Mike Vrabel Has Perfect Response To Question About Patriots’ Schedule

Mike Vrabel won’t join the masses in worrying about the New England Patriots’ strength of schedule.

The Patriots went 2-2 against fellow playoff teams during the regular season with just one victory over a winning squad. They justified their postseason spot with a 16-3 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night.

Vrabel was asked during Monday’s press conference, per the team transcript, what the first-round win says about his team amid the schedule chatter. The head coach sidestepped the debate by pointing out the most important takeaway from their triumph.

“It means we get to keep playing,” Vrabel said. “That’s what that means. It means we’re not on vacation.”

The Patriots have faced schedule-based skepticism all season. Some critics have diminished statement road victories over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baltimore Ravens since each team missed the playoffs at 8-9.

Vrabel’s team didn’t crumble against stiffer competition when stuffing Justin Herbert and the 11-win Chargers to 207 total yards at home. Yet the playoff win didn’t satisfy everyone, as New England exploited a battered offensive line to register 11 quarterback hits and six sacks.

ESPN’s Dan Graziano still insisted after Sunday’s win that the Patriots have yet to prove themselves against elite competition and might have been sent packing had they faced a more explosive offense in the first round. But perhaps there is no true AFC juggernaut that the Patriots can silence the doubters by defeating.

The Patriots await the winner of Monday night’s matchup between the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers.