Sportsnaut
Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots were back at home in Week 8 to take on the Cleveland Browns. It was a competitive first half as the Patriots went to halftime with just a 9-7 lead, but it wasn’t nearly as competitive in the second half as the Patriots went on to win 32-13.
The win was the Patriots’ fifth in a row and moved the team to 6-2 overall on the season. The Patriots are still atop the AFC East thanks to a head-to-head victory over the Buffalo Bills, and Vrabel’s team looks like a real contender in his first season.
However, those watching the game likely noticed the absence of one key player. Defensive lineman Christian Barmore did not play in the first quarter for the Patriots. The veteran didn’t see the field until the Browns’ third offensive possession.
It was surprising considering Barmore was not listed on the injury report, and he wasn’t one of the inactive players either. Active the game, Vrabel was asked why Barmore began on the bench and the coach mentioned a need to “protect the team.”
“I had to make a decision,” Vrabel said. “My job is to protect the team, so when there’s actions that I don’t feel like are commiserate with what we want to do here, I’ve got to make a decision, and we move on.”
Vrabel didn’t elaborate further, and Barmore declined to speak to reporters after the game.
Ultimately, Barmore ended up playing 30 snaps even after his temporary benching. The veteran collected one tackle but otherwise didn’t record a statistic. Milton Williams was the only defensive tackle to play more snaps than Barmore.
Hopefully this is just a temporary problem as the Patriots need Barmore to be available going forward. Barmore signed a $94 million extension just over one year ago, and the team envisioned Barmore and Williams forming one of the most dominant defensive tackle duos in the league.
So far in 2025, Barmore has played in all eight games and has collected 13 tackles, two tackles for loss, and four quarterback hits.
More must-reads:
