Morning Sports Update
“Glad you’re our head coach.”
Mike Vrabel and the Patriots locker room celebration: Following another Patriots win, the team released footage from its latest postgame locker room celebration.
The 31-13 defeat of the Titans was notable for New England’s first-year head coach, Mike Vrabel, as it was the same team that fired him in 2024. As much as Vrabel tried to downplay the circumstances beforehand, it was clear that his players weren’t going to let the moment pass by unacknowledged after the fact.
Vrabel started the postgame address to his team with a credit to their mentality while playing away from Gillette Stadium.
“I don’t know what else needs to be said. It’s about being road warriors,” Vrabel told the team. “We’ll play wherever they want us to play.”
Having credited both offense and defense for their respective performances in the victory against Tennessee, Vrabel then tried to bring the moment to a close. Before he could end the postgame speech, quarterback Drake Maye stepped in with one more announcement.
“One sec, one [second],” Maye interjected as Vrabel tried to walk away. The players immediately responded, roaring their approval as the head coach sheepishly smiled.
“For Coach and all Tennessee coaches,” Maye began, referencing not only Vrabel but much of his former Titans staff (now in New England). “Coach Vrabel, we love playing for you. Glad you’re our head coach. We love you, coach.”
Vrabel then broke it down with a team cheer, and the division-leading 5-2 Patriots moved on.
Trivia: Drake Maye set the Patriots’ regular season record for highest quarterback pass completion percentage in a game (minimum 20 attempts) on Sunday going 21-23 (91.3 percent).
The postseason record remains (for now) in the hands of Tom Brady, who went 26-28 (92.85 percent) in a Jan. 2008 playoff win. Can you name the opposing QB in that game?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: He rose to become a starter for a team in the AFC South, having played his college years for East Carolina.
Scores and schedules:
The Patriots extended the team’s winning streak to four in a row with a 31-13 victory over the Titans on Sunday.
The Bruins lost to the Utah Mammoth 3-2 on Sunday night. Boston will face the Florida Panthers back at TD Garden on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m.
On Wednesday, the Celtics open the season at home against the 76ers on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
More from Boston.com:
Patriots reaction: Tony Dungy and former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison discussed New England’s status amid the winning streak.
On this day: In 2004, the Red Sox completed the greatest comeback in baseball history. Having trailed the rival Yankees 3-0 in the American League Championship Series, Boston — still in the midst of a championship drought that spanned 86 years — staged a miraculous rally to tie the matchup at three games apiece.
In Game 7, David Ortiz continued his legendary postseason run, smashing a two-run first-inning home run to give the Red Sox an early lead. But it wasn’t until Johnny Damon’s second inning grand slam that Boston brought things open. From there, additional Red Sox run support (including a second Damon home run) put the game out of reach. A 10-3 final score put an exclamation point on the monumental comeback. Boston went on to sweep the Cardinals and win the World Series.
Daily highlight: What else could the highlight be after another Patriots win than one of the more satisfying plays New England fans saw on Sunday?
Trivia answer: David Garrard
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