Mike Vrabel's clock management included an intentional offside penalty
NBC Sports • • sports
Key Points:
- Patriots coach Mike Vrabel instructed defensive lineman Cory Durden to intentionally jump offside on third-and-inches late in the fourth quarter to concede a first down without running time off the clock, aiming to preserve timeouts for later downs.
- This strategic move allowed the Patriots to stop the Bears on the next three plays and use their three timeouts, giving them more time to attempt a comeback.
- Bears kicker Cairo Santos then made a career-long 58-yard field goal, effectively sealing the game despite Vrabel’s clock management tactic.
- Commentator Kirk Herbstreit praised Vrabel's decision, noting it was smarter to give the Bears a first-and-10 rather than face a third-and-inches with the clock running.
- The incident highlighted Vrabel’s reputation as one of the NFL’s best clock managers, although Bears coach Ben Johnson missed the opportunity to decline the penalty and maintain third-and-inches.
