corner, some NFL games this season have had snowy conditions, and such a game can be something to celebrate for players and fans alike.

Here are the five most memorable NFL snow games of all time. Bundle up and make some hot chocolate because it might get chilly soon.

Oakland Raiders vs. New England Patriots (2002 AFC Divisional)

More commonly known as the Tuck Rule game, this one sparked the Patriots’ run to the 2002 Super Bowl and their dynasty, which extended into the 2010s and featured six Super Bowl victories.

About 4 inches of snow fell in Foxborough, Massachusetts, from 2 p.m. on game day to 2 a.m. the next day.

Charles Woodson’s hit on Tom Brady on the Patriots’ final drive of regulation was initially ruled a game-ending fumble. However, the play was changed to an incomplete pass after a three-minute review.

Brady and the Pats capitalized on it, setting up Adam Vinatieri for a game-tying 45-yard field goal, which he connected through the snow and wind, sending the game to overtime.

The Patriots won the coin toss and put together a 15-play drive to set up Vinatieri for a walk-off 23-yarder, and he split the uprights, giving New England a 16-13 victory.

Even after the rule was abolished in 2012, the Tuck Rule Game is still among the most controversial in NFL history.

Detroit Lions vs. Philadelphia Eagles (2013 Week 14)

In a week that featured five snow games, this matchup in the City of Brotherly Love birthed one of the greatest players to dash through the snow.

LeSean McCoy made his mark in this game, which had 8 inches of snow on the ground at game time. It only accumulated as the game progressed, hindering the players’ visibility.

As such, the teams only attempted one extra point in this game.

McCoy had 217 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries, and his two touchdown runs of 40 and 57 yards were part of his 148-yard fourth quarter, one in which the Eagles scored 28 points.

McCoy’s 217 rushing yards was an Eagles single-game record until Saquon Barkley broke it on November 24 with 255 yards against the Los Angeles Rams.

The Lions’ Jeremy Ross scored twice on returns, keeping Detroit in it, but Matthew Stafford and the offense couldn’t keep up in the fourth quarter as Philadelphia won 34-20.

The Lions would not make the playoffs that season, while this game was one of the Eagles’ six wins in their last seven games, helping lead Philly to the NFC East title.

Tennessee Titans vs. New England Patriots (2009 Week 6)

The 59-0 score does not do this game justice, as Tom Brady qualified himself to teach a class how to throw a football in the snow with this game.

Brady completed 29 of 34 passes for 380 yards and six touchdowns, helping the Patriots to a tie for the largest margin of victory in the NFL in the last 90 years.

Wes Welker and Randy Moss finished with over 120 receiving yards and multiple touchdowns.

Hilariously, the Titans finished with minus seven passing yards between Kerry Collins and Vince Young.

They only completed two of their 14 pass attempts, highlighted by a -22-yard completion to Nate Washington.

Chris Johnson, who would win Offensive Player of the Year in 2009, ran for 128 yards on 17 carries.

The Titans went on to finish 8-8 after their 0-6 start, while the Patriots would lose in their wild-card game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Seattle Seahawks vs. Green Bay Packers (2008 NFC Divisional)

In what would be Brett Favre’s last victory as a Packer, Green Bay set records at the time with 42 points, six touchdowns and 25 first downs.

Favre threw for three touchdowns, including two to Greg Jennings, and the Packers’ defense held Matt Hasselbeck and the Seahawks to 200 yards of total offense.

The real star of this game was running back Ryan Grant, who fumbled on each of the Packers’ first two drives.

Grant rebounded to outgain the entire Seahawks’ offense, running for 201 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries, leading Green Bay to a 42-20 victory.

However, Favre’s time in Green Bay would have a bittersweet ending, as the Packers lost to the New York Giants, who would defeat the then-undefeated Patriots in the 2008 Super Bowl in the NFC Championship the following week.

Indianapolis Colts vs. Buffalo Bills (2017 Week 14)

Buffalo is a hot spring for snow games, and this one against Indianapolis stands out.

It started snowing an hour before kickoff, and 16.7 inches of snow were dropped on Orchard Park, New York, during the storm.

Between 8-to-9 inches of snow fell during the game, and neither team could find much offense, with only 425 total yards in regulation.

The Bills scored the game’s first points on a Nathan Peterman touchdown pass to Kelvin Benjamin, though that was all in the first half.

Jacoby Brissett led the Colts on a 19-play fourth-quarter touchdown drive in which Vinatieri kicked a crazy 43-yard extra point due to a two-point conversion being negated by offensive pass interference.

The Colts failed to capitalize on an interception thrown by Joe Webb, who entered for a concussed Peterman, inside of two minutes, as Vinatieri missed a 43-yard field goal with six seconds left, sending the game to overtime with the score 7-7.

Following a 34-yard completion from Webb to Deonte Thompson, McCoy ran for a 21-yard touchdown to win the game, 13-7.

It capped off a day in which McCoy ran for 156 yards on 32 carries and “froze” himself as arguably the greatest player in the snow, but what play is his best is debatable.

Buffalo would break its 17-year postseason drought, while the Colts would finish 4-12.

Owen Klein is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ojk5092@psu.edu.