Sunday's win in Tennessee was an important one for the Patriots.

Not only did the 31-13 victory see New England maintain its first-place lead in the AFC East—and Drake Maye breaking franchise records once held by Tom Brady—but it also allowed coach Mike Vrabel to get some much-deserved revenge over his former employer in the Titans.

That's why, in the locker room after the win, the coach was awarded a game ball by his franchise quarterback while trying to break the team down.

"One sec, one sec," Maye jumped in as Vrabel walked away from the huddle. "For coach and all Tennessee coaches. Coach Vrabel, we love playing for you. Glad you're our head coach. We love you, coach."

Check out the awesome moment here, at about the 0:35 second mark in the below video:

As you can tell, this was an emotional one for Vrabel.

Mike Vrabel and his Patriots coaches, players got their revenge in Tennessee

Not only was Sunday's win some sweet revenge for Vrabel—who was fired as the Titans' coach after the 2023 season despite tallying a winning record and three playoff appearances over six years—but also for a multitude of his Patriots players and staff members.

For those unfamiliar, Vrabel brought the following front office executives and coaches with him from Tennessee to New England:

  • VP of player personnel Ryan Cowden
  • VP of football operations and strategy John Streicher
  • Defensive coordinator Terrell Williams
  • Inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr
  • Safeties coach Scott Booker
  • Cornerbacks coach Justin Hamilton
  • Defensive line coach Clint McMillan
  • Wide receivers coach Todd Downing
  • Running backs coach Tony Dews
  • Assistant offensive line coach Jason Houghtailing

Additionally, New England linebackers Harold Landry, Robert Spillane, and Jack Gibbens—as well as quarterback Joshua Dobbs, cornerback Charles Woods, and tight end Thomas Odukoya—were at one point members of Vrabel's Titans. All six were eventually either cut or not re-signed by the team.

So yeah, Sunday's win in Nashville meant plenty for these Patriots.

Now 5-2, New England is set to welcome the Browns to Foxborough next Sunday for a 1:00 p.m. ET kick off from Gillette Stadium.


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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Drake Maye Gave an Emotional Mike Vrabel a Game Ball After Revenge Win Over Titans.