Minutes after beating the Bengals, Mike Vrabel couldn’t muster a smile longer than a split second in his press conference. This win hurt.
The magic carpet ride has stopped.
Will Campbell just slipped off.
Jared Wilson did, too.
The Patriots lost two other players and some measure of hope Sunday in Cincinnati, though the record books will all show they won.
But how did you experience that game?
Not as an unfettered celebration. Not as the Patriots’ ninth straight win, or a victory that pushed them into the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
“Everybody wants to talk about numbers and records,” Mike Vrabel said post-game. “That doesn’t mean s—.”
Vrabel couldn’t muster a smile longer than a split second in his press conference. This one hurt.
The Patriots played poorly, and their Super Bowl dreams took a hit. The exact damage won’t be known until medical tests reveal how long Campbell and Wilson are out, and that news gets leaked to the team’s insider of choice. And the news will be some degree of bad.
Until then, the fact is the left side of the Pats’ offensive line had to be carted off the field. While Campbell was wheeled away, he hung a towel over his head; the white flag of every seriously injured athlete. Later in the locker room, Wilson walked with the aid of a crutch and wore a boot on his right foot.
Contrast those scenes against the images of the football fantasy this Patriots’ season has been.
Milton Williams’ game-saving sack in Miami. Drake Maye‘s game-winning drive at Buffalo. TreVeyon Henderson pulling away for a late touchdown in Tampa Bay.
