Patriots coach Mike Vrabel returns to face the Titans for 1st time since being fired

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Mike Vrabel congratulated Brian Callahan when Tennessee hired him as Vrabel's successor as the Titans' head coach.

Vrabel also texted Callahan after being fired six games into his second season.

“I just remember all those coaches or people that reached out after I was let go,” Vrabel said. “I think that that’s important because nobody texts when you lose, they all text when you win. So, it’s a good reminder.”

Vrabel returns Sunday to coach against the franchise that gave him his first NFL head coaching job. He spent six seasons with the Titans and had three playoff berths, two AFC South titles, an AFC championship appearance and a 54-45 record.

With the New England Patriots 4-2 and sitting atop the AFC East in his first season, Sunday is Vrabel's opportunity to remind Titans fans and ownership what they lost by firing him in January 2024. Being on the other sideline will be a little different.

This is the Patriots' third straight road game, and New England comes in having won three straight with the last a 25-19 victory at New Orleans. Vrabel and his Patriots face a Tennessee franchise in turmoil.

“There’s a lot there to unpack outside of the interesting fact that I used to coach in Tennessee,” Vrabel said.

Not only was Callahan fired after a 1-5 start and 4-19 record, the Titans are 10-30 in a skid that started under Vrabel. Mike McCoy will debut as the Titans' interim coach, his first head coaching job since being fired by the San Diego Chargers at the end of the 2016 season.

McCoy isn't worried about keeping the Titans' attention with this franchise looking for their first home win since beating the Patriots in overtime Nov. 3, 2024. Tennessee is home after its own three-game road swing capped by a 20-10 loss at the Las Vegas Raiders.

“This is the NFL,” McCoy said. “We all have a job to do.”

The Patriots will be following Vrabel's approach ignoring all the attention that goes along with the coach's return to Tennessee.

“He’s not treating it like a big deal, so it’s kind of bleeding into us,” Patriots quarterback Drake Maye said. “We’re treating it like another week, another opponent, and treating it the same. The way he’s handling it is the right way.”

The Patriots already have matched their win total for each of the past two seasons and are not thinking ahead. Safety Jaylinn Hawkins said he gets the sense that New England is doing a good job at prioritizing improvement and letting results stem from that.

“We’re not really worried about the ‘he say-she say,’” Hawkins said. “I call it poison. It reminds you of poison. We’re not getting too high or too low. We’re trying to stay ready.”

It’s also why Vrabel doesn’t want his team motivated to win in Tennessee because of him.

“We’re not trying to win one for the Gipper here," Vrabel said. "We’re just trying to make sure these guys are focused on improving.”

Three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons is the one player the Patriots will have to watch with him off to the best start of his career. He's just the third tackle in 17 seasons with at least 4 1/2 sacks and eight tackles for loss in the first six games, joining Geno Atkins (2012 and 2018) and Aaron Donald (2015).

And Simmons wants a win as a team captain to help McCoy in his new role.

“We've got to make sure we're doing our part of helping him out as leaders and captains to keep this locker room together," Simmons said. "And making sure ... (we're) ready to go play against a good football team that's coming in here I’m sure that’s going to try to embarrass us at home.”

The Titans have placed a lot on the shoulders of rookie quarterback Cam Ward and now the No. 1 pick overall is working with a new head coach. Ward might have to do even more this week against one of the NFL’s top run defenses.

The Patriots rank fourth in the NFL against the run, allowing only 83.5 yards per game. New England is also allowing just 3.46 yards per rush through the first six games, the third-lowest mark in the NFL this season.

The Patriots are also the only team this season that has not surrendered 50 yards to a running back through the first six games.

The Titans hope to get nose tackle T'Vondre Sweat back from injured reserve for this game to help Simmons with all the double-teams he's faced. But wide receiver Calvin Ridley is out with the hamstring he hurt last week. Kicker Joey Slye is back after missing the last game with a right calf injury.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1) fumbles the ball while hit by Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Devin White (45) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye runs with the ball during the second half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Tennessee Titans interim head coach Mike McCoy speaks during a news conference at the NFL football team's training facility Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel reacts during the first half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

CLEVELAND (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo could be sidelined for a while after he left the second quarter of Monday night's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to a left groin strain.

Coach Doc Rivers didn't have any further update on Antetokounmpo after the Bucks 118-106 loss, and said the next step would be imaging on his left groin.

“We won’t know anything until tomorrow. It didn’t look great, I can tell you that,” Rivers said.

Antetokounmpo had 14 points, five rebounds and four assists in 13 minutes. He immediately went to the locker room with 3:03 remaining in the second quarter after committing a foul and did not return.

Rivers said he thinks the injury occurred before that point in the game.

“He grabbed his groin, I think in the first quarter, and I asked him right away. He said it was fine. Then I think he grabbed it again and said it was fine. And then on the third time, you know, that’s when it happened. But I think it happened before, in my opinion," Rivers said.

The 14-year veteran leads the Eastern Conference and is fourth in the league in scoring at 31.2 points per game. He was listed as probable on the injury report before Monday's game due to left knee patellar tendinopathy.

Milwaukee started the season 4-1, but has dropped six of 10. It went 1-3 during its latest stretch of four games in six days.

The Bucks have a couple days off before their next game on Thursday against Philadelphia.

“We've got some work to do,” Rivers said. “There’s always a silver lining. I don’t know what it is. It doesn't look good right now. But we’re going to either find somebody or find something to run that will pay dividends later, and that’s the situation we’re about to go through.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo drives to the basket as Cleveland Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell, right, looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Cleveland, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) shoots as Cleveland Cavaliers' De'Andre Hunter (12) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Cleveland, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives against Cleveland Cavaliers' Jarrett Allen during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Cleveland, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives to the basket as Cleveland Cavaliers' Evan Mobley, second from right, defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Cleveland, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Phil Long)