Mike Vrabel Treated the Worst Question of 'Super Bowl Opening Night’ Very Seriously

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Super Bowl Opening Night, which used to keep earlier hours and be called Media Day, is well-known for non-traditional interview questions. While Drake Maye was fielding questions about his wife's baked goods and Stefon Diggs was interrogated about possible engagement plans, Patriots coach Mike Vrabel was left to field the most pointless question of the evening.
"Is this a must-win game?" asked a faceless voice belonging to Dave Dameshek.
In full football coach-speak mode, Vrabel didn't bat an eye. He treated the incredibly and intentionally bad question the same way he would any of the other questions he didn't really want to answer during his media availability.
Very much a must-win game 😂 pic.twitter.com/2zQjMCIpxe
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) February 3, 2026
"A must-win," Vrabel repeated. "Yeah. Everytime we go out is a must-win game. It's kind of the attitude I've always taken in the National Football League."
There you have it. Not only does a coach want to win a game, but he considers the final game of the season that will crown the league champion a "must-win." When you think about it, there's really no other option. Especially when you approach the National Football League the way that Vrabel does.
The Seahawks could be in trouble. Of course, they might also view the Super Bowl as must-win, which means one of these teams is not going to get one of their must-haves this Sunday.
UPDATE: The article originally identified the questioner as Guillermo Rodriguez from Jimmy Kimmel Live.
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Stephen Douglas is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in media since 2008 and now casts a wide net with coverage across all sports. Douglas spent more than a decade with The Big Lead and previously wrote for Uproxx and The Sporting News. He has three children, two degrees and one now unverified Twitter account.
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