Mike Vrabel Unleashes Uncharacteristic Blitz Rate In Loss To Raiders

The New England Patriots lost to the Las Vegas Raiders 20-13 on Sunday. New England’s defense had a difficult afternoon, allowing Raiders quarterback Geno Smith to pass for 362 yards and one touchdown.

Although Smith achieved a nearly 400-yard passing performance, New England’s defense consistently pressured him during most of his attempts.

Per TruMedia, the Patriots blitzed Smith on 40% of his dropbacks. Smith threw 40 times, and the Patriots sent a blitz on 16 of those plays. Smith completed 24 passes on 34 attempts while being sacked four times and rushing twice.

If the Patriots didn’t reach Smith in time, he would have had wide-open playmakers running free. Smith completed a 26-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tre Tucker in the first quarter when New England attempted an all-out blitz but failed to apply any pressure.

Mike Vrabel unusually blitzed more on Sunday than he typically does. During his tenure as head coach of the Tennessee Titans, he maintained the second-lowest blitz rate among all teams, per Chad Graff of The Athletic.

Per Pro Football Focus, Smith ranked as the sixth-best quarterback while facing the blitz last season.

Vrabel likely realized before the game that Smith tends to perform well under pressure. However, with the Patriots missing their starting cornerback, Christian Gonzalez, Vrabel may have thought that the only way for the secondary to succeed would be to pressure Smith.