Tensions were certainly high on Sunday at Gillette Stadium as the New England Patriots hosted the Buffalo Bills in a game that had huge playoff implications.
During the third quarter, after Buffalo had brought the game within three points, the Patriots were ready to increase their lead. However, an undisciplined play by Stevenson seemed to be a bad omen for New England. After an impressive 16-yard pass play, the running back was involved in a scuffle on the sidelines with Buffalo’s Matt Milano.
It seemed that Milano was going to be flagged regardless, but because Stevenson pushed him and engaged in the altercation, he was also penalized.
On Monday, when speaking with reporters, Mike Vrabel made his feelings on this known.
“Yeah, that’s a bad decision,” he simply stated. “That’s a bad decision. That’s what I told them at the moment. That’s what I’ll tell them again at 12:30. There’s nothing else. It’s what it is. He made a good play, good positive play. I don’t think they did anything wrong. He hit them at the sideline, stood there and we made a bad decision.”
Rhamondre Stevenson Takes Accountability For ‘Dumb’ Penalty
GettyThe New England Patriots tried a different role for running back Rhamondre Stevenson in Week 12.
After Vrabel’s strong words, it prompted the running back to address this moment on Monday as well.
“That was a dumb decision by me ultimately,” Stevenson said. “I can’t get any personal fouls. I was lucky it offset. That could have been a big part of the game. I just gotta be disciplined and not do things like that.”
What Did Mike Vrabel Have To Say About The Defense’s Performance In The Second Half
(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)Head coach Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots
The way the defense performed in the first half versus the second half was a big difference, and it showed a lot of areas where New England has to improve in the next few weeks ahead of the postseason. In the final two frames, Buffalo was able to score a touchdown on five straight possessions, which can be discouraging for a defense.
But, when asked about getting them back on track, Vrabel made it clear that they shouldn’t be getting all the blame for the loss.
“Well, it’s not just that unit,” he said on Monday. “I think the one thing that we’ve done in victory has been to play very complementary, and I would say that to give the third-ranked offense the field position that they did is tough. It is tough. And, again, we have to play better defensively. We have to play much better. We have to play much better in all three phases to beat good football teams or beat anybody.
“We are disappointed but not discouraged, and there’s a lot of good snaps of defense, but not enough, and good snaps offense and not enough, and some good snaps of special teams, but not enough,” he added. “Give them a lot of credit. We knew that they weren’t going to go away. We weren’t able to, ultimately, do enough there at the end of the game.
Patriots’ Mike Vrabel Issues Clear Warning to Rhamondre Stevenson