New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was highly critical of his team’s play against the New York Jets on Sunday. Although the Patriots were victorious, Vrabel told reporters the team was “lucky to win.”
Quarterback Drake Maye was a little more positive. But he didn’t disagree with his head coach.
“I think coach has a great perspective on how we feel like we’ve attacked the week and put the results into the game … it was sloppy. It wasn’t clean. It wasn’t football that we felt like we weren’t complimentary,” said Maye. “We weren’t protecting the football on offense. It took us a while to get into a rhythm.
“Coach always says you’ve got to take wins in this league and enjoy them, and at the same time realize we won, but it wasn’t how we want to accomplish.”
After scoring their first touchdown, the Patriots never trailed the Jets on Sunday. They opened up a 14-point lead by halftime.
But the Jets hung around for a majority of the second half and outscored the Patriots in the final two quarters.
What Mike Vrabel Said After Patriots Defeated Jets
The Patriots head coach didn’t mince words when he opened his press conference Sunday afternoon.
“We just didn’t play very well,” Vrabel told the media. “We tried to beat ourselves, but we made enough plays in critical situations to help us get through here today.”
Interestingly, Vrabel was probably most critical of veteran wide receiver A.J. Brown. The wideout was making his first appearance Sunday since sustaining a high-ankle sprain during the season opener on September 9.
Vrabel made clear, though, that expectations are high for Brown because of his immense talent.
“I think he could’ve probably made a few more plays, come down with a few more plays,” Vrabel said of Brown. “He’s been out for a while. I know that he wanted to do well for his football team, and unfortunately, it wasn’t his best effort.
“I know that he knows that, and we have all the confidence in the world in AJ just to be able to finish those plays.”
Brown finished the afternoon with just three catches for 27 yards. The wideout caught only three passes on 10 targets.
Still, Maye played great again, which is a terrific sign for New England. The quarterback has clearly put the slow start behind him to play like an MVP candidate once more.
Against the Jets, Maye completed 18 of 32 passes for 235 yards with three touchdowns. Maye didn’t throw an interception or take a sack.
Patriots Face Short Week With Thursday Matchup vs. Bears
The Patriots have won three in a row since their 29-point loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars at the end of September. Even though Vrabel wasn’t very impressed with his team Sunday, over the past two weeks, New England has posted an average margin of victory of 17.5 points.
In Week 7, though, the Patriots will have the challenge of facing the Chicago Bears on the road. With the matchup Thursday, New England will also have a short week to prepare.
Like the Patriots, the Bears improved to 4-2 on Sunday. Quarterback Caleb Williams was impressive in his return, completing 30 of 36 passes for 305 yards with a touchdown.
The Patriots might have to play a lot better than they did against the Jets to beat the Bears.
Patriots’ Drake Maye Reacts to Mike Vrabel Putting Team on Notice After Beating Jets