Vrabel Calls it Out: Patriots Need to Find Ground Game Fast

After their two backs, playing against a two-deep safety look, sputtered in Seattle, New England has to be more consistent up front.

by Hector Longo

Sep 15, 2026

After their two backs, playing against a two-deep safety look, sputtered in Seattle, New England has to be more consistent up front.

“They force you to drive the football,” said Mike Vrabel of his Week 1 opponent, the Seattle Seahawks. “You have to be able to run the ball against split safety defense.”

If Vrabel’s New England Patriots can’t efficiently run the football, it leaves Drake Maye and the offense in a bit of a conundrum, one that got exponentially worse with the injury to A.J. Brown.

Forced to basically one rushing dimension in Rhamondre Stevenson as his backfield mate TreVeyon Henderson missed the game, the ground game sputtered in Seattle with Stevenson and his understudy Corey Kiner averaging 2.6 yards per rush.

When you run the football on 16 of their first 17 first downs as the Patriots did, that number is not good.

Putting it on the line

While the Patriots offensive line drew high marks from some, allowing Maye to be sacked just three times, the coach wasn’t quite so complimentary.

“It takes all 11 to run the football. We’ve been through this a million times. The back is going to be the back. We have to block. We have to be able to be decisive. We have to take care of the football,” Vrabel said on his weekly WEEI-FM radio appearance.

“Receivers have to be able to go in there and block support. (If) you don’t block the nickels, you don’t block the safeties, they come in and make the tackle just like they did on the last drive.

“Quarterbacks have to carry out fakes. Linemen have to work together in combination. And then you have to finish.”

Steelers will do more of same

Expect New England to see a similar, lighter front in the home opener on Sunday.

If they can’t move it on the ground, it has to be considered a trend.

The Patriots will be a run-first team. To do so, the line has to be better.

“You just don’t toss it to the tailback and think that he’s going to beat everybody. You have to cover guys up and move the line of scrimmage,” Vrabel said.