While the Patriots recorded a 29-26 win over the Bills, one of the biggest storylines after the game was on Mike Vrabel's 15-yard penalty that led to a Buffalo score just before halftime. Vrabel's infraction occurred with 1:48 left in the second quarter and the Bills facing a third-and-goal on New England's 16-yard line. Josh Allen threw an incomplete pass on the play, but Buffalo was awarded a first down after Vrabel was flagged 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Allen ran for a game-tying touchdown five plays later. Patriots coach Mike Vrabel was hit with an Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty.The Bills tied the game a few plays later. pic.twitter.com/6JsrQWfAeA Fortunately for Vrabel, his team bailed him out by outplaying the Bills in the second half. New England started the half with a 14-play scoring drive and finished it with a game-clinching interception of Allen.
The win evened the Patriots' record at 2-2 and prevented Buffalo from taking a two-game lead in the division. Afterward, both Vrabel and official Bill Vinovich addressed the incident. "He was out of the box, came up to the official and said, 'That was a f---ing terrible call," Vinovich said when asked about his decision to penalize Vrabel.
As a follow-up, Vinovich was asked whether that situation usually warrants a warning rather than a penalty. "I don't know how you're going to give a warning," he replied. "It's not something that is going to happen twice.
When you use language like that, it's pretty much a given." Vrabel, however, doesn't think that his actions warranted a penalty. "I've said that 87 times since I've been a head coach," Vrabel said. "There's nothing derogatory.
You know, you'd have to ask him. I think he was a little sensitive. ... I probably shouldn't have sworn, but I can tell you that in my history of being on the sidelines as a head coach, I've said that, and I apologized to him.
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