You have to hand it to the New England Patriots. Their path back to relevance after a dynasty took a full...well, half decade. Usually, when teams lose a quarterback the caliber of Tom Brady and the best head coach of all-time, it takes a long time to emerge from the darkness as Super Bowl contenders.
Not in Boston! Leave it to these Patriots to find a workaround. Drake Maye was gifted to them on a silver pladder. Somehow, Mike Vrabel was fired from his post. The fit in New England was incredibly obvious, and came to pass. Now, Vrabel has taken over for his predecessor, but he's a bit more vocal than Belichick to the media. Following the Patriots loss at home to the Bills, Vrabel blamed the officials in a unique way that may or may not get him fined.
What are the Patriots complaining about this time?
The Kansas City Chiefs dynasty took a step back into reality this time around. The Chiefs were eliminated from postseason contention on Sunday thanks to their loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Patrick Mahomes suffered a season ending and possible career-altering knee injury. If this sounds familiar, it's because Brady went through the same ordeal back in 2008.
Against the Bills, the Patriots did not have the whistle in their favor. Buffalo entered the game ranked atop the NFL for most holding penalties. On Sunday, they weren't called for any. Vrabel made sure to point this out, but wouldn't go as far as to say it cost New England the game. The man is fluent in PR.
Mike Vrabel on the officiating yesterday.
— Savage (@SavageSports_) December 15, 2025
🎥: @TheGregHillShow
“the Bills lead the NFL in offensive holds…how a team coming into the game leading, and that’s how they play, didn’t have one yesterday. So that’s hard for me to understand.”
pic.twitter.com/koqcYagaHv
While I appreciate Vrabel for speaking his mind, he ought to read the room. New England received the benefit of the doubt in such calls for over a decade. The Patriots are once again a great football team. With Maye at the helm, they likely will be for years to come. Thus, complaining about the officials – even if he did so discretely – won't help him. The idea the Pats wouldn't get calls in their favor, at home against the Bills in Foxborough, is preposterous.
Welcome to Boston sports culture, Mike Vrabel!
Boston sports teams are not flawless. However, since 2004, the 'woe is me' attitude no longer works. There are far more needy cities that haven't celebrated a single thing since the turn of the century. In Boston, you have the Red Sox, Celtics, Patriots and Bruins – all of whom have won multiple titles since 2000. And by multiple, I mean at least three. These teams are built the right way, and I do not personally hate them. I do hate spoiled fanbases, and no city is more spoiled than Boston.
Sure, the Patriots lost to the Bills on Sunday. And, yes, you can point to a couple holding penalties which went uncalled.
New England lost their all-time-great quarterback to free agency in 2020. They lost the best head coach in NFL history back in early 2024. The year is 2025. The Patriots are among the Super Bowl favorites, and we're just three weeks away from the postseason. What am I missing here?
Vrabel is merely standing up for his team. I can appreciate where he is coming from. But any Patriots fan taking his side can't read the room.