A few wheels may have popped on the Patriots' season-long magic bus ride, but even in the face of that, they managed to survive a closer-than-it-should-have-been meeting in Cincinnati, overcoming themselves - and the Bengals - 26-20 on Sunday.
While there's plenty to get into - including the Pats' ineptitude in the red zone - injuries may tell a big story about where the AFC East leaders go from here. The thought 'season-altering' certainly came to mind. Mike Vrabel, who in prior weeks had preached to the team that no one can take these wins away, was muted in the postgame.
"I don't have an update on anybody right now, unfortunately," Vrabel said, adding sarcastically, "I appreciate you guys talking about injuries all week. Thanks."
There's a reason for it, Mike. Left tackle Will Campbell, who has given the Pats their best showing at that position since Trent Brown in the 2018-19 Super Bowl, got rolled up on in the 3rd quarter and left on a cart. The towel over his head, and in a brief flash, the emotion in his eyes, told a story that makes you fear the worst but hope for the best.
Campbell wasn't the only key contributor to go down. His fellow rookie, Jared Wilson, was felled by an ankle injury in the opening quarter, and he too had to be carted off, not to return (and later was spotted in the locker room in a walking boot on his right foot). That left the Pats with journeyman Ben Brown in his place, and later, Vederian Lowe trying to hold down Campbell's spot. Not ideal.
"Shoot, I love those guys," Drake Maye said before pausing. "They're going to be alright. I think that's the big thing about those guys. They're gonna work hard, and they're gonna be back, and they've done such a good job for us this year, man, I love those guys.
"Will and Jared, they've meant a lot to me, getting to know them in different ways. And, yeah, it hurts. It's disappointing, man, but that's this game, that's life, and they'll bounce back and help us down the road."
It wasn't just those two. Khyiris Tonga (chest) and Brenden Schooler (ankle/boot on left foot) also didn't finish the game. With Milton Williams already on IR, the Pats' interior DL took another hit, and Schooler, of course, is the linchpin on special teams.
The injuries certainly took some of the wind out of the Pats' sails. But as we've seen, as Maye goes, so goes this team. The second-year quarterback, who has had an MVP-type season, didn't play that way for the first quarter and change. He looked unsure of himself, and that trademark accuracy - which I wrote about just days ago - was missing.
"Not his best performance," Vrabel noted. "But give them credit."
He's not wrong. Part of that was what the Bengals were able to do early. Maye unconfidently threw what appeared to be a no-look pass to TreVeyon Henderson (settle down). On the second series, after the protection was set, safety Geno Stone flipped sides and got a clean run at Maye, forcing a third-down incompletion. On the very next possession, Maye missed a wide-open Hunter Henry in the seam and was intercepted by Stone. He took it to the house, putting the Pats in a 10-0 hole.
"Shoot, I gave 'em one over in the game," Maye said. "Just battling back that next drive. And I'm just trying to be that next-play mentality. That's what coach is preaching all the time - battling back from good plays, battling back from bad plays. ... credit to them for catching us some."
Maye continued to look rough around the edges after the turnover. He did convert a critical third down at midfield by using his legs, but flirted with disaster, fumbling as he went to the ground on a good punch-out. Luckily, he recovered, and a handful of plays later, found a wide-open Henry (7 catches, career-high 115 yards) for the team's first score.
"We need to be a lot better in a lot of areas," Henry said, "but it was cool to kind of get things going a bit."
"Sometimes just not trusting (what he's seeing) and just gotta let it go," Maye said of his struggles. "That's when I'm throwing it best. On time and feeling the best. So I know I wasn't very accurate early on. And, you know, found a groove and just had to get back to the basics."
Maye did settle into a much better rhythm thereafter - he finished 22-of-35 for a season-high 294 yards - though the offense never really shifted into overdrive. In the second half only, they had 11 snaps inside the 5-yard line and scored three points. Do that against the Bengals - and I'm sorry, but that historically bad defense remains just that - and you live to tell about it. Do it against a higher quality opponent, be that Buffalo, Baltimore, or someone in the postseason, and you might get popped.
"We didn't score today," Vrabel said. "Again, you got to score with your man. Whatever you call. It'll be a good learning opportunity for us in a lot of phases, and just how important and how critical the week of practice is, and being ready to go. You never know when your opportunity is going to come, and making sure that everybody's on the same page."
Vrabel didn't radiate warmth and excitement, despite his team stretching their win streak to nine games and remaining unbeaten on the road.
"That's what happens in this league," he said. "You need everybody. And you go through the season, you go on the road, and you know, it's tough, and nobody wants to talk about numbers and records. That doesn't mean shit."
Well, being 10-2 has, at the very least, put his team in position to secure a playoff spot, and they remain in the mix for the top seed in the conference. But dreams of something greater could very well be dampened by what the MRIs say about Campbell in particular. The next 24 to 48 hours may shape the immediate future of the 2025-26 Patriots.
