Vrabel Flagged, Bills Score to Tie Game

On Oct. 4, 2026, in Orchard Park, N.Y., Patriots coach Mike Vrabel was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after arguing a defensive holding penalty on Marcus Jones. The call moved Buffalo half the distance to the goal line for first-and-goal with New England leading 14-7 and 1:40 left in the first half. Josh Allen scored to tie the game at 14. New England won 29-26, improving to 2-2. Drake Maye went 22 of 37 for 269 yards and three touchdowns. Craig Woodson intercepted Allen at 1:05 to seal it. A late first-half Maye interception set up Tyler Bass's 27-yard field goal and a 17-14 Buffalo halftime lead. Lip-readers of CBS video and postgame comments had Vrabel telling the holding was a terrible call, with profanity. Boston Herald quoted "That's a (expletive) terrible (expletive) call"; Yahoo Sports quoted "That's a f***ing terrible f***ing call." The News Tribune said Allen scored on a quarterback sneak on the next play; Yahoo Sports said a 2-yard touchdown run three plays later. News Tribune cited possible league discipline against the $14,926 player benchmark and LaFleur's 2024 fine; no NFL decision is in the record. Tony Farmer, Henry McKenna, Jenna Cottrell, and Bills fans criticized Vrabel. No center-rated coverage is in the record.