Mike Vrabel’s Patriots blew a golden opportunity on Sunday. New England went up 21-0 on the visiting Bills in the first two quarters of play in Week 15; if the Pats held on, they would unseat Buffalo as AFC East champs. But Drake Maye and the rest of the offense sputtered in the second half and the defense completely collapsed against Josh Allen and the Bills would prove victorious, 35-31.
One day later, though, Vrabel is having trouble coming to terms with how the game was officiated. Anyone watching can acknowledge it was inconsistent; the officials seemed happy to swallow their whistles in the first half but were quick on the trigger with penalties in the second. The Patriots ended up on the receiving end of multiple flags at very inopportune moments, which definitely contributed to the loss even if they were not the sole reason for it.
