Take a scroll through our countdown to refresh some great memories.

1. Patriots 16, Raiders 13 (OT), AFC Divisional, January 19, 2002

Because it was a beautiful sendoff for Foxboro Stadium. Because it was a football game played in a snow globe. Because the Tuck Rule was the correct interpretation of a silly rule. Because East Boston’s Jermaine Wiggins caught 10 passes in the snow, as if he’d played in the stuff his entire childhood. Because J.R. Redmond was everything Kevin Faulk would eventually be, Tom Brady earned his first postseason pelt, and Adam Vinatieri was good, so good, from 45 to tie and 23 to win. Because it’s when a decade of greatness officially began.

* See our special section on the 10-year anniversary of the ‘Tuck Rule’ game.

2. Patriots 24, Steelers 17, AFC Championship, January 27, 2002

The Steelers were so confident that they’d overcome the Cinderella Patriots that they openly talked about their hotel reservations and their plans in New Orleans, the site of Super Bowl XXXVI. The Patriots were having none of it, even with Brady suffering an ankle injury in the second quarter. Drew Bledsoe got his moment of redemption, replacing the man who had replaced him and throwing a laser of a TD pass to David Patten as the Patriots took a 14-3 lead into halftime. But it was Troy Brown who truly silenced the Steelers, returning a punt 55 yards for a touchdown and lateraling a blocked field goal to speedy Antwan Harris for another score.

3. Patriots 31, Dolphins 14, AFC Championship, January 12, 1986

The Patriots exorcised a few ghosts en route to the first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, most notably during their AFC title game victory at Miami. The win, in which Tony Eason threw touchdown passes to three different receivers, Craig James ran for 105 yards, and the beloved Mosi Tatupu scored from a yard out, ended a streak of 18 consecutive losses at the Orange Bowl dating to 1966.

4. Patriots 20, Jaguars 6, AFC Championship, January 12, 1997

Perhaps the memory of this victory has faded some in these heady days of the Brady/Belichick Era, but winning the AFC title in the fourth season of the Bledsoe/Parcells Era was extremely fulfilling. Old Foxboro Stadium lost power near the end of the first half, and the Patriots’ defense, led by Willie McGinest, took the power away from an upstart Jaguars team that had stunned the top-seeded Broncos the previous week. Otis Smith returned a fumble for a touchdown, Willie Clay picked off a pass in the end zone to clinch the win, and the Patriots were headed to their second Super Bowl.

5. Patriots 20, Colts 3, AFC Divisional, January 16, 2005

Why does this game, a divisional round victory, rate higher than the AFC title game win over the Colts the previous season? Easy: It happened after the Colts’ complaints about the physical play of the Patriots’ defensive backs resulted in rule changes that benefited passing teams during the previous offseason. Did we mention that Colts GM Bill Polian was a member of the competition committee at the time? In snowy conditions, Manning failed to throw a touchdown pass, while the Patriots used a ball-control offense and the legs of Corey Dillon (144 yards) to end Indianapolis’s season again. No truth to the rumor the Colts tried to ban running the football, weather, and New England after this one.

6. Patriots 24, Colts 14, AFC Championship, January 18, 2004

On a frosty day in Foxborough, the Patriots tormented Manning and the Colts’ vaunted offense, which had scored 41 points against the Broncos the previous week in the comfort of their dome home. Manning has joked that he will make Ty Law’s Hall of Fame introduction should the time come, since he’d have helped him get there, and this game stands as evidence. Law had three of the Patriots’ four interceptions, while the Patriots’ defensive backs frustrated the Colts’ receivers with their physical play. Manning was also sacked four times – three by Jarvis Green – and Adam Vinatieri booted five field goals.

7. Patriots 41, Steelers 27, AFC Championship, January 23, 2005