New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel has spoken of his pride for his team and all they achieved in his first season at the helm, but acknowledged they were ‘outcoached and outplayed’ by the Seattle Seahawks throughout their 29-13 loss in Super Bowl LX on Sunday.

“This season was unbelievably rewarding,” Vrabel, who took the Pats from 4-13 divisional cellar-dwellers to the final game of the season, insisted. “I can’t tell these players enough how proud I am of them. We’re disappointed, not discouraged.”

Vrabel was also quick to note that the Seahawks were the best team the Patriots had faced in 2025 — a claim that will resonate with critics who insisted that New England had had a soft regular season schedule and more than their fair share of luck in the playoffs — but acknowledged that they were partly responsible for their own downfall in the Super Bowl.

“We couldn’t gain any rhythm, field position,” he sighed. “Defensively, we’ve been really good against the run lately, and we weren’t [today]. Unfortunately, I think the turnovers ultimately cost us, and I appreciate the way that the guys offensively battled and competed, but just not enough consistent execution.”

Vrabel acknowledged that he’ll think about this loss ‘longer than I would have if we’d won’, but was quick to preach the need for togetherness amongst his players and staff.

“We have to be disappointed, we have to be upset, but we have to be those things together — [we] can’t be divided,” he insisted. “We can’t be front-runners, can’t be a good team-mate, can’t care about the team and do the right things only when [we] win. Sometimes you lose, and you still have to be able to do those things — and hopefully they will.”

The Patriots coach, who won three Super Bowls as a player with the Patriots between 2001 and 20044, knows how hard it is for any team to get back to the big game, whether they won or not, but will challenge New England to do just that.

“We’ll have to be able to learn from this and understand what we have to do to get back, and know how hard it is and how difficult every year is, and that it starts over,” he reasoned to the assembled media after the game. “Every year is a new year, and we continue to try to improve the roster, continue to improve what we do, continue to improve how we do it, continue to believe in people, continue to get the right people in the building, and start over and know how hard it is each and every year.”

Vrabel was also quick to speak positively about second-year quarterback Drake Maye, who finished as runner-up in the MVP voting for 2025 but endured a torrid game at Levi’s Stadium, going 27/43 for 295 yards and two touchdowns but also suffered two interceptions and a fumble to go with six sacks.

“I’m sure he is over there talking about all the things that he has to do to improve and what he could have done better,” Vrabel commented. “Those are the types of guys we have. We won a lot of games with the guys that we have, and Drake’s a big reason why we’re here. I can’t wait to get back and coach him again.”