The New England Patriots had the Buffalo Bills right where they wanted them-up 21-0 in the second quarter, with the AFC East seemingly in their grasp. But as we've seen so many times before, no lead is safe when Josh Allen is on the other sideline.
The Bills' quarterback engineered a furious comeback, leading Buffalo to five straight touchdown drives and flipping the script in a big way. When the dust settled, the Patriots had been outscored 35-10 the rest of the way, and what looked like a statement win turned into a gut-punch loss.
After the game, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel joined The Greg Hill Show on WEEI and didn’t hold back when asked about the officiating. While Vrabel acknowledged the challenge that comes with officiating at the NFL level, he made it clear he was frustrated with what he saw as a lack of consistency in the calls.
“They do have a difficult job,” Vrabel said. “The consistency, sometimes I struggle with it.”
Then he pointed to a stat that’s hard to ignore: “The Bills lead the NFL in offensive holds, and I’ll leave it at that. That would be hard for me to understand - how a team coming into the game leading [the league in holds], and that’s how they play, didn’t have one yesterday.
So that’s hard for me to understand.”
Vrabel also took issue with a key pass interference call that went against cornerback Marcus Jones while he was covering Bills wideout Khalil Shakir. It was a pivotal moment in the game, one that helped sustain a Bills drive during their comeback push.
“Whether we think it’s PI, that’s their call,” Vrabel said, clearly biting his tongue.
It’s rare to hear Vrabel speak so candidly about officiating, but given the stakes and the way the game unraveled, it’s not hard to understand why he felt compelled to say something. The Patriots had a golden opportunity to take command of the division, and instead, they’re left wondering how it slipped through their fingers-and whether the officiating played a role in that collapse.
For now, New England has to regroup quickly. December football doesn't wait for anyone, and with the AFC playoff picture tightening, every possession, every call, and every mistake is magnified.