7 of Ty Law’s best moments as a New England Patriot
Law enters the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend.
A look at the biggest games of former Patriots cornerback Ty Law, who will be inducted into the Pro Football hall of Fame on Saturday:
Jan. 18, 2004: AFC Championship
After leading the Colts to wins over the Broncos (41-10) and Chiefs (38-31), Peyton Manning entered Gillette Stadium with a postseason passer rating of 156.9 (a perfect rating is 158.3).
That trend did not continue against the Patriots, who picked off Manning four times and held him to a 35.5 rating. Law blanketed Manning’s top target, Marvin Harrison, and caught as many balls from Manning as Harrison did, coming up with three interceptions as the Patriots defeated the Colts, 24-14 to advance to Super Bowl XXXVIII.
[fragment number=0]
Feb. 3, 2002: Super Bowl XXXVI
The Patriots were 14-point underdogs when they took on the Rams and The Greatest Show on Turf. With his team trailing, 3-0, Law turned the game around when he picked off league MVP Kurt Warner and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown to give the Patriots a 7-3 lead.
Warner had been pressured on the play by Mike Vrabel.
“I never saw Vrabel,’’ said Law, “but I knew we were going to pressure him. I was just out there waiting for the play to unfold, so to speak, and the ball just came my way and I took it in.’’
A 47-yard return for the lead.
New England never trailed again, and went on to capture the organization’s first Super Bowl title with a 20-17 win.
Dec. 15, 1996, at Dallas
The Cowboys were the defending Super Bowl champions when the Patriots rolled into town in the penultimate week of the 1996 season with a 10-4 record. Law would be facing a pair of future Hall of Famers in wide receiver Michael Irvin and quarterback Troy Aikman, who targeted Irvin 10 times that day. Law kept Irvin out of the end zone, limiting him to six receptions for 76 yards, and picked off Aikman twice.
The first of two pickoffs.
The Patriots would lose, 12-6, but showed they could play against the big boys in the league. One week later, they clinched the AFC East for the first time in 10 years, then went on to advance to the Super Bowl for just the second time in franchise history.
Dec. 20, 1998, vs. San Francisco
Aikman and Irvin weren’t the only Hall of Fame duo Law faced. The 11-3 49ers came to Foxboro Stadium with Steve Young and Jerry Rice leading a potent attack. The two did connect for a 75-yard touchdown in the second quarter, but otherwise Rice was held in check, as Law helped limit him to four more receptions for 40 yards.
Chased by Terrell Owens after intercepting a Steve Young pass in the first half.
Law also managed to pick off Young as the Patriots prevailed, 24-21, and clinched a playoff spot behind the performance of Scott Zolak, filling in for an injured Drew Bledsoe.
Nov. 16, 2003, vs. Dallas
The game was billed as The Battle of the Bills, with Bill Parcells and the Cowboys taking on Bill Belichick and the Patriots at Gillette Stadium on “Sunday Night Football.’’ Both teams were 7-2. Law drew the assignment of covering Terry Glenn, and held his former teammate to just one reception for 8 yards. Law had more catches, picking off Quincy Carter twice, including once in the red zone with the Patriots clinging to a 9-0 lead
Coming down with an interception late in the second half.
“We just tried to play physical, tried to get up in [Glenn’s] face and attack him at the line of scrimmage,’’ Law said. “You don’t want to let him find soft spots in the zone. Because once he gets running, it’s probably going to be hard to catch him.
“Granted, he’s probably faster than the majority of us out there; we have to stop him any way we can. The only way you can beat speed is with strength, and that’s the way you hold the guy down.’’
The Patriots would go on to win, 12-0.
Honorable mention
2005 season
After 10 years with the Patriots, Law and the organization parted ways, with Law signing with the Jets. He had a career-high 10 interceptions that season, 40 percent of those courtesy of Kelly Holcomb and the Bills, as Law had four picks in two games against the AFC East rival, including three in the season finale, a 30-26 win at home.
Jan. 6, 2007, AFC wild card
Law joined coach Herm Edwards and the Chiefs for the 2006 season. Kansas City squeaked into the playoffs at 9-7 and faced the Colts at Indianapolis in the wild card. Law again would prove to be a thorn in Manning’s side, recording two interceptions in a 23-8 loss. He would finish his career with nine interceptions of Manning, including five in the playoffs.
