Entering the first week of the regular season, New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel made his message clear for his football team: win the second half.

In Vrabel’s research, 12 of 16 teams who won the second half in the season opener in 2024 went on to win the game. At halftime Sunday, with the Patriots holding a 10-7 lead over the Las Vegas Raiders, they were in position to follow that trend.

Instead in a rainy Foxborough, things unraveled. The Raiders outscored New England 13-3 following the break, handing Vrabel a 20-13 loss in his Patriots coaching debut.

“It sure didn’t’s frustrating,” Vrabel responded when asked about his second-half emphasis. “We have to understand how sometimes these games are going to go. We just didn’t do enough in the second half. Give them credit. We c

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