Drake Maye wasn’t going to let Mike Vrabel off the hook.
Just as Vrabel was finishing his postgame speech, his quarterback stepped in to make sure he was properly honored after the Patriots recorded a 31-13 win over the Titans, who fired Vrabel after going 6-11 in 2023.
“One sec,” Maye said while patting Vrabel’s chest. “Coach Vrabel, we love playing for you. Glad you’re our head coach. We love you, coach.”
The two then embraced with Maye giving Vrabel the game ball.
Vrabel went 54-45 with three playoff appearances and two AFC South titles during his six years coaching the Titans. After he was let go, Vrabel spent the 2024 season with the Browns as a coaching and personnel consultant before being brought on to coach the Patriots, the team he won three Super Bowls with as a player during the 2000s.
Vrabel, who was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame two years ago, has led the Patriots to a surprising 5-2 start. On Sunday, the Patriots won their fourth straight game by playing complementary football.
On offense, New England ran for 175 yards and a score while also receiving a near flawless performance by Maye, who went 21 of 23 for 222 yards with two touchdowns and no picks. Defensively, the Patriots forced two turnovers and did not allow a point during the second half after initially falling behind 10-3.
While Sunday was an impressive performance, Vrabel feels that the Patriots’ best ball is still ahead of them.
“There’s so much better football that we can play,” he told his team following Sunday’s game. “It’s close. But you kept taking care of business.”
While Vrabel and the Patriots are ascending, the Titans are mired in a lost season. Tennessee is now 1-6 and will play the remainder of the season without coach Brian Callahan, who was fired last Monday. Mike McCoy is serving as Tennessee’s interim coach.
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