Before AFC Championship celebrations began, New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was already setting the tone for Super Bowl LX.
Defensive tackle Milton Williams revealed that Vrabel told his team there was no curfew for Sunday night, but “the bus is leaving at eight in the morning, so if you aren’t on it, you aren’t playing in the Bowl,” via Nicole Menner of NBC10 in Rhode Island.
On Sunday, the Patriots defeated the Denver Broncos 10-7 to win the 11th AFC title in franchise history.
The game was much closer than it should have been. The Broncos were without starting quarterback Bo Nix (ankle) and had backup Jarrett Stidham in at signal-caller
Vrabel’s stern postgame statement reminds Patriots players that although they’ve had an accomplished season, they still have plenty to improve upon and will need to stay focused over the next two weeks to win football’s greatest prize.
Patriots starters getting benched before the big game is not unheard of. Former New England cornerback Malcolm Butler was benched before Super Bowl LII against the Philadelphia Eagles for “something personal,” according to owner Robert Kraft.
That Butler’s benching is still discussed eight years later shows how rare a benching for the Super Bowl is. If Vrabel were to follow through on his threats toward Patriots players who miss the bus, he would shock the NFL world.