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Here’s Mike Vrabel’s passionate postgame locker room speech after the Patriots’ wild-card win
"I ain't afraid to spill a little blood either."
Inside the Patriots’ locker room: As has become an enjoyable ritual for Patriots fans in the 2025 season, New England was quick to share a clip from Mike Vrabel and the team celebrating the victory inside the locker room.
The version that followed Sunday’s 16-3 wild-card win over the Chargers was understandably excited and jubilant. Vrabel even made a joke about the last man back to the locker room as he settled in to address the team.
“Of all the guys, when they said we were waiting on one, I didn’t think it was going to be Andy,” Vrabel joked of rookie kicker Andy Borregales.
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“I can’t tell you how proud I am to sit here and be your coach,” he added on a more serious note. “You guys have worked so hard for this opportunity, we’re going to enjoy it. We said all along, you’ve got to be able to spill some blood.
“The big dogs come out in January. Milt came over, he knocked the living s*** out of there,” Vrabel said, referencing the bloody lip he got from getting unintentionally headbutted by Williams while celebrating. “I ain’t afraid to spill a little blood either.
“I want to tell you this: We’re a team, and we’re going to do this thing together, and everybody here is a part of it,” Vrabel added.
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The Patriots will play either the Texans or Steelers (who face each other on Monday night) in the upcoming divisional round of the AFC playoffs.
New England’s head coach closed with a statement about his happiness at still being able to come prepare for another football game for at least one more week.
“What you guys have done is you believed, and you trusted in the identity, and this is all for you. I want you guys to enjoy every second of this s***. Because this sure beats going on f****** vacation.”
Trivia: Like Patriots defensive tackle Milton Williams, what former New England punter (and three-time Super Bowl champion) also attended Louisiana Tech?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: There from 2010-2012, he won back-to-back Ray Guy Awards as the best punter in college.
Scores and schedules:
The Patriots defeated the Chargers 16-3 in the AFC wild-card round on Sunday. New England will play the winner of tonight’s Texans-Steelers game in the divisional round this coming Sunday.
The Celtics travel to Indiana to play the Pacers tonight at 7:30 p.m.
The Bruins defeated the Penguins on Sunday 1-0, and will host the Red Wings on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
The Boston Fleet lost to the Ottawa Charge 2-1 in a shootout on Sunday, and will play the Toronto Sceptres at the Tsongas Center at 7 p.m.
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More from Boston.com:
- 10 takeaways from Patriots’ playoff win over Chargers
- Mike Vrabel on the ‘critical’ play vs. the Chargers, the Patriots’ identity, and the state of his bloody lip
- Patriots’ old-school win over Chargers brings fond memories of low-scoring Super Bowl LIII win over Rams
- Patriots stock watch: Here’s who stood out and struggled against the Chargers
- How Drake Maye assessed his first playoff game for the Patriots
- Stefon Diggs: ‘Nobody really liked’ or believed in these young Patriots
- Patriots’ ‘big dogs’ on defense shredded Chargers en route to a playoff victory
- Christian Gonzalez’s playoff debut ended early after head injury
- How Mike Vrabel ended up with a bloody lip during Patriots’ playoff win over the Chargers
The “Four H” approach: Some background on Mike Vrabel’s approach to turning the Patriots around in the 2025 season.
On this day: In 1986, the Patriots defeated Dan Marino’s Dolphins 31-14 to advance to the Super Bowl for the first time in team history. Though it would culminate with a shellacking against the Bears in Super Bowl XX, the march to an AFC crown was an unprecedented journey for New England’s NFL team and produced (as offensive lineman Brian Halloway noted at the time) some “magic” of its own.
Daily highlight: We’re not even two weeks into the new year and already Minnesota’s Abbey Murphy has created one of the best assists you’ll see in any sport in 2026.
Trivia answer: Ryan Allen
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