The Patriots and Dolphins are also up against wind, freezing temperatures and nearly 20 inches of snow.

BOSTON (AP) – It’s as predictable as, well, the weather.

Schedule a game in Foxboro between the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots in December and it’s a near lock: the weather will be a factor, and something bizarre will probably occur.

Weatherwise, it will be no different this year. A major winter storm that hit the Northeast was expected to dump upwards of 20 inches of snow by the time it’s expected to end, about four hours before the 4:15 p.m. kickoff.

Any concern that the Dolphins might not be prevented from arriving in time ended when the team’s plane landed at T.F. Green Airport outside Providence, R.I., Saturday afternoon.

A crew of 150 began clearing the snow out of Gillette Stadium as soon as it started accumulating, said Patriots spokesman Stacey James.

Tractors are being used to push the snow off the tarpaulin-covered field. Front loaders will be used to carry that snow away. And workers are using slides to clear away the snow from the aisles. “It looks like a luge run,” James said Saturday.

When the Patriots played their home games at Foxboro Stadium, the parking lot was a pothole-filled, unpaved nightmare to negotiate. But the opening of Gillette Stadium last season included modern, paved parking lot that is much easier to keep clear.

“There are already snow mountains that are pretty high in the parking lots. And I’m sure they’ll continue to grow,” James said. The Patriots can clinch the AFC East title with a win over Miami. A loss would cut their lead over the Dolphins to one game with three to play. That’s a big change from last year’s season finale, won by the Patriots 27-24 in overtime, when the playoff hopes of both teams ended through the complicated formulas used to determine that the New York Jets had won the division. In 2001, the Patriots were in the midst of their march to the Super Bowl when they held off Miami, 20-13, in the final regular-season game at Foxboro Stadium played in a wind chill of 16 degrees. The final game of the 2000 season, played on Christmas Eve, provided one of the more bizarre scenes in this storied rivalry.

With the Dolphins leading 27-24, Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe was sacked on what would have been the final play of the game. But a defensive penalty was called. After conferring with the NFL office, game officials ordered both teams back on to the field.

With temperatures falling, the stands nearly empty and several Dolphins players standing on the sidelines wrapped in towels, New England’s Michael Bishop threw one final pass and the game mercifully ended.

But the game that stands out among any other took place in a snowstorm on Dec. 12, 1982. With the teams tangled in a scoreless game, New England had moved to the Dolphins’ 16-yard line with 4:45 remaining. That’s when Coach Ron Meyer came up with a scheme to literally steal the game. He ordered Mark Henderson, a convicted burglar, to drive a snow plow on to the field and clear enough snow away, giving John Smith the right footing and the opportunity to kick a field goal that won the game, 3-0.

James’ advice to fans on Sunday included a plea to carpool to the game, which will help with the flow of traffic. But more importantly, “wear the right footwear, and arrive early.”

“We’ll clear the aisles as best we can, and we’ll do all we can to keep it salted and cleared. But good footwear is necessary to avoid the possibility of sliding,” James said.

AP-ES-12-06-03 1809EST