NASHVILLE, Tenn. — “Vra-bel. Vra-bel. Vra-bel.”
That’s the sound the Patriots and their head coach heard as they salted away one other victory Sunday afternoon, closing out a 31-13 rout of the Tennessee Titans with a collection of kneeldowns.
Have been these chants coming from the scores of touring New England followers, who occupied roughly half of the seats at Nissan Stadium? Or from Titans supporters rueing their crew’s determination to fireside Mike Vrabel?
“That’s neither right here nor there,” stated Vrabel, who tried onerous to downplay the sport’s most evident storyline. “I imply, I’m completely happy for my gamers. … I suppose it’s humbling to have these individuals need to, whoever that’s, cheer for us. Whether or not that’s the Patriots or me or Drake Maye or anybody else.”
A lot of these gamers, nevertheless, stated they very a lot wished to ship Vrabel a victory in his return to Tennessee.
“I don’t care what he stated,” broad receiver Stefon Diggs stated. “We wished to win that sport for him.”
The Titans fired Vrabel — the third-winningest head coach in franchise historical past — after the 2023 season. They’ve received simply 4 video games since and have already dismissed his successor, Brian Callahan, who was canned after getting off to a 1-5 begin this season.
Vrabel, in the meantime, has the Patriots sitting atop the AFC East seven weeks into his first season as New England’s head coach. Sunday’s win was the Pats’ fourth straight, bettering their report to 5-2.
Maye, the Patriots’ ascending second-year quarterback, stated listening to the group chant Vrabel’s identify was “fairly cool.”
“He downplayed all of it week, which we recognize,” stated Maye, who set a Patriots report for completion share by going 21-for-23 for 222 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. “I believe he was centered on us and anxious about us, and that’s what issues. However I do know it feels good for him.”
Slot receiver DeMario Douglas stated it “felt good simply to see that smile on (Vrabel’s) face.”
“We performed for Vrabes, it doesn’t matter what,” Douglas stated. “However we at all times play for Vrabes, and it felt good to get this win.”
The Patriots even have a number of different Titans alumni on their roster and training workers, together with edge rusher Harold Landry (who tallied one sack within the win) and backup QB Joshua Dobbs (who delivered a clutch third-down completion whereas Maye was present process a concussion check).
“All week, we clearly tried to emphasise it simply being an everyday sport, common week,” stated edge rusher Okay’Lavon Chaisson, who broke the sport open by returning a Cam Ward fumble for a landing halfway by the third quarter. “However man, whenever you acquire such a bond together with your friends and clearly together with your coach, they struggle to not make it greater than it’s to maintain their guys level-headed, however you realize that it’s private for them, and we simply need to play onerous for them and provides it all the pieces we’ve obtained to ensure they arrive out on high and so they the precise feeling that they wish to really feel on the finish of the sport.
“So, it positively was some further juice on the defensive finish to be sure that our guys — anyone that got here from this crew or was part of this group — they obtained their revenge and so they got here out on high.”
