New England Patriots - NESN.com
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel is eager for his team to get a chance to play playoff football on Sunday.
The Patriots are set to host the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night in the NFL Wild Card Round in an intriguing game. With New England now in a win-or-go-home situation in the playoffs, it adds to the pressure, which Vrabel wants the team to embrace.
“We need to embrace the preparation, and I want them to continue to enjoy the execution and everything that goes on with this,” Vrabel said on Wednesday.
“I’m excited. I’m excited for these guys to prepare, I’m excited to coach them. So, I hope that we’re locked in every week, and I imagine we’ll get everything we can out of them.”
New England has been playing good football all season, but Vrabel knows the playoffs are a different beast.
The Patriots’ head coach is also eager for playoff football to return to New England. But the team isn’t happy with just one game, as they know Sunday is the first step in the team’s ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl.
“I’m happy, I’m excited, but also, we’re not here just to get here,” Vrabel added. “We have to be able to host games and compete for championships. So, there’s not going to be any consolation prize for anybody. We understand what we have to do.”
New England is a 3.5-point home favorite against the Chargers on Sunday, with kick-off set for 8 p.m. ET.
