Mike Vrabel Voices Frustration Over Officiating in Patriots' Loss to Bills
Coming off a tough 35-31 loss to the Bills, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel didn’t hold back on Monday morning when asked about the officiating - particularly the penalty disparity that played a role in the game’s final moments.
New England was flagged seven times in the loss, including a pivotal pass interference call on cornerback Carlton Davis during Buffalo’s go-ahead touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. On the other side, the Bills were hit with just two penalties - a discrepancy Vrabel clearly wasn’t thrilled about.
Speaking on WEEI, Vrabel acknowledged the difficulty of the officials’ job but didn’t shy away from pointing out what he sees as a lack of consistency.
“It is a difficult job, they do have a difficult job,” Vrabel said. “The consistency - sometimes I struggle with it.
I’ll say this, the Bills lead the NFL in offensive holds, and I’ll leave it at that. And that would be hard for me to understand how the team that is coming into the game leading, and that’s how they play, didn’t have one yesterday.
That’s hard for me to understand.”
To clarify, the Bills were in fact flagged for holding once during the game. But Vrabel’s comments suggest he believes there were more infractions that went uncalled - especially given Buffalo’s reputation for drawing holding penalties this season.
It’s not the first time Vrabel has voiced concern about officiating this year, and it likely won’t be the last if the trend continues. His frustration seems to stem less from isolated calls and more from what he perceives as a pattern - one where his team isn’t getting the same treatment as their opponents in the penalty department.
And when you lose a one-score game in the final minutes, every flag - or lack thereof - gets magnified.
For a Patriots team still fighting to stay in the playoff picture, these kinds of moments matter. Vrabel knows that. He’s not just venting - he’s sending a message, hoping that down the stretch, the calls start to even out.
Because in a league where the margin between winning and losing is razor thin, a single penalty - or a missed one - can swing a game. And for the Patriots, those swings are starting to add up.