“The officials or the penalties weren’t the reason we lost the game.”
That’s what New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters on Monday following the team’s tough loss to the Buffalo Bills regarding the controversial calls throughout the game. Specifically, there were two in the fourth quarter that helped Buffalo complete its comeback and earn the victory.
While Vrabel voiced that he wasn’t in favor of some of the calls, he was asked about his message to the team in these moments.
“There’s nothing that we can do,” Vrabel said. “They see what they see. They call it the best that they can. I’m confident in that. We have to know what it is that they’re looking for to call penalties. They have mechanics that they are looking for, and we have to understand that, and we have to play to that. No more, no less.”
The Patriots were called for seven penalties in the loss, five of which occurred on third or fourth downs and helped the Bills overcome a 21-point deficit.
Mike Vrabel Said He Struggles With The Consistency In The Officiating
GettyMike Vrabel of the New England Patriots
During his weekly appearance on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show,” Vrabel also spoke about the officiating, giving some insight into his opinion on how things played out.
“It is a difficult job, they do have a difficult job,” Vrabel said. “The consistency – sometimes I struggle with it.
“I’ll say this – the Bills lead the NFL in offensive holds, and I’ll leave it at that. And that would be hard for me to understand how the team that is coming into the game leading, and that’s how they play, didn’t have one yesterday. That’s hard for me to understand.”
Did Mike Vrabel Think Marcus Jones’ Penalty Was A Fair Call?
GettyKhalil Shakir of the Buffalo Bills and Marcus Jones of the New England Patriots
In the fourth quarter, Jones appeared to intercept Josh Allen’s pass intended for receiver Khalil Shakir, which would have given New England the ball back. However, the officials ruled that it was a completed catch by Shakir, while also penalizing Jones for defensive pass interference. From there, the Bills took the lead.
During his weekly radio appearance, Vrabel approached the officiating conversation from the other side, using Jones’ penalty as an example.
“And I’m sure ours are penalties, and we can debate Marcus Jones,” he said. “I don’t think it was a catch, you know what I mean? Whether we think it’s a PI, that’s, that’s their call. So we’ll just – again, we have to know what the rules are. We have to know how they are calling it and what the mechanics are. Listen – if you’re not playing the football, the margin for error goes way, way, way down. So when you’re not playing the football and there’s perceived contact, or whatever it may be, the margin for error goes way, way down.”
Patriots’ Mike Vrabel Issues Blunt Response To Controversial Officiating