The general feeling surrounding the Patriots going into their Week 8 game against the Browns was more concerns about the offensive line having to overcome one of the best defensive lines in the NFL this season, especially with a guy like Myles Garrett lined up across them.
For the most part, they held up well, aside from the five sacks by the future Hall of Famer, and the bigger worries came from a noticeable absence on their own defense instead.
It didn't take long for analysts and fans to realize that starting defensive tackle Christian Barmore was not on the field in the first quarter, with no explanation to end the confusion. He was eventually put into the game and played the rest of the way, but it was something reporters were quick to ask Mike Vrabel about after the win, and he didn't clear up much with his response.
In fact, he added even more questions because it sounds like Barmore was punished with a benching in the first quarter, but Vrabel didn't provide any reason for what led to that decision.
Sounds like Christian Barmore was disciplined, per Mike Vrabel. Barmore didn’t play in the first quarter pic.twitter.com/WpqSrQD8Sm
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) October 26, 2025
Despite the lack of details, it's clear that Vrabel felt it was necessary to keep Barmore on the sideline for an extended time for something he did behind the scenes. What that is, we might never know, but it will be something to pay attention to moving forward.
That's even more true based on how Barmore responded after the game was over.
There might be trouble in paradise with Christian Barmore after Sunday's benching
After Vrabel's explanation, reporters hoped to speak with Barmore and get his side of the story, only for the veteran to decline to speak with the media and abruptly leave the stadium instead.
That doesn't bode well for Vrabel keeping a strong locker room together, and now has Patriots fans concerned about what's to come.
Barmore declined to speak to media and left. https://t.co/JGG1w8y7kR
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) October 26, 2025
Considering how well he's played this year, especially alongside Milton Williams to become one of the best defensive tackle duos in the league, there has to be a good reason for Vrabel to have decided to keep Barmore on the sideline for an entire quarter.
Knowing how much that could have negatively impacted the defense's performance and still doing it anyway, the head coach wanted to send a clear message, and it appears he accomplished that.
It's unsurprising that Barmore then chose to avoid all the questions that would inevitably be asked of him by leaving the stadium early, but that won't stop reporters from wanting to know more, and fans' concerns about what this could mean for his future in New England.
The hope is that this will be a one-week thing and won't need to happen again. Barmore has proven himself valuable to the team and has been impressive alongside Williams on the defensive line this season. They'll need that moving forward, and it would be good to see Barmore buy into that and avoid any problems the rest of the season.