Mike Vrabel Ripped For Super Bowl LX ‘Big Mistake’ That ‘Deserves Scrutiny’
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and rookie left tackle Will Campbell were two of the biggest reasons why the team lost Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has earned some criticism this week too though, specifically for some puzzling decisions when the game was still in reach in the second half.
Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith wrote about one of them on Thursday morning, calling Vrabel’s choice to kick an extra point after New England’s first touchdown in the fourth quarter a “big mistake.”
“When a team gets dominated the way the Patriots did in Super Bowl LX, no single decision makes the difference. But one particularly bad decision by Patriots coach Mike Vrabel deserves scrutiny,” Smith said. “When the Patriots finally scored their first touchdown of the game to make the score 19-6 in the fourth quarter, Vrabel sent his extra point team onto the field, rather than leaving his offense on the field to attempt a two-point conversion. That was a big mistake.”
The move ultimately didn’t impact the outcome of a 29-13 final, but at the time, Vrabel’s decision was at the very least, questionable.
As noted by Mike Tirico on the NBC broadcast Sunday night, a successful two-point conversion would’ve trimmed the Patriots’ deficit to 11, meaning another touchdown, two-point conversion and field goal could’ve sent the contest to overtime. A 12-point margin, meanwhile, meant that New England still needed to score two touchdowns to take the lead.
Again, Vrabel’s curious move didn’t end up mattering, but Smith felt it was worth discussing.
“Vrabel, the NFL’s 2025 Coach of the Year, has not been asked about his decision to kick the extra point. It’s a decision that’s hard to explain,” he wrote.
We’ll see if the Patriots get another chance at a record seventh Lombardi Trophy next year.