During the second quarter of the AFC Championship game, it wasn’t Drake Maye’s rushing touchdown that became the highlight. Instead, it was Mike Vrabel’s moment on the sidelines. 

With 2:59 left on the clock, when the pass rush had nearly sacked Jarrett Stidham near the Broncos' end zone, he chucked the ball away. Mike Vrabel erupted since he believed it should have been a decision ruled in favor of the Patriots. 

However, the referees ruled it as a 20-yard penalty, indicating that Stidham was intentionally grounded by the pass rush. Mike Vrabel was visibly upset with the decision and was ready to challenge it. Fortunately for him and the Patriots, the referees overturned it and ruled it a fumble. 

Drake Maye took the opportunity to score a 6-yard touchdown run at 2:10. At the end of the first half, Denver and New England were level on par, with 7 points each. Both teams had a chance to take the lead, but Will Lutz and Andy Borregales missed 56 and 63-yard field goals, respectively. 

And while New England looked like the weaker side in the first half, their head coach isn't counting them out.

Mike Vrabel’s Thoughts On The First Half 

It wasn’t a typical first-half start for the Patriots, as they just scored 7 points. However, Mike Vrabel gave credit to his team.

“We’ve just settled down a little bit. I’m proud of the way we’ve settled down, made it a football game, and took advantage of the turnover.” 

At the same time, Vrabel was a bit critical of their offense, he needed the team to run the ball more. “Yeah, we’ve gotta get into the rhythm, we’re gonna be able to run the ball, and we’re gonna be able to be stable.” 

Maye had one of the worst halves of the season, completing just 50% of his passes, scoring just one touchdown for 41 passing yards. If the Patriots need to win the game, Maye has to fire on all cylinders. 

Written by

Kalp Thaker

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar