The New England Patriots steadied themselves after a slow start to the 2026 campaign. The Week 9 matchup against the Green Bay Packers, though, was certainly a setback.
The Patriots started slowly as they did the past two weeks. At home versus the Packers, though, the Patriots trailed by at least double digits the rest of the way after Green Bay took a 14-point lead midway through the first quarter.
The non-competitive nature in which the Patriots lost in Foxboro on Sunday left head coach Mike Vrabel offering a very blunt reply to his team’s play.
“We lost. We got our [expletive] kicked. There’s no two ways around it, that’s what happened tonight,” Vrabel told reporters. “Give them credit. I also know that we can play and have to play much better.
“We have to play more sound, tackle and effect the quarterback and create some turnovers. We have to find ways to be balanced offensively … Turning it into a drop-back passing game in this league, bad things happen. Turnovers, sacks, negative plays.”
Turnovers were a major problem in the Patriots loss Sunday night. Including three Drake Maye interceptions, New England gave the ball away four times. The Patriots defense also didn’t force a turnover.
With the minus-4 differential, the Patriots lost 45-27. The Packers scored 42 points before the end of the third quarter and removed their starters before the halfway mark point of the fourth quarter.
Mike Vrabel Shares Some Positives With Defeat to Packers
Vrabel offered his telling take about the team’s loss to the Packers about five minutes into his 9-minute postgame press conference. While the head coach didn’t sugarcoat the defeat, he did say he would find positives.
“Like with every tape, there’s going to be some good stuff in there. I know that there is,” said Vrabel. “Defensively, while we didn’t get some turnovers, we got some fourth-down stops. We got some short-yardage stops and forced a field goal.
“But it’s just the X plays. When you know they lead the league in X play passes and that’s a huge key. That’s the difference in the game.”
Vrabel didn’t get any more specific about the team’s offense. New England finished with 387 total yards. Maye had 299 passing yards with three touchdowns.
But Maye’s three first-half interceptions put the Patriots in a hole that they couldn’t climb out of in Week 9.
New England to Face Another Tough Test in Week 10
Things won’t get any easier for Vrabel and the Patriots next week.
Next week, the Patriots will travel to Germany to face the 6-2 Detroit Lions in Munich. The record the Lions support should make New England fans nervous. After Sunday, the Patriots are only 1-4 versus teams with winning records this season.
The Lions have figured things out after their slow start to 2026. Detroit has won four straight, and during that time, the Lions have paired stronger defense with their elite offense.
At least the Lions don’t have as opportunistic a defense as the Packers. The Lions defense hasn’t had multiple takeaways in a game since Week 1.
The Patriots-Lions matchup will kick off at 9:30 am ET on Sunday, November 15.
Mike Vrabel Offers Blunt Take on Patriots Blowout Loss to Packers