The Patriots are on the rise this season.

But even with the emergence of Drake Maye and tangible results put forward after an upset win over Buffalo on Sunday , New England still has plenty of work to do when it comes to establishing itself as a legitimate contender in a wide-open AFC.

One thing that New England has to clean up is the number of flags directed toward them, as the Patriots have been knocked for 43 penalties through five games — the second-highest mark in the NFL.

But speaking on Wednesday at Gillette Stadium, Vrabel dismissed some of the concerns regarding his team’s habit of drawing plenty of flags.

While Vrabel noted that pre-snap penalties are lapses that do need to be corrected, he said that he has no qualms with his players also being aggressive out on the field —

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