While New England Patriots defensive coordinator Terrell Williams is battling cancer, the team — many of them donning T-Strong shirts to support him — blew out the Carolina Panthers on Sunday in Foxboro.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel in no way wanted to compare or link the two. Linebackers coach Zach Kuhr took over play-calling duties with Williams out.
“I don’t think that those things are really comparable. We’ve got one situation where somebody is fighting and we’re playing a game,” Vrabel told reporters afterward. “We care deeply about Terrell, and we’re going to do everything that we can to help him and to support him and make sure that he gets what he needs and competes and fights and that we take care of him as people and support. That’s the big thing there.”
“The other side of it is just the game,” Vrabel said. “We understand how critical, the wins and losses end, and we’re here to win. But I don’t look at it like, oh, we have to win because this is is a crucial catch. We just have to win so that we can continue to build a program that can stand, that can withstand everything that goes on in this league.”
New England improved to 2-2 with the victory with the team’s biggest offensive output of the season. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye threw for 203 yards, and the defense held the Panthers to 5-14 on third downs.
Mike Vrabel Focused on Buffalo Bills Next
The Patriots can’t sit too comfortably after the blowout win because the first-place Buffalo Bills (4-0) are right around the corner next Sunday. Buffalo beat the New Orleans Saints 31-19 on Sunday in Orchard Park, New York.
“When we don’t beat ourselves and we take care of the football and we play complementary football and we get stops on third down, the return, the special teams are a factor, and we score touchdowns in the red zone, it can look like something,” Vrabel said. “Again, that’s not guaranteed every week, but certainly we can see the difference in how critical those phases are and putting them all together.”
New England played a turnover-free game against the Panthers, and the Patriots scored all four times in the red zone. On the flip side, the Patriots committed seven penalties — an issue to correct ahead of the Week 5 game.
Patriots’ Week 3 Loss Could Be a Catalyst
The Patriots have already shown the ability to compete with the AFC’s best. New England fell 21-14 to the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1) in Week 3 before bouncing back to beat the Panthers.
“You always need it. You only have so many opportunities,” Vrabel said about beating the Panthers. “Whatever you do in one week, it doesn’t really matter. It’s about what you do the next week moving forward. Hopefully we take that same approach whether we win or we lose.”
“I think that’s what I’ve tried to do is whether you win or you lose, we’ve got to embrace moving on. We have to do that,” Vrabel added. “We have to prepare here for a division opponent on the road. It’s going to be a great environment, and hopefully we’ll see where we’re at.”