Charger Lead Evaporates; Patriots Win in Overtime

Tom Brady found his late-game touch while Doug Flutie lost the one that has made him famous.

Brady rallied New England from a late 10-point deficit and helped set up Adam Vinatieri’s 44-yard field goal in overtime to lead the Patriots to a 29-26 victory over the San Diego Chargers on Sunday.

It was the second straight week that Flutie’s Chargers couldn’t hold a late lead.

“We really fought our way out of a tough situation,” said Brady, 2-1 as a starter in place of injured Drew Bledsoe. “That’s the type of stuff you really build on as a team.”

Flutie, the former New England quarterback and Boston College star who won the Heisman Trophy in 1984, is now 12-2 at Foxboro Stadium. He and the rest of the Chargers struggled after the Patriots tied the score with only seconds to spare. Vinatieri kicked a 23-yard field goal with 3:31 left and Brady threw a three-yard scoring pass to Jermaine Wiggins with 36 seconds to go.

On the last play of regulation, Wade Richey missed a 59-yard field-goal attempt after Flutie’s fumble pushed the Chargers (3-2) back two yards. Brady and his receivers made the big plays.

“Tom played with a lot of poise,” Patriot Coach Bill Belichick said. “He did a real nice job stepping up into the pocket. They didn’t give up.”

The second-year pro completed 33 of 54 passes for 364 yards and two touchdowns. Troy Brown had 11 catches and Terry Glenn and David Patten had seven each. It was Glenn’s first game since serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL substance-abuse policy.

Glenn got a loud ovation after his first catch.

“It really put a smile on my face,” said Glenn, whose 21-yard scoring reception helped the Patriots build a 9-6 halftime lead. “It made me feel real good. I didn’t know what kind of reception I was going to get.”

Glenn didn’t catch any of Brady’s three completions on the winning drive. And the key pass didn’t even reach its receiver. That’s because Patten was knocked down racing for the ball up the right sideline, and Alex Molden was charged with a 37-yard pass interference penalty.

Brady then hit Kevin Faulk for a nine-yard gain and a first down at the Charger 26. The Patriots had trouble moving the ball and went for a field goal on third down from the 26. After Vinatieri connected, the Patriots charged off the bench and pounced on him.

Flutie completed 20 of 32 passes for 270 yards and one touchdown.