CINCINNATI – Mike Vrabel’s been through this before as a coach. The same is true for the Patriots organization.
Injuries are a constant part of football. Teams can’t avoid them. The only thing a head coach can do is prepare for it to happen and do his best to prepare everyone on his team’s roster.
That was seen in 2021. That season, Vrabel’s Tennessee Titans team set an NFL record for the most players used in a season with 91. Vrabel’s team had 35 players land on the injured reserve that year.
Despite it all, the Titans went 12-5, lost in the divisional round, and Vrabel earned AP NFL Coach of the Year honors.
That’s relevant because of what happened in the Patriots’ 26-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Vrabel’s team lost the left side of their offensive line with left tackle Will Campbell (knee) and left guard Jared Wilson (ankle) carted off the field. All-Pro special teamer Brenden Schooler (ankle) also suffered an injury.
After the game, a somber Vrabel was asked what he learned from the 2021 season that he could apply to the Patriots.
“Prepare as a starter, be ready to go and take advantage of your opportunity,” Vrabel said.
That’ll have to happen if the 10-2 Patriots want to continue the impressive run they’ve been on this season. Vrabel’s team on Sunday wasn’t perfect. Players admitted afterward that they didn’t play close to their best game.
Despite the sloppy play and injuries, the Patriots left Cincinnati with a win – albeit a costly one. Wilson left the game in a walking boot and needed a gray walking cane to leave the locker room. Schooler also left the game in a walking boot. Campbell wasn’t seen in the locker room.
How the team responds now will tell another important chapter in Vrabel’s first season as Patriots head coach.
His messaging has resonated with his players this season. The team will need to rely on one of the most important ones if they’re going to survive not having their starting left tackle and left guard.
“A message Vrabel preaches as much as anything is that everyone has to have a starter mentality,” center Garrett Bradbury said. “Everyone’s ready. He’ll call on us during meetings. It’s not always the starters he’s calling on. It’s the backups and scout team guys. I think everyone takes that to heart. Ben Brown stepped in. I trust Ben just as much as I trust Jared. It’s seamless.
“Coaches do a good job of getting different guys in at practice during the week. Vederian (Lowe) stepped in. Marcus (Bryant) stepped in. It’s a total team effort. It’s a testament to the coaching and the preparation of the guys who filled in.”
Without Campbell, the Patriots will rely on backup Vederian Lowe. Without Wilson, Ben Brown is the next man up.
The good news was that Maye was sacked just once and hit a total of three times on Sunday. The bad news was that the Patriots averaged just 3.4 yards per carry against the worst run defense in the NFL.
This game was so close because the Patriots turned the ball over on downs at the 1-yard line and then were forced to kick a field goal the next time they got to the 1-yard line.
To make a run in the playoffs and secure the top seed, the Patriots need to protect Drake Maye and efficiently run the ball. On Sunday, right guard Michael Onwenu said it was challenging losing both starting offensive linemen.
“It’s a big challenge, especially when there’s multiple guys,’ Onwenu said. “One guy, you can just pick it up, and nothing can change in terms of playing together. But when it’s two guys, especially (one) side, that’s a lot. It puts more on that side to communicate and make sure they’re on the same page.”
Injuries have hit the Patriots hard in the past.
In 2015, coming off a Super Bowl championship, Bill Belichick’s Patriots looked like the best team in the NFL. That team started 10-0 and looked unstoppable.
That’s until they were hit with a series of injuries over the second half of the season. The offense was brutalized. They lost both running backs (LeGarrette Blount and Dion Lewis) as well as fullback James Develin. They lost starting left tackle Nate Solder. Right tackle Sebastian Volmer also dealt with multiple injuries.
The Patriots had 18 players land on the injured reserve that season. In the end, not even Tom Brady could make up for it as the Patriots lost to the Denver Broncos in the AFC title game.
Vrabel’s 2025 Patriots team hasn’t hit that level of injuries yet. He entered Sunday’s matchup with one starter, Milton Williams, on the injured reserve. He exited the game with two starting offensive linemen looking like they’ll miss some time.
Up next is how his coaching staff and team respond to the adversity that hits every team – some more than others.
“Injuries — we talk about it. It’s a part of the game,” Vrabel said. “… We’ll get those guys back from injury. However it is, our staff will do a great job and players will work hard. So, they have to be ready to go. Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us.”
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