The Patriots came out hot against the Bills last Sunday, and it looked like all the fans and analysts who doubted their early-season win in Buffalo were going to be eating crow by the end of the game, if not by halftime.
The expectation was that we would see that kind of performance from them for the entire four quarters, only for them to fall asleep and lose a 21-point lead, eventually losing the game.
Other than a defensive collapse that led to Josh Allen scoring on five consecutive drives, the Patriots' offense looked like a completely different group once the third quarter began. It prompted a lot of questions hurled at OC Josh McDaniels, especially from those who had doubted his hire from the start, despite his putting together a nearly impeccable first half.
Because of that, Mike Vrabel was, of course, asked about the playcalling in the days leading up to their primetime matchup against a thriving Ravens team and regardless of how those in the NFL feel about McDaniels' decisions last Sunday, his head coach isn't wavering in his support.
Mike Vrabel sets the record straight about Josh McDaniels' poor playcalling in Week 15
Reporters asked Vrabel on Wednesday if he would have done anything differently with the offensive play-calling against the Bills, and in defense of his OC and maybe even sharing his true feelings, the head coach said he wouldn't.
Even with this answer, the notion that McDaniels is in the hot seat won't be going away any time soon.
At the end of an extended answer about play calling from Sunday’s loss to Buffalo, Mike Vrabel says there’s nothing they would have done differently:
— Tom Carroll (@yaboiTCfresh) December 17, 2025
“I don’t think that there’s anything that we would want to change or do differently. We don’t get to do do-overs. I mean, we’ve… pic.twitter.com/mif9z5MmpI
Considering how well the first half went, putting the Patriots up 24-7 and Drake Maye recording two rushing touchdowns, it's hard to argue that McDaniels should be questioned at this point, especially with how well the group has played this year.
But at the same time, they're now playing for the division and a spot in the playoffs, so the games matter even more now, and that means an offensive disaster as we saw in the second half won't cut it over the final three games.
McDaniels has a chance to redeem himself this week against the Ravens, and the hope is that we will see more of how the offense played in the weeks before their most recent loss, like maybe similar to their win over the Bills, than anything else. That's the recipe for success that they need to follow.