The New England Patriots made a very controversial play call during the team’s matchup against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night.
It was a fake punt in which Marte Mapu took the direct snap and fumbled while attempting to make a pass. This occurred in the fourth quarter and allowed the Ravens to capitalize and add seven points to their score shortly after.
On Tuesday, when asked about this decision, head coach Mike Vrabel didn’t hesitate to take the blame.
“Something that we had practiced, something that I felt confident in,” he said. “I wouldn’t have called it if we didn’t feel confident in it. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. So, it was a bad call by me.
“Just told (Marte Mapu) to throw it. Give it a chance. Give Jack (Westover) a chance. If the guy dropped out of there, he dropped out of there, but try to give it a chance. It certainly wasn’t designed to run, he just felt like it wasn’t there and he made a decision. So, I made a decision to try the play.”
The Ravens took a 24-13 lead afterwards, but New England came back, scoring 15 unanswered points to claim the victory.
“I’ll make other calls,” Vrabel continued. “There’ll be good ones and there’ll be bad ones as well. So, just felt like we needed something there and it didn’t go our way. Credit to the guys, kept playing and found a way to win the game.”
Marte Mapu Opens Up About Failed Fake Punt
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When speaking with MassLive, Mapu revealed what went wrong from his point of view.
“We were just being a little bit more aggressive,” the linebacker told the outlet. “Trying to make a play. That was it. They did a good job covering it up.”
Mike Vrabel Reveals Message To The Team After Clinching Playoff Berth
GettyHead coach Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots
Despite the team having already punched their ticket into the postseason, Vrabel has made it clear that they still have a lot of work left to do.
“Just unfinished business,” he said. “I can’t focus on the next two weeks. We’ve got to focus on this week and going on the road to a great environment, going to New York City, play the Jets and unfinished business. We want to be undefeated on the road. I think that that’s something that’s unique. I’m sure you guys will tell me how many times it’s happened before, but there you go. So, that’s something that I think is special.
And with that, they do have one goal that Vrabel told the team in their first meeting.
“Still want to play for the division. We want to win the division,” he added. “Haven’t done it in a long time, and whoever we put out there and whoever we play with is going to have to have that in mind and be prepared to do that… So, there’s some unfinished business. The season isn’t over. This wasn’t our goal and I’m excited that we won, but we’ve moved on.”
Patriots’ Mike Vrabel Takes Responsibility For Failed Fake Punt Against Ravens