There was a lot of excitement surrounding the Patriots' final primetime game of the season last week, when they welcomed the Giants to Gillette Stadium for Monday Night Football. The expectation was that the home team would dominate, and although that mostly happened, it didn't go without controversy.
Because the Patriots were not only excited to finally get to their bye week but also to show off on national television for the last time until the playoffs, they played with an edge against the Giants in a way that was indicative of a Vrabel-led team.
That was particularly true of the defense, which was hitting hard all night and, in some cases, being penalized because of it.
That looked like it was going to be true for linebacker Christian Elliss, who made headlines for his dramatic hit on quarterback Jaxson Dart, only for the Giants to get flagged for unnecessary roughness as a result of that play instead.
It prompted many to believe Elliss would later be fined for his conduct, despite the play being completely legal, because Dart refused to step out of bounds, and, as the Patriots knew, the NFL chose not to send a fine to Foxboro, much to the frustration of New York fans.
The NFL fined Giants TE Theo Johnson $6,488 for unnecessary roughness — going after Patriots LB Christian Elliss, who hit Jaxson Dart at the sideline.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 6, 2025
Elliss wasn’t flagged or fined for the hit, which was deemed legal.
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At the start of the 2025 season, the Patriots' defense looked well-equipped to be one of the better groups they've had in many years. Unfortunately, they didn't come out playing like that for the first month, as they became known more for their missed tackles than shutting down opposing offenses with ease.
They changed that pretty abruptly as the season progressed, becoming one of the best run defenses in the league, and their secondary proved to be a receiver's worst nightmare.
Hoping to build upon that, it's clear that Vrabel wanted to see more grit from the defensive roster, which we saw against the Giants, and plays like Elliss' hit on Dart only solidified that. For the uproar that the play caused on Monday night and in the days that followed, it's shocking the NFL actually ruled correctly to not fine Elliss, given their history with working against the Patriots.
However, it was the right ruling and hopefully we see more of that from Elliss and the rest of the defense moving forward.
It will be crucial that they play with that kind of edge down the stretch of the season, as the playoffs become clearer and the Patriots look well on their way to locking down a top seed in the AFC.