Patriots Survive Street Fight To Earn Mike Vrabel First Win As Head

New England defeated Miami 33-27 in Week 2. As Drake Maye took a knee to close out a 33-27 win over the Miami Dolphins, the quarterback made sure to hand the football to the New England Patriots’ equipment manager. That was so the ball could be delivered to Mike Vrabel after his first win as the Patriots head coach, which it was by owner Robert Kraft in the locker room. “I took that football, the one I kneed there, and gave it right to Stick, our equipment guy, and let coach get that ball,” Maye said. “That means a lot and I think it meant a lot to him. It took everybody, but obviously he’s leading the charge and that meant something special.”

After not winning in Miami since 2019, New England knew what challenges awaited for them despite the Dolphins trending downwards to start the season. Mike Vrabel got his first win as Patriots coach, but it didn’t come easy. New England emerged from Hard Rock Stadium with a 33-27 win over the Dolphins. It was the Patriots’ first win in Miami since 2019 when they beat their rival, 43-0. “I felt like we were willing to get into a street fight,” Vrabel said after the game. “We had a little lull and we didn’t pack it up and quit."

There were several lead changes, back-to-back kick return touchdowns, two missed PATs from New England and several penalties taken by the Patriots. But they found a way to win between a big game from Rhamondre Stevenson and a game-sealing sack from Milton Williams. "I’m just excited for these guys," Vrabel said. “I’m really excited that they could fight and compete.” Send this article to your social connections. Send this article to your social connections.

Mike Vrabel’s first win as head coach of the Patriots almost didn’t happen because of shoddy special teams tackling. Miami’s Malik Washington broke tackle attempts from Brenden Schooler and Charles Woods before racing past punter Bryce Baringer for a 74-yard touchdown late in the game. But New England’s Antonio Gibson quickly erased Miami’s slim lead with a 90-yard kick return touchdown of his own. The Patriots took a special teams gut punch and came back with a haymaker. The New England Patriots earned their first win under head coach Mike Vrabel in Week 2. However, Vrabel wasn't fully pleased with the Patriots' performance.

New England defeated the Miami Dolphins 33-27 after some wild fourth quarter circumstances. Both the Patriots and Dolphins returned a kick for a touchdown. With New England's coming second, and with an extra field goal, they were able to sneak away with the win. Still, this was a game that began by the Patriots holding a 12-0 lead. Vrabel admitted that New England was, “willing to get in a street fight.” However, the fact the matchup went to those lengths gave the head coach a clear vision of where his team stands,... “We're not front-runners,” Vrabel said.

“And that's a big thing in this league.” The Patriots seemed to be getting out on the right track, as Drake Maye threw a pair of touchdown passes to open the game. But both extra points were missed, perhaps sending an ominous sign. While they'd kick a field goal to stay up a point, the Dolphins scored a pair of touchdowns to cut the lead to 15-14 at half. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel addresses the media on Sunday, September 14, 2025. Patriots players TreVeyon Henderson, Hunter Henry, Christian Gonzalez and more address the media on Thursday, November 13, 2025.

TIMECODE HENDERSON / 00:00-03:04 DIGGS / 03:04-07:24 CAMPBELL / 07:24-11:05 HOLLINS / 11:05-16:16 SPILLANE / 16:16-21:55 GONZALEZ / 21:55-26:21 HENRY / 26:21-29:55 BRADBURY / 29:55-31:17 Patriots quarterback Drake Maye addresses the media after New England's 27-14 win over the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on Thursday, November 13, 2025. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel address the media on Thursday, November 13, 2025. Posted By Kevin Stone on September 14, 2025 Image courtesy of Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photos Do the Patriots have a lot to work on to beat the upper echelon teams in the NFL?

Are they at least fun to watch again? Will the Pats get people emotionally invested, living and dying with every third down or two-minute drive throughout the fall and winter again? Given the way things have been around here for the last five-ish seasons or so, Sunday’s wild 33-27 win over Miami was huge if you want to see legitimate progress and care about the... The New England Patriots earned their first win under head coach Mike Vrabel in Week 2. However, Vrabel wasn't fully pleased with the Patriots' performance. New England defeated the Miami Dolphins 33-27 after some wild fourth quarter circumstances.

Both the Patriots and Dolphins returned a kick for a touchdown. With New England's coming second, and with an extra field goal, they were able to sneak away with the win. Still, this was a game that began by the Patriots holding a 12-0 lead. Vrabel admitted that New England was, “willing to get in a street fight.” However, the fact the matchup went to those lengths gave the head coach a clear vision of where his team stands,... “We're not front-runners,” Vrabel said. “And that's a big thing in this league.”

The Patriots seemed to be getting out on the right track, as Drake Maye threw a pair of touchdown passes to open the game. But both extra points were missed, perhaps sending an ominous sign. While they'd kick a field goal to stay up a point, the Dolphins scored a pair of touchdowns to cut the lead to 15-14 at half. The lack of complementary football was costly for the New England Patriots in their season-opening loss against the Las Vegas Raiders. Mike Vrabel won his first game as Patriots coach as New England outlasted the Miami Dolphins 33-27 at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 14.

Despite plenty of ups and downs in Week 2, the Patriots emerged victorious after a thrilling game against the Dolphins. Drake Maye put together the best 60-minute performance of his career in the Patriots' first Miami win since 2019. The New England Patriots bounced back from a season-opening loss with a come-from-behind victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Drake Maye made sure to commemorate the occasion with a nice gesture for Mike Vrabel: “It’s awesome, just rallying around coach,” Maye said following the game, per team-provided video. “I know how much he cares about us, how much of a player’s coach he is. I took that football that I kneeled it out with, handed it r…

The NFL’s global footprint expands again Sunday morning as the Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders meet in the league’s first regular-season game ever played in The New York Knicks delivered their most explosive offensive performance of the season Friday night, riding massive nights from Karl-Anthony Towns and Landry Shamet to The SEC’s newest rivalry chapter gets a primetime showcase Saturday night as No. 5 Georgia (8-1, 6-1 SEC, No. 5 CFP) hosts Arch Manning and

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