2001 Oakland Raiders season

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The 2001 Oakland Raiders season was the team’s 32nd in the NFL and the fourth year with head coach Jon Gruden. Owner and general manager was Al Davis. In the offseason, the Raiders added Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice, who finished with 83 receptions for 1,139 yards and 9 touchdowns.

The Raiders went 10–6, finishing first in the AFC West for the second straight year. They beat the New York Jets 38–24 in the Wild Card round, then lost to the New England Patriots 16–13 in overtime in the Divisional round in a game that became known as the Tuck Rule Game. With a minute and a half left in the fourth quarter and Oakland leading, a disputed play involving a Brady fumble was ruled an incomplete pass after review, keeping the Patriots alive and fueling the overtime win.

This was Gruden’s last season in his first stint with the Raiders before he was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who won the Super Bowl the following year. Gruden would return to Oakland in 2018. After the season, players such as Elijah Alexander, Eric Allen, and Steve Wisniewski retired. Pro Bowlers for the Raiders that year were Rich Gannon, Tim Brown, Lincoln Kennedy, Charles Woodson, and Shane Lechler. Home games were played at Network Associates Coliseum in Oakland.