Adam Vinatieri’s Patriots Homecoming Comes Against A Fitting Opponent image
Mandatory Credit: Tony Tomsic-USA TODAY NETWORK
The Raiders will visit Gillette Stadium on Sunday with a current game to win. Patriots fans also will have a reason to remember the night Adam Vinatieri helped keep a championship season alive against that franchise.
New England will honor Vinatieri at halftime of its Oct. 11 matchup with Las Vegas, presenting the former kicker with his Pro Football Hall of Fame Ring of Excellence. The ceremony is part of a weekend celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Patriots’ 2001 championship team. Members of that team will be recognized before the game.
The opponent gives the occasion an especially fitting connection. Before Vinatieri kicked New England to its first Super Bowl title, he delivered two crucial field goals against the Raiders in the snow at Foxboro Stadium.
Two Kicks Kept The First Championship Run Alive
Vinatieri’s 45-yard field goal tied the AFC divisional playoff game and forced overtime. His 23-yard kick then won it, sending the Patriots to the AFC Championship Game.
Two weeks later, his 48-yard field goal as time expired defeated the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. Those moments explain why Sunday’s recognition carries meaning beyond a presentation at midfield. Fans who watched that postseason can trace the championship run through individual kicks, each made with little room for error.
The celebration also offers younger fans a chance to connect the familiar highlights with the player responsible for them.
Vinatieri became a lasting part of Patriots history because he delivered when a season, and eventually a championship, depended on the next snap.
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A Hall Of Fame Career Returns To Its Starting Point
Vinatieri joined New England as an undrafted free agent in 1996 and spent his first 10 NFL seasons with the Patriots before playing 14 seasons for Indianapolis.
He finished with an NFL-record 2,673 points and 599 field goals, winning four Super Bowls across his time with the two franchises. Sunday’s ring presentation brings that career back to the place where his NFL story began. The Ring of Excellence joins the gold jacket and bronze bust as a symbol of Hall of Fame membership.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET. Fans unable to attend can watch the halftime ceremony on Patriots.com or the team’s official app.
With the Raiders across the field and the 2001 team being celebrated, Vinatieri’s return will give New England another opportunity to revisit the kicks that helped change the franchise.
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