With the job he’s done turning around the New England Patriots, head coach Mike Vrabel just might be the favorite to win NFL Coach of the Year.
Vrabel, who was fired two years ago by the Tennessee Titans after a 6-11 season, took a team that went 4-13 one season prior under former head coach Jerod Mayo and led them to their first division championship since 2019.
After a 14-3 regular season — one of their losses came in Week 1 against the Las Vegas Raiders before the team settled into a groove — the Pats continued their winning ways Sunday in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
Second-seeded New England stifled quarterback Justin Herbert and the No. 7 seed Los Angeles Chargers 16-3 to advance to the divisional round. The Pats defense buckled down and limited Herbet and company to just 207 yards of total offense and a meager 3.5 yards per play.
Sideline Celebration Leaves Vrabel With Bloody Lip
For good reason, Vrabel cut loose on the sideline while celebrating Milton Williams’ fourth-down sack of Herbert on fourth-and-9 with two minutes left in the fourth quarter.
When Williams made his way back to the sideline, an animated Vrabel went in for a congratulatory hug. Williams bobbed as Vrabel weaved and his helmet struck Vrabel in the face, resulting in a bloody lip.
Cameras zoomed in on Vrabel after the incident, and the aftermath showed him wiping away a decent amount of blood from his face.
“We talked about being willing to spill blood out there … and Milton took that to heart,” Vrabel joked with reporters after the game.
Williams’ sack sealed the victory for the Pats — their first postseason victory since they won the Super Bowl back in 2018 — and gave Vrabel his first playoff win since he led the Titans to the AFC divisional round in 2021.
Who’s Next for the Patriots?
GettyNew England Patriots QB Drake Maye led the team to a playoff win over Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers
Because the No. 6 seed Buffalo Bills knocked off the No. 3 seed Jacksonville Jaguars earlier on Sunday — a game that reigning MVP Josh Allen willed them to win by virtue of his 3-touchdown performance — the Patriots won’t get a trilogy showdown with their AFC East rivals during the divisional round.
The Bills will travel to Denver to face the top-seeded Broncos, while the Patriots will host the winner of Monday’s matchup between the No. 4 seed Pittsburgh Steelers and No. 5 seed Houston Texans.
The Patriots didn’t play the Texans during the regular season, but they did play the Steelers back in Week 3.
New England lost that contest 21-14 despite outgaining the Steelers 369 yards to 203. Pittsburgh jumped out to a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter but stormed back to tie it after two Drake Maye touchdown passes to tight end Hunter Henry.
Aaron Rodgers threw the game-winning touchdown pass with 2:16 left in the game, and the Pats turned the ball over on downs on their last possession.
Maye threw for 250 yards or more in 10 of the team’s final 14 games, and the Patriots looked like arguably the most well-rounded team in the NFL.
Mike Vrabel Bloodied in Sideline Incident During Patriots’ Win vs Chargers