The Patriots left Jacksonville with far more questions than answers, and Mike Vrabel didn’t try to soften the blow.
After a Week 3 loss that unraveled in all the familiar ways - turnovers, penalties, missed chances - Vrabel said exactly how uneasy he feels about where his team stands.
“My concern level is very high for this football team. I just wanna coach and improve.
I think that’s the biggest thing when you come off a game like that. You just wanna get back and work.”
That’s the mood around New England now. A week after beating the Steelers at home, the Patriots followed it up with a road performance that looked broken from the start. The offense never found its footing, and Drake Maye was at the center of the mess, repeatedly making poor decisions that turned into turnovers.
The self-inflicted damage kept piling up. Penalties wiped out plays that had produced key first downs and even a touchdown, turning an already ugly afternoon into something worse. By the time it was over, the Patriots were staring at one of the most damaging losses they’ve taken in recent memory.
Vrabel now has the job of pulling this thing back together, and the pressure is obvious. The quarterback needs to settle down, but the larger burden falls on the head coach to get the entire operation pointed in the right direction.
There was at least some room for optimism after the Steelers win. Even with flaws, the Patriots had shown enough in Week 2 to suggest they could build something from it.
That feeling is gone now. Sunday didn’t just expose problems - it left very little good to hang onto.
And that’s what makes Maye’s regression stand out so sharply. At this point last season, the situation looked different. This version of Maye, through the first three weeks, has been the more alarming one, and there doesn’t appear to be a quick fix waiting around the corner.
For now, it comes down to the work Vrabel talked about: practice, reflection, and better decisions. The Patriots need all of it.
In Other News...
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Preseason games will air on NBC Sports Boston and stream on DIRECTV, giving fans an early look at how the new core functions before the real games start to count. The schedule also offers a first glimpse at the Celtics' opening run of regular season games, and with the training camp roster now set for 2026-27, this stretch should tell a lot about which roles are already taking shape and which ones are still very much up for grabs. [Read more 🡒]
Mitchell Robinson Is Already Stirring Emotions Beyond Boston
Mitchell Robinsons move to Boston has already sent a ripple through the rest of the East, especially in New York, where the Celtics latest big-man addition now has to be processed as both a loss and a new challenge. Boston brought Robinson in on a three-year, $47.4 million deal after his role in helping the Knicks win the NBA Championship, making him one of the more notable changes to a roster that keeps trying to stay in the title mix.
The Knicks answered by bringing in veteran Andre Drummond on a one-year deal, a move aimed at filling the gap while keeping the frontcourt steady. Former Knicks teammates have sounded split on Robinsons exit, with some still feeling the sting of losing him and others taking a hopeful view of Drummonds arrival, which only adds another layer to a transaction that already carries more emotion than a typical free-agent signing. [Read more 🡒]
Paul George Just Became A Real Celtics Decision Point
Paul George has become one of those names that can linger around a roster long after the obvious offseason chatter has moved on. An Eastern Conference executive recently suggested the Celtics could still find real trade value in him if he is healthy, which is notable given the contract and the long view Boston has to take with every major move. His deal still carries two years of salary commitment, so any discussion around him is as much about flexibility and timing as it is about talent.
The health piece is where the conversation gets complicated. George has played limited games in recent seasons, and Boston has not signaled any desire to move him, but that kind of uncertainty always changes how teams evaluate a players market. If he can stay on the floor, the Celtics may at least have a meaningful decision to make, especially if the return resembles the kind of protected first-round pick an executive believes is still possible. [Read more 🡒]