The New England Patriots picked up their 10th consecutive win on Monday night after taking down the New York Giants in a 33-15 victory that, honestly, wasn't as close as the final score indicated.
With the win, New England moves to 11-2 on the season, extends its lead over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East race, and retake the top overall spot in the AFC standings, jumping the Denver Broncos. Any other coach would be thrilled with this type of outcome heading into their bye week.
Mike Vrabel should be anything but pleased with the way Monday Night Football played out, though, if the Patriots have any real plans of making a legitimate push at the franchise's seventh Super Bowl championship.
Patriots Cannot Let Teams Hang Around Like They Did Against Giants
After putting up 270 yards of offense and 30 points in the first half, New England's offense appeared to go on cruise control for the final 30 minutes of game action as the Patriots finished the win with just three points and 125 yards of offense in the second half. Throw in a missed FG attempt by Andy Borregales, who had been hitting his stride before this miss, and it was anything but an acceptable performance to close out Week 13.
Vrabel knows this. He played on some of the greatest teams ever assembled during New England's dynasty. One of the characteristics of those championship teams was that there was rarely any letdown on either side of the ball until the final whistle sounded. This is especially true during the winter months when the stakes are raised to a different level.
With two weeks between now and the Patriots' next game, a Dec. 14 matchup against the Bills, Vrabel would be wise to remind his team that this is a 60-minute game and New England's roster must treat it as such to achieve their ultimate goal. The bye week presents Vrabel and the rest of the coaching staff with the perfect opportunity to do just that.
While this type of performance didn't cost them against the lowly Giants, it very well could against Buffalo and then the Baltimore Ravens, as the Patriots are scheduled to face them at M&T Bank Stadium in Week 16. Even with the Bills and Ravens underachieving this season, they possess more than enough talent on both sides of the ball to make things difficult for New England if the Patriots aren't completely locked in offensively and defensively.