While the majority of Patriots fans celebrated the return of three-time Super Bowl champion Mike Vrabel as their head coach this offseason, there was at least a segment of the fanbase that wondered if Vrabel was the right fit for young quarterback Drake Maye.
With the franchise’s brutal decision to fire Jerod Mayo at the conclusion of his first season came an opportunity for owner Robert Kraft to change course. While Vrabel was an obvious top choice (and probably should have been during the 2024 hiring cycle), it was hard not to feel the allure of a young, offensive-minded guru like Ben Johnson, who wound up choosing QB Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears.
There’s just no shaking that feeling of what if? And after the Patriots flopped at home in Vrabel’s debut against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1, it was natural for fans to look forward to the first glimpse of Johnson’s Bears, who faced the Minnesota Vikings at home on Monday Night Football.
And while the Bears looked like world beaters in the early stages of that game, the aftermath should have Patriots fans feeling a lot more comfortable with their franchise-altering decision in January.
Mike Vrabel may have been the known commodity, but the New England Patriots got it right
If Week 1 was any indication, Patriots owner Robert Kraft was right to pick Vrabel over the 39-year-old Johnson and other first-year head coaches like him.
The Johnson effect wore off quickly for the Bears in what was a clear coaching mismatch vs. Kevin O’Connell, Brian Flores, and the Vikings. Johnson deserves some credit for Chicago’s scorching,10-play scoring drive on its opening possession, but from that point forward, the Bears’ offense managed just three points in over 50 minutes of game time.
Chicago was undisciplined (12 penalties for 127 yards) and unprepared for some key situations in the second half. Johnson burned a timeout on an ill-advised challenge midway through the third quarter. Suddenly down two scores in the fourth, the Bears gambled and were extremely fortunate to score a touchdown on the right side of the two-minute warning, pulling within 27-24.
But with 2:02 remaining and just one timeout remaining, they completely botched the ensuing kickoff when Cairo Santos failed to boom the ball out of bounds to keep the clock from running; instead, Minnesota’s Ty Chandler caught the ball 7 yards deep in the end zone and ran it out to ensure the two-minute warning expired.
The Bears wound up getting the football back at their own 20 with 9 seconds remaining. Had Santos kicked the ball out of bounds, they could have had a real shot at rallying for a game-tying field goal. The end result was a loss against a division rival, the Bears led 17-6 early in the fourth quarter on their home field.
It’s worth noting that Vrabel was far from perfect on the sideline in his Patriots debut. Maye looked average. The defensive game plan was shredded by Geno Smith. Vrabel chose to be conservative on multiple occasions, especially when he called a questionable 4th-and-10 punt with 4:53 remaining and the Patriots trailing 20-10.
Still, Patriots fans know this point well: Vrabel would have complete command over a crucial clock situation like Johnson’s Bears botched on Monday night. Time will tell if Johnson ends up being a great NFL head coach, but Chicago could be riding the rollercoaster in his first year.
As for the current state of the Patriots? Vrabel remains the perfect leader to execute a quick rebuild in Foxboro. Johnson made that hard to debate in Week 1.