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Snow Bowl to Super Bowl: Ranking Adam Vinatieri's Best Patriots Kicks

The greatest kicker in New England Patriots history is earning his place in the NFL Hall of Fame this weekend.
Ethan Hurwitz|
Feb 3, 2002; New Orleans, LA, USA; New England Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri (4) kicks the ball against the St. Louis Rams during Super Bowl XXXVI at the Louisiana Superdome. The Patriots defeated the Rams 20-17. FILE PHOTO; Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Feb 3, 2002; New Orleans, LA, USA; New England Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri (4) kicks the ball against the St. Louis Rams during Super Bowl XXXVI at the Louisiana Superdome. The Patriots defeated the Rams 20-17. FILE PHOTO; Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Later today, former New England Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri will be enshrined into football history, becoming the latest inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The NFL all-time leader scorer spent the first 10 years of his career in New England, helping to win three Super Bowls with Mike Vrabel.

The now-head coach spoke about Vinatieri at training camp this week, and his favorite memory of the legendary kicker

"Well, I think the favorite story is he showed up one offseason with a yellow Lamborghini or Ferrari or something, and we crushed him. And I think he took it back and then got a normal color," Vrabel said.

"But the kick in the snow, if you were there, you were on that field, to be able to think that could somehow be done. I struggled to run on that field that day, and he was able to make the kick that he made. And it was always just – any time we got into those situations, we knew if we can just get it to the 35-yard line that we were going to win the football game."

Vinatieri is now the third member of the 2000s era Patriots team to earn a gold jacket, joining defensive lineman Richard Seymour and cornerback Ty Law.

"Well, I think when you have success as a team, I think everybody gets celebrated, and rightfully so," Vrabel said.

To celebrate Vinatieri's induction into football immortality, here are the best five kicks (and one special honorable mention) from his tenure with the Patriots.

Honorable Mention: Tackling Herschel Walker in 1996

As a rookie in 1996, Vinatieri was trying to make a name for himself in New England. He would miss eight field goals and three extra points that year, and that 77.1% field goal percentage would be the lowest of his career.

But one of his greatest players came as a rookie, and it didn't come using his legs.

Up 6-0 to the Dallas Cowboys, Vinatieri kicked it off to superstar Hershel Walker. The running back broke free and looked like he would be getting a touchdown.

That is until Vinatieri made one of the most athletic plays ever made by an NFL kicker.

5. 35-Yard OT Game-Winner vs Kansas City Chiefs (2002)

Vinatier's top four kicks are pretty set in stone, but there are several options for his fifth best. He had a game-winner against the Steelers in 2005, as well as a career-long 57-yard field goal in Chicago in 2002. He capped off Tom Brady's first career start with an overtime kick, as well as drilled a clincher against the Jets in his second season.

Instead, the nod goes to his final kick against the Chiefs in 2002. In a game that the Patriots once led by 14 points, the Chiefs roared back to tie it up before overtime came. Vinatieri -- who had already nailed a 37-yarder earlier in the afternoon -- lined up to help the Patriots remain unbeaten.

He nailed the field goal, his eighth of year to that point, to give the Patriots the thrilling 41-38 win and their third-straight victory to open up what would turn into a disappointing 2002 season.

4. 23-Yard OT Game-Winner vs Oakland Raiders (AFC Divisional Game)

It's crazy to imagine that a game-winner in a full-blown snowstorm ranks fourth on this list, but that's exactly what Vinatieri's career with the Patriots was like.

After already hitting a 45-yarder in regulation moments before, the Patriots kicker lined up for his second snowy boot of the evening. But after the more-than-impressive first kick, this one felt like a piece of cake.

The kick was right down the middle and helped send the Patriots to their third-ever AFC title game. It helped kickstart a postseason run for the Patriots, who would go on to win their first Super Bowl championship (more on that in a bit).

3. 41-Yard Game-Winner vs Carolina Panthers (Super Bowl XXXVIII)

Two years removed from drilling a field goal to clinch a Lombardi Trophy, Vinatieri was tasked with doing it again. He had already missed from 36 yards out after a field goal attempt was blocked, but the Patriots were just one successful boot away from their second title in three years.

That's where Vinatieri would shine, and helped etch himself into not just Patriots history, but NFL history as a whole.

With a backup long snapper (Brian Kinchen) handling the snapping duties, Vinatieri drilled the field goal to send New England into a frenzy. Somehow, someway, this Super Bowl-winning kick isn't even his best, imagine that?

2. 48-Yard Game-Winner vs St. Louis Rams (Super Bowl XXXVI)

Here's the first Super Bowl winner, where Vinatieri and the Patriots knocked off St. Louis' "Greatest Show on Turf" in one of the biggest upsets in football history.

Vinatieri had already become a local folk hero after helping the Patriots reach this point, but now could become a football idol with just one more successful kick.

That one kick, a 48-yarder right down the middle, gave the Patriots their first Super Bowl championship and jumpstarted a two-decade long dynasty in New England. It was the career-defining kick for Vinatieri, who showed that he was on his way to becoming the league's clutchest kicker. But from a pure skill standpoint, it dwarfs in comparison from his kick from the month prior.

1. 45-Yard Field Goal vs Oakland Raiders (AFC Divisional Game)

The Tuck Rule Game. Whirling winds and snow. Tom Brady's first-ever playoff game. This game had all the drama and was the perfect game to close Foxboro Stadium for good. It also gave way to the greatest kick in football history, and that can't be argued.

Vinatieri -- who's admitted to saying he might only be able to make that kick 10 times out of 100 tries -- poked it through the uprights to help send the Patriots to overtime against the Raiders. The field goal became gospel in New England, with it now being honored with an exhibit at the Patriots Hall of Fame.

There won't ever be a kick that compares to Vinatier's game-tying kick in the snow. If there has been, I haven't seen it.

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Ethan Hurwitz
ETHAN HURWITZ

Ethan Hurwitz is the publisher and on-site beat reporter for Patriots on SI. He has both a bachelor's and master's degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University, and oversaw The Quinnipiac Chronicle's sports coverage for nearly three years. He also worked as a news writer for WHDH-TV in Boston for more than a year before officially joining the Patriots beat ahead of the 2026 season.

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