Mark Daniels: Sunday’s blowout Patriots win showed Jets what they lost when Kraft acted first

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Mark Daniels: Sunday’s blowout Patriots win showed Jets what they lost when Kraft acted first

Mark Daniels · MassLive

Mon, Dec 29, 2025 ·

5 min read

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – There was a moment on Sunday when it looked like Mike Vrabel was ready for a fight.

With 1:39 left in the second quarter, Drake Maye was hit hard when Jermain Johnson delivered a blow to his facemask. The Patriots ’ franchise quarterback lay on the MetLife Stadium turf a bit longer than anyone wanted to see.

That’s when Vrabel ran on the field, looking like he was ready to stand up for his team.

It hasn’t been unusual to see the Patriots coach come to the aid of his players. It’s one reason why these Patriots adore him.

“That’s who he is, man,” right tackle Morgan Moses said. “You’ve seen multiple pictures throughout the season and training camp where he’s diving in where fights are happening and things like that. That’s who he is as a person.”

If the New York Jets had it their way, Vrabel would’ve been on the home team’s sideline on Sunday.

It wasn’t that long ago that Vrabel was here in New Jersey, interviewing for the job. On Jan. 3, 2025, the organization interviewed the coach for their head coaching vacancy.

The choice was a no-brainer for a struggling organization.

The big hurdle standing in their way, however, was Robert Kraft. Two days later, the Patriots’ owner fired Jerod Mayo , clearing the way for the most obvious hire in last year’s NFL coaching cycle.

Kraft’s decision to move on from Mayo after one year and set his sights on Vrabel jump-started a fantastic offseason for the Patriots. Nearly a year after Vrabel interviewed with the Jets, the coaching hire has altered the future for both franchises.

The Jets got a taste of what they were missing on Sunday as Vrabel’s team, down multiple starters, ran over the home team in this 41-3 blowout win .

“Last week, Vrabes was on our ass about finishing,” receiver Stefon Diggs said. “(He said) don’t think that anything is going to be given to us. You have to earn everything that you’re going to get. We went in with that mindset.”

This game served as a reminder of just how good the Patriots have it. After back-to-back 4-win seasons, the Patriots have their franchise quarterback in Drake Maye and their franchise head coach in Vrabel. The combination should keep the Patriots relevant in the foreseeable future.

It’s the type of combo that Patriots fans dreamt of after the Tom Brady -Bill Belichick breakup.

The Patriots improved to 13-3 on Sunday. They finish the season undefeated, 8-0, in road games. This marks the franchise’s most successful season since 2017. They have a chance to secure one of the AFC’s top seeds next week in their regular-season finale against Miami . If the Patriots win that one, they’ll finish with the most wins in franchise history since the 2016 season.

The turnaround in New England has been astonishing.

Although Vrabel hasn’t done it alone, the head coach’s ability to get his players to fall in line in his first season in Foxborough is remarkable. Players lean on their coach, who can push them hard and garner respect. Vrabel’s not soft and fuzzy, but players know he cares about them as people. That goes a long way in the final weeks of the season when players are hurt and tired.

“The attention to detail. The intensity that he coaches with, he’s the ultimate player’s coach,” Moses said. “When you’ve got a guy that’s played for a long time in the league and then turns around and coaches with the identity that he’s played with, it’s the makeup of the team. Hats off to him for what he’s brought to this locker room.”

On Sunday, the Patriots took on a team on the other side of things. The 3-13 Jets also have a first-year head coach, but unlike the Patriots, they don’t have an MVP-caliber quarterback or a quality roster.

Vrabel’s defense entered MetLife Stadium without their leading pass rusher Harold Landry , their leading tackler Robert Spillane , and two starting defensive tackles, Milton Williams and Khyiris Tonga . The offense was without left tackle Will Campbell , left guard Jared Willson, and two of their top three receivers, Mack Hollins and Kayshon Boutte .

None of that mattered.

Vrabel’s team was more prepared, and his roster was too good. Maye finished with a career-high five touchdown passes. Diggs surpassed the 100-yard mark in the first half. The defense obliterated Jets quarterback Brady Cook .

“My favorite thing is (Vrabel) holds everybody to the same standard, and he was a player, so he can relate to us,” Diggs said. “He knows when we’re banged up. He knows we’ve got a lot of guys injured and we were going to go out there with the mindset of he’s going to expect the same thing from the previous starter from the backups.”

Although the victory against the lowly Jets was always expected, the Patriots’ domination showed that Vrabel has his team firing on all cylinders at the most important time of the year.

Detractors will point to the Patriots’ strength of schedule, or lack thereof, as a reason why Vrabel has been successful this season. That rationale is similar to reading sheet music as opposed to listening to the song.

The Patriots are a well-coached team with an MVP-caliber quarterback to go with a team that has just two Pro Bowlers on the roster. When Vrabel was hired, he said he wanted the Patriots to be a team that took advantage of bad football.

The Patriots have seen plenty of that this season. Thanks to their coaching, they haven’t been the ones playing poorly. In the end, that’s what matters. It’s one reason why the Patriots have 13 wins this season.

“Coach is a real standup guy who holds everybody to the same standard and holds us all accountable,” safety Jaylinn Hawkins said. “He brings in that family element to the team where we’re all close. It’s cool to feel that your coach is in it with you, like he’s going to battle with you. On Sundays I feel like Vrabel is coming to battle with us. I feel that. I feel his energy.”

Kraft forever changed the trajectory of his franchise when he hired Vrabel last offseason. Matching the head coach with Maye is a recipe for disaster for other teams in the NFL. Just ask the Jets, who at one point hoped Vrabel would be there.

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