Mike Vrabel Can Already Do What Bill Belichick Never Could With the Patriots
Not only does first-year head coach Mike Vrabel have the New England Patriots atop the AFC East, but he’s only one game away from doing something that Bill Belichick never did.
New England enters Sunday’s game against the woeful Titans riding a three-game winning streak, and the Patriots’ last two games have come on the road. Second-year quarterback Drake Maye engineered a 23-20 upset of the Buffalo Bills in Week 5 before last Sunday’s 25-19 nailbiter against the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome.
According to ESPN, the Patriots haven’t won three consecutive regular-season road games since 1961, when they still played in the AFL. To be clear, this applies to a Patriots team playing three
New England played three straight regular-season road games in 2001 (2-1), 2002 (2-1), 2017 (2-1), and 2020 (1-2) under Belichick. The Patriots won two of three in every season except 2020, when they fell to the Los Angeles Rams and Miami Dolphins.
Mike Vrabel Is an Early Contender for Coach of the Year
FanDuel Sportsbook gives Vrabel +500 odds (bet $100 for a $600 payout) to win Coach of the Year, trailing only the Colts’ Shane Steichen. Based on what he’s done so far, especially considering how badly things have gone in New England since Tom Brady’s departure following the 2019 season, it’s hard not to see Vrabel capturing the award at the Patriots’ current pace.
Longtime New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick never won three consecutive regular-season road games, even when he had Mike Vrabel at linebackerKirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports
Vrabel is proving something that many understandably questioned in recent years: New England can win without Brady at quarterback. Although the topic of whether or not Brady carried Belichick is a conversation for another day, it’s undeniable that second-year quarterback Drake Maye has taken
Patriots owner Robert Kraft also deserves serious credit for pursuing Vrabel and ending the Jerod Mayo era after a single season. It would have been easy for Kraft to stubbornly stick with Mayo and hope that if the Patriots brought McDaniels back, they’d manage to make the playoffs for only the second time in six seasons.
Instead, Kraft saw an opportunity to hire Vrabel, and the Patriots pounced. The early results have proven fruitful, with the Patriots already holding victories over the rival Dolphins and Bills. A 2-0 start in the AFC East could pay dividends if tiebreakers are needed to determine the division champion when the season ends.
What’s Next for Vrabel and the Patriots?
The FanDuel Sportsbook lists the Patriots as -7-point favorites (-110, bet $100 for a $190.91 payout) over the Titans as of Friday morning. We’re surprised that the line isn’t slightly higher, seeing as the Titans fired head coach Brian Callahan earlier this week.
Vrabel and the Patriots finally return to Foxborough in Week 8, playing the Cleveland Browns (1-5) and Atlanta Falcons (3-2) in consecutive home games. New England hasn’t reached the playoffs since 2021 and last won the AFC East in 2019.
J.J. McCarthy’s Fiancée Explodes in Joy After Dramatic First NFL Win Against Bears
J.J. McCarthy's fiancée went wild following his dramatic first win for the Vikings on Monday night.
McCarthy and Minnesota rallied from 17-6 down in the fourth quarter to defeat the Bears 27-24, as the 22-year-old quarterback led three touchdown drives down the stretch.
And following the impressive comeback, McCarthy's fiancée Katya Kuropas took to Instagram to praise her longtime partner.
Re-sharing a Vikings graphic that commemorated McCarthy's first NFL win, Kuropas wrote on her Instagram story: 'What a night!!' So proud of you. Keep showin em.'
The couple, who met at high school in Illinois, have been together for more than five years and announced back in May that they were expecting a baby boy in September.
Kuropas cheered McCarthy on as he led Michigan to a national championship win in early 2024, though his NFL debut got off to a rockier start in Chicago.
The Vikings didn't score a touchdown until the fourth quarter and McCarthy saw his team go down by two possessions when he threw a pick-six to Chicago's Nahshon Wright the quarter before.
Ultimately, though, McCarthy bounced back from his mistake with touchdown passes to Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones, as well as a 14-yard rushing touchdown himself.
He finished the game with 143 yards passing, three total touchdowns and one interception.
Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell also complimented his quarterback following the game.
'There's no way to deny, we don't win this game unless J.J. plays the way he did in the second half,' O'Connell said afterwards.
'Most importantly, he kept the belief of his football team behind him. Now, we know it's possible.'
McCarthy's road to his first NFL start was delayed by a torn meniscus
As a result, he missed the entirety of his rookie season and watched from the sideline as Sam Darnold had a career year under center in Minnesota.
Ultimately, though, McCarthy was backed by the Vikings to be their quarterback of the future and re-paid their faith on Monday
'It's been a long journey,' McCarthy said after the Bears game.
'I think it's been 609 days, I think I saw since my last competitive football game, which was the national championship. So, it's been a while of being just in the training room, watching a lot of film, learning the playbook and trying to master that. At the end of the day, it's such a blessing to be an NFL football player and play in this league.'
He'll look to win his second NFL game on Sunday night as the Vikings host the Falcons.
