New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots earned their first win of the season in 2025 on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, and boy, was it a thriller. Easily the biggest play of the game for the Patriots was Antonio Gibson’s 90-yard kickoff return touchdown, which was made more epic thanks to an awesome reaction from head coach Mike Vrabel.
With a 23-20 lead, the Pats punted away to the Dolphins, only for Malik Washington to rip off a 74-yard return for a touchdown. New England suddenly found itself trailing midway through the fourth quarter, setting the stage for a wildly important drive.
Gibson had other plans, as he immediately responded by taking the ensuing kickoff 90 yards the other way for a touchdown, giving the Patriots a 30-27 lead that they would not relinquish.
During Gibson’s return, Vrabel was seen sprinting down the sideline as the running back took the ball to the crib. When asked about his hilarious reaction on Monday, Vrabel admitted that his sprint speed isn’t what it used to be.
“5.8,” Vrabel replied when asked on “The Greg Hill Show” what he thinks his 40-yard dash time was. “That headset is a lot heavier than you think. My plantar fascia was barking this morning. It’s more for endurance than speed. It’s built for the long haul. All you need as a pass rush is the get off, you don’t need 40 yards.”
After struggling for much of the second half, the Pats defense held strong and prevented the Dolphins from scoring on their final two drives of the day. A big 53-yard field goal from Andy Borregales gave New England some breathing room, leading to the final score of 33-27.
It wasn’t a perfect game, but at the end of the day, a win is a win. Vrabel and the Pats will look to build off of this contest when they return to action in Week 3 with a clash against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
