The Patriots got the win, but the refs nearly turned it into a NFL comedy sketch.
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"It becomes comical at a point" What did Patriots HC Mike Vrabel think of the officiating? #NFL
Vrabel talks coaching style- "I want them (players) to have a good time" @WEEI pic.twitter.com/pRDUoCaQQJ— The Greg Hill Show (@TheGregHillShow) October 13, 2025
New England escaped New Orleans with a 25-19 victory to move to 4-2, but one of the worst penalty calls of the season had everyone scratching their heads. And Mike Vrabel laughing.
It came in the first quarter when Drake Maye hit DeMario Douglas for what looked like a 61-yard touchdown. The crowd roared, the Patriots celebrated, and then... a late flag. Stefon Diggs was somehow called for offensive pass interference, even though he wasn't close to the catch. Officials said Diggs blocked downfield too early on Saints corner Kool-Aid McKinstry.
By the time the flag hit the turf, the offense had already left the field.
"It becomes comical at a point," Vrabel said Monday on WEEI's Greg Hill Show. "They send these videos out every week, and they do a great job. Walt Anderson does a great job. Ramon George does a great job. And I'll see something in the game and I'm like, 'Did they even watch the video?'"
THIS was called OPI on Diggs and it erased a Pop Douglas 61 yard TD... Terrible call! pic.twitter.com/knCmvqrFrH
— Follow: @ThrowbackPATS (@ThrowbackPATS) October 12, 2025
Referee Adrian Hill later told pool reporter Mike Reiss that blocking downfield isn't a penalty until the ball is thrown, which supposedly explained the late flag. What it didn't explain was why the call existed in the first place.
The Patriots still punched in a touchdown on that drive after what sure looked like a couple of make-up calls. There were a few more questionable ones later too.
If New England had lost, Vrabel's postgame quotes probably would've been a lot less funny and a lot more viral.
