New England Patriots

Mike Vrabel’s pregame message resonated with Drake Maye, Patriots before win over Ravens

“You take it for granted. Just what a beautiful sport. The best sport out there.”

By Conor Ryan, December 22, 2025, 11:20 AM, 3 minutes to read

Hours before Drake Maye helped the Patriots erase an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter against the Ravens, the Patriots quarterback heeded the message doled out by his head coach in the visiting locker room at M&T Bank Stadium.

New England was dealing with plenty of adversity entering Sunday’s primetime matchup — fresh off of collapsing against the Bills at Gillette Stadium the previous weekend. 

Compounding the Patriots’ woes was the sting of the injury bug, with New England soldiering on without key cogs like Milton Williams, Will Campbell, and Robert Spillane on Sunday night. An already reeling New England depth chart would be further sapped of its talent as Sunday’s bout carried on.

But as Maye and the Patriots took to the field in enemy territory, Vrabel preached the importance of relishing the moment — especially amid a season where a once-rebuilding New England franchise has consistently punched above its weight.

That message rang true for Maye, especially in the aftermath of Sunday’s dramatic 28-24 victory. 

“You take it for granted, man,” Maye said postgame. “You take it for granted. Just what a beautiful sport. The best sport out there. This game, it’s brutal. There’s times with injuries and losses that weigh on you, but this winning feeling, there’s nothing like it. Coach reminded us of that pregame. 

“He said, ‘You can’t buy that back, winning in that locker room.’ At his age, he always says, ‘I wish I could suit up again.’ You just can’t buy that. He said, ‘You can buy anything else in life, but you can’t buy this time we’re in right now.’ And what a time it is.”

New England overcame several hurdles on Sunday, be it those aforementioned injuries or several early miscues that prevented the Patriots from piling on points against Baltimore.

But in crunch time, Maye played some of the best football of his young NFL career. 

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